Mijeong (Nbm) [Paperback]

Byung Jun Byun (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nbm | Publication Date: June 1, 2009

In Chinese, Mijeong means pure beauty. In the cold city, young people s lives cross and spark for brief moments in this remarkably drawn graphic novel; Wounded characters, squashed by the daily hard realities of urban living whose destinies take sudden unannounced turns but their inner flames shine bright and wild, even for a brief time. From the girl who deals sensitively with an older man obsessed by youth to the group of friends who find their friend has committed suicide but feel they might get implicated, this engrossing collection of stories will transfix and move you deeply. Another remarkable manhwa by the artist of Run, Bong-Gu, Run.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The short story collection Mijeong handsomely showcases young manhwa artist Byung's relatively accomplished illustrative style, while his stories reveal a still-germinal narrative voice. These short tales trade in the gothic melodrama of urban malaise, with murder, assault, rape and suicide frequently present as plot points for youthful characters to repress, enact or unexpectedly react to. Byung sometimes succeeds in wringing moments of genuine pathos from his sensitive, affectless teens' responses to outsized traumas, as in the final moments of the delicately full-color Song for You. But the narratives work best when linking youth's behavior to specific urban landscapes and mores, which he accomplishes almost entirely visually in the semihumorous Utility. This collection emphasizes the artist's diverse visual treatments of his observant settings and stylized figures, though his characters are sometimes difficult to tell apart, and his visual storytelling is occasionally unclear, but Byung is clearly a talented draftsman with narrative ambitions. Byung's artwork may already earn him some fans, and Mijeong may yet go down as a somewhat interesting early work by a developing storyteller. (July)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: NBM Publishing, Inc. (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561635545
• ISBN-13: 978-1561635542
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,299,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Older readers will find much to contemplate and ruminate on here, November 17, 2009

By 

GraphicNovelReporter.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mijeong (Nbm) (Paperback)

First, a confession: I've never read manhwa before. Second, this disclosure: Mijeong was an absolutely beautiful place to start.

This book is a collection of seven short stories from artist/writer Byun Byung-Jun, who has become a fast-rising star in his native Korea. All of these stories have been published more than five years ago, and apparently are now being rereleased to capitalize on the author's new success. Mijeong is Chinese for "pure beauty," which is an apt description of the striking illustrations inside. The press materials for the book recommend listening to the blues while reading the stories, which deal with loneliness, reflections on youth, death, prostitution, and the evil people inflict upon one another.

Still, it would be wrong to describe this as a "dark" book. No one would call it uplifting, but there are bright spots that showcase Byung-Jun's talent for laying humanity bare. The book breaks briefly into color in spots, but for the most part, black and white suffices to convey the spirit and tone of the work.

Mijeong is definitely an adult work with its overt themes and depictions. While it's not for younger readers, older ones will find much to contemplate and ruminate on here.

-- John Hogan