The Awl Vol 1

Choi Gyu-Seok

Paperback

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The Awl is a story of ordinary folks struggling to be treated as humans.

Set in the latter half of the 2000s, against the backdrop of "Pureumi", a fictional superstore chain in South Korea, the work unfolds with a focus on two protagonists: Yi Su-in, who has been instructed by the corporation to dismiss workers unjustly; and Gu Go-sin, a labor activist.

A man of principles, Su-in is someone who cannot restrain outspoken criticism and is constantly at odds with the world. Though he has quit a career in the armed forces to live quietly and chosen an ordinary job, he once again clashes against the world because the company has ordered him to drive out employees by force.

Aiding Su-in is Go-sin, a cool-headed and deft labor activist who runs a labor counseling center near the Pureumi chain. Unlike Su-in, who has difficulty getting along with people and sternly sticks to rules, he approaches others without hesitation and even resorts to extreme measures at times to accomplish goals.

Together, Su-in and Go-sin will oppose the manipulation and moral harassment to which the employees are cynically subjected. The process through which these two figures remind ordinary, diligent workers of their rights and bring change together will fire up readers.

Remarkable in mastery and brilliance, author Choi Gyu-seok (The Hellbound) depicts with finesse all the adventures of this shock of two worlds, and at the same time offers an amazing portrait of a complex Korean society, crossed by multiple tensions.

Proof that popular works can also be created based on social topics, The Awl has left an indelible mark on South Korean comics. Entertaining and moving at the same time, The Awl remains a monumental work in the nation's comics, consummate in its artistry, while conveying an important social message.

Book Details

Publisher: Ablaze
Publish Date: Sep 24th, 2024
Pages: 248
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 8.20in - 5.70in - 0.60in - 0.70lb
EAN: 9781684971909
Categories: • East Asian Style - Manhwa

Praise for this book

"A visceral social realist Korean comic series about labour rights, industrial corruption, worker abuse that offers a portrait of South Korean society that most people in the West don't know about, told in a compelling and typically visceral style that Korean comics are best known for." - Bleeding Cool

"In a translation by Eskow, the first of a three-part series (subsequent volumes come out this fall) arrives with a notable backstory: the inspiring real-life events occurred in 2007; the original webtoon debuted in 2013; a TV series premiered in 2015, becoming the first Korean drama, according to The Korea Herald, to target labor rights. Choi, already known in the West as the screenwriter of Netflix's cult series Hellbound, presents his everyman manhwa in detailed, realistic black-and-white--his facial close-ups are particularly affecting." - Booklist (STARRED)

"Ablaze Publishing may have released one of the year's best manhwa/manga/comics in Choi Gyu-seok's The AWL." - Asian Movie Pulse

"it's a thoughtful, well-researched take on the history of the fight for workers' rights. Readers will be impressed with how Gyu-seok sprinkles consciousness-raising in with pop comics action." - Publishers Weekly

"In its moments of indulging genuine emotion, it captures the internally screaming rage that motivates us to strive for something better--in Lee's tunnel-vision POV in the wake of his superior dragging him, you can hear the ear-ringing resonance of his mental struggles." - Anime News Network