“Suchan's determined to become the top student at NEST and get his normal life back—which means he needs to ace his first group assignment! The task? Return to human society and track down a single can of Jungle Juice. A job that turns out to be much harder than it sounds…until Suchan and Huijin stumble across a promising lead. But when the two of them follow it to an abandoned warehouse, they quickly realize their luck was too good to be true. Lying in wait for them is a carnivorous insect-human— and he's about to make Huijin his next meal!” (Ize Press)
The inaugural volume of “Jungle Juice” delivered superhero action with an insect twist, crafting characters whose powers were drawn from the last creepy crawly they killed. The series certainly stroked that desire for fresh content in the genre, which can sometimes feel stagnant when considering the amount and subpar quality coming out of the majority of Western mainstream comics. For fans of the big two looking to check out different formats, the title is a testament to the best on offer in the medium.
The second volume further cements the series' legacy, which has made it popular online throughout its continued run. Essentially, the book offers more of what made the first stand out, including bombastic bug battles and sleek character designs that wonderfully conceptualize superheroes for the modern era.
More importantly, Hyeong Eun & Juder prove that they can handle an expanding cast of characters, and volume two manages to build on an already impressive line-up of bug-infused heroes and villains with some fascinating additions—notably, a proper introduction to the main villain who can summon the powers of a bell-diving spider. The duo also shows they know how to reuse already established characters, with the scorpion-powered Dohwa getting an intriguing mini-arc about her past struggles as an orphan ostracized for her powers. All these elements show a team with a command over their vision and understanding of how to keep the pace consistently exciting.
Visually, digital art that relies on specific tools will never match hand-drawn superhero action. However, Juder makes a strong case for the viability of digital art to offer competition. This is bolstered by outstanding direction and flow during fights, keeping readers glued to the pages and overlooking the simplistic backgrounds. The physical release is also wonderfully presented, with Ize Press using bright pink in the interiors and cover, whereas the previous had utilized green. This evokes images of brightly colored instincts and gives the physical copy a sleek design. Physical copy over digital is, undeniably, the way to go for this series.
“Jungle Juice” continues to impress with its bug-fused action, and it was an obvious pick to make our best manga and manga of 2023 list with how polished and entertaining the series is. Titles like this will go far to establish the dominance of webtoons not just online but in physical media as well; pick this one up while you can.
