What Are Webtoons?
Let's start this off right. You may not know what a Webtoon is. Odds are that you've only heard of, or read, manga. You may know that there are different genres within manga, but you may not know that there are a variety of different forms that comics take, particularly as it relates to how they are published in various countries. For example, while Manga (Japanese comics) exists, there are also Manhwa (South Korean comics), Komiks (Filipino comics), Chitrakatha (Indian comics), and so much more. I want to focus on the digital form of Manhwa: Webtoons.
As I mentioned before, a webtoon is a digital manhwa. And while most of what you may see (if we are to assume that your primary exposure is to that of manga) is black and white drawings and print, webtoons are in color. Think of webtoons as the full-color comic book form of manga (but South Korean, not Japanese). Webtoons are growing in popularity because of the accessibility of digital reading material versus print publication.
With that out of the way, I want to talk about HELLPER. I've been reading webtoons for about two years now, and most of the webtoons I've read up to this point have stuck to the standard swipe-down format. And while I have discovered many with brilliant coloring and paneling, none have done quite what this one has. But first, let's start with the...
Summary
HELLPER follows Gwangnam, an eccentric leader of a biker gang, who dies and finds himself in Limbo. He learns that he has been given a black bracelet, which is a ticket to Hell. However, if a person with said ticket is able to collect 100 black bracelets, they can qualify for reincarnation. The twist is that Gwangnam must steal these bracelets from other inhabitants of Limbo, but finds himself forming deadly alliances and encountering opponents of increasing strength.
This webtoon is filled to the brim with twists, turns, betrayals, mystery, and especially action. And I just... the action is insane. It is dynamic, clever, and the power system is truly unique.
There are a couple aspects of HELLPER that really solidify it as one of my favorite reads:
#1. The storytelling...
The story of Gwangnam is told in a two-fold manner. The primary story follows our protagonist through the limbo-scape as he meets new characters and attempts to collect tickets. The secondary story follows the people that he left behind. This is a crucial part of the story because his gang plays an enormous role in the plot and the development of Gwangnam as a character. This secondary plot fills in the holes of the main plot and introduces new ones that sprout out because of the power vacuum left by Gwangnam's death.
The writer handles both sides of the story beautifully. Every character has depth and Gwangnam's presence (and non-presence) create powerful ripples throughout both worlds. But most importantly, everything is organic in heart-wrenching and exciting ways equally. Despite having a fantastical plot, what truly makes this webtoon impactful is that it is so so so so... human.
If anything, this story is anchored in the characters' battle for & with redemption, remembrance, loss, and ideals. No character is detached or statue-esque. No character is without their flaws or regrets, and they all struggle with their past and present.
#2. The art...
HELLPER's art is wild, bold, hard-hitting, emotional, and interactive. The majority of it is in black and white (particularly the sections in limbo), but certain colors appear in certain situations or on certain objects/powers. For instance, the colors red, blue, yellow, and purple appear often throughout the story, and each indicates a certain level of power. The colors are used sparingly so that whenever color does appear, you are visually drawn in.
This webtoon also takes advantage of the vertical scroll format. There are moments where you (the reader) are given commands like, "scroll fast" or "scroll slowly". These moments add a significant amount of cohesion between panels and magnify the reading experience. It is just fun to read, especially the fight scenes. Don't get me started on the fight scenes (again...). They are insane.
And finally,
#3. The powers...
I absolutely love the power system in HELLPER. So, here's how it works. As I mentioned earlier, each inhabitant of limbo is given a wristband and can steal bands from other inhabitants. As the number of bands increases, so does the power. Pretty straightforward.
Now, where it gets interesting is that when a person dies (and goes to limbo) they take on a form different than the one they had while living. Sometimes it is a drastic change, sometimes not. This is important because the form an individual takes is dependent upon their cause of death. In the same way, a person's cause of death determines their powers & coinciding abilities, as well as their weaknesses in some cases.
This is a huge aspect of the webtoon and it is used skillfully by the author to deepen the story, the characters, the actions, and motivations, etc. It is an example of how to use one piece (and a normal one at that) of a story to maximize your worldbuilding and everything you have built up throughout the narrative. (That last piece was for my writers...:))
I highly recommend you go and read HELLPER. It is just under 200 episodes, and depending on your experience with manga, comics, etc, this can be short or very long. Each episode is longer than the average webtoon's length, so there is a longevity to it as you progress. It feels much longer than it actually is. Which I, personally, loved.
You can download the Webtoon app on your app store and read the entire story.
