■ Cover Story
▷ From Hope to Darkness
The origins of the science fiction genre and its literary and cinematic evolution
: Jeong Myeong-seop (SF writer)
▷ Science Fiction Yesterday and Today in Comics
Lee Jae-min (comic critic)
▷ Science fiction in comics and webtoons transcends genres and becomes a platform.
Korean SF Webtoons by Keywords
Kim Min-tae (comic critic)
▷ Why has Korean science fiction been consistently underrated?
About a deeper and more structural problem than you think
Lee Hyun-jae (comic critic)

■ Interview
▷ Dreaming of a wider and more expansive universe and a comic book about people beyond the rough world of machines.
: Cartoonist Kim Jun-beom
▷ Leading the comics ecosystem where anyone can create, connect anywhere, and expand globally.
Baek Jong-hoon, President of the Korea Creative Content Agency

■ Critic
Comical "Signs" of an Era of Coexistence with Artificial Intelligence
Machine Warrior 109 and Housekeeper
Moon Jong-pil (comic critic)
▷ The monolith called "2001: A Space Odyssey" that came down before us
Characteristics and Applications of Science Fiction Space Opera in Korean Pure Love Comics
: Jeon Hye-jin (SF writer)
▷ Personal narrative in the apocalypse
Black Ark
: Kim Deuk-won (comic critic)
▷ The boy borrowed the giant's body and jumped into the world of adults.
And now…
Lee Hyeon-seok (comic critic)

■ Interview
▷ The comics industry's hopes and requests for the new government in 2025
:Song Soon-gyu (CEO of Webtoon Warehouse, a webtoon production company)
Park Ji-hyun (CEO of Mutun)
Kim Jeong-yeong (Professor, Department of Webtoon and Cartoon Content, Yonsei University)
Yaksu (Naver Webtoon writer)
Park Se-hyeon (Chairman of the Korean Cartoon and Webtoon Critics Association)

■ Issue
Analysis of the Fair Trade Commission's announcement of unfair secondary copyright contracts between webtoon and web novel authors.
Baek Jong-seong (Professor of New Art and Film Animation, Mokpo National University)
▷ The line drawn by technology, the narrative completed by the writer
The Next Stage of Creation Seen at the KOBA2025 AI Toon Lecture
: Kim Han-jae (Professor, Department of Cartoon and Webtoon Contents, Kangdong University)

■ Essay
▷ People in between
Webtoon Producers: The First Link Between Creation and the Market
: Lee Seung-hyung (currently executive producer of The Grim Entertainment)
▷ The Accelerated Global Webtoon Market and Trends
Kim Jeong-yeon (CEO of Next Culture Lab, former director of Gyeongui Line Book Street)

■ Comics to read on a sleepless summer night: Comics to read on a sleepless summer night
▷ Universe in the Room: My Childhood, Charlie Brown and His Friends
Charles Schulz's "Peanuts"
: An So-ra (comic critic)
▷ The dead cannot speak, but their brains do.
Shimizu Reiko's "Secret"
: Choi Gi-hyeon (comic critic)
▷ About creepiness and strangeness
Anna Rae, Kim Dal, and Sumima's "Moral Hazard"
: Lee Yong-geon (comic critic)
▷ A comforting heart, a comforting heart
A fluffy collection of short stories that will blow away the humidity
Oshiro Kogani's "Stove on the Beach"
Park Min-ji (comic critic)
▷ Telling history through 'ghost stories'
Kang Tae-jin's "A Ghost Story"
Park Geun-hyung (comic critic)

■ Relay Interview
▷ If you love stories, you are already a writer.
Novelist Kim Ho-yeon

■ I'm going to meet you now
▷ Pursue your dreams with creativity that can break down all walls
: Cartoonist Lee Woo-jeong (edited by cartoonist Kim Jong-ok)

■ Webtoon VS Movie
▷ Furessha VS Kang Dong-won
Webtoon "Possessed" and the film "Dr. Cheon's Exorcist Lab: The Secret of the Snow Scene"
: Jeong Ji-hye (film critic)

■ Webtoon VS Drama
▷ Comics and dramas amid the K-creature craze
Webtoon "Tiger Brother" vs. Drama "Tale of the Nine-Tailed"
: Kim Yong-deok (Lecturer at Cheonggang Cultural Industries College, author of "Encyclopedia of Mysterious Animals Hidden in Cultural Heritage" and "I Am a God")

■ Famous lines and scenes from life in comics
▷ People change, people don't change
Kwak Baek-su's "A Man from China"
: Lee Dong-jun (culture columnist, author of "Berlin Code" and "Movie of the Day")
▷ Today's daily life looks a little bit sparkly
A place of memories created by the comic "Every Day, a Holiday"
: Kim Ha-rim (comic critic)

■ Critics' picks!
▷ A faint and faint love story
Sanho's "Nanani in a Glass Bottle"
: Han Yu-hee (comic critic)

■ Comic News Inside

■ New Release Report

With the advent of artificial intelligence both welcome and unwelcome, what should science fiction comics depict?

In the West, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells cannot be left out when talking about science fiction writers. Their novels such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, From the Earth to the Moon, The Time Machine, and The War of the Worlds have been made into modern films and are considered classics of science fiction literature.
Films such as James Cameron's Avatar series, the Marvel Heroes film series, and Bong Joon-ho's Snowpiercer have also been successful in terms of both artistic quality and box office success.

With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence, humanity seemed to welcome a new era, but anxiety about the future still lingers. Just as literature and film have, webtoons, like comics, reveal deep reflections on humanity in the gloomy end of the century.

The best-selling "Dr. Handel" by Choi Sang-kwon, which features Dr. Handel fighting villains on a ruined surface, and Kim San-ho's "Lion of Justice, Raifai", which features him defeating villains on a swallow, were groundbreaking science fiction comics in the 1950s.
In the 1960s, science fiction comics by artists such as Shin Dong-woo, Oh Myeong-cheon, Im Chang, and Lee Jeong-moon appeared, inspiring readers to imagine space and the future with heroes fighting to save the Earth.
In the 1990s, it was especially loved by readers in the science fiction genre of pure romance comics for its sensitive directing and composition, even in narratives set in space.
Entering the era of webtoons in the 2000s, various works such as Kim Seong-min's "Night Run," Yang Yeong-sun's "Denma," and Moon Ji-hyun's "No Named" were introduced.
In particular, Seyoon's "Pure Villain" adds a science fiction touch to the conflict structure of romance, and like Bapsae and Walpae's "Us on the Water" and Sanho's "And the Witch Went to the Forest," it is gaining popularity for its emotional expression while showing hints at a future setting even without directly revealing science and technology.

In this way, the science fiction genre in webtoons does not give up on the possibility of humanity and humanity, despite the dangers of nuclear weapons development and the antipathy toward artificial intelligence.
He insists that we must never forget goodness and morality in the midst of a still-challenging life. This is why the appeal of science fiction webtoons has long been beloved by readers.

What should we look for in science fiction comics and webtoons depicting the age of machine civilization in science and technology?
What is the present and future of Korean SF webtoons, and which works should I read?

The 'cover story' of the 26th issue of the webtoon critique magazine "Now, Manhwa" traces the history of the science fiction genre and the changes in Korean manhwa and webtoons in chronological order.
From the first Korean comics called science fiction comics to webtoons that deal with AI, we also pointed out the characteristics of these comics.
We analyzed recent trends in SF webtoons by keyword to determine readers' interest.
In 'Critic', we compared and analyzed webtoons containing science and technology and AI through 'Machine Warrior 109' and 'Housekeeper', and we looked into the characteristics of space opera in Korean romance comics through the movie '2001: A Space Odyssey'.
And I critically analyzed “Black Ark” and representative works of Japanese robot manga.

In 'Interview', we met with cartoonist Kim Jun-beom, who recently became a hot topic with the re-publication of 'Machine Warrior 109', and heard about his recent activities and future plans.
We also met with Baek Jong-hoon, the director of the Korea Creative Content Agency, and discussed the significance of Bucheon as a city specializing in comics and the agency's role.
We have compiled the comics industry's expectations for the new government in 20205, based on analysis and forecasts from various figures in the comics industry.
In 'This Kind of Comics for This Time', we meet a curation of comic recommendations from celebrities under the theme of 'Comics to read on a sleepless summer night', and introduce various comics/webtoons through 'Famous lines/scenes from life in comics', 'Webtoon vs. Drama', and 'Webtoon vs. Webtoon'.
Additionally, in the 'Critics' Picks!' corner, comic critics provide in-depth critiques of works selected by them.
We also deliver news of the opening of the special exhibition “Temperature of the Neighbor” held at the Korea Manhwa Museum.
This year's newly launched 'Relay Interview' series heard about the relationship between novelist Kim Ho-yeon, known for his best-selling work 'Inconvenient Convenience Store', and 'I'm Going to Meet You Now' visited veteran cartoonist Lee Woo-jeong to hear about the history of the cartoon world.

《Now, Comics》 No. 26 = SF + Comics

● Where and how did Korean science fiction comics begin?

Our country's science fiction comics are known to people as science fiction comics.
Beginning with Choi Seong-kwon's "Dr. Handel" in 1952 and Kim San-ho's "Lion of Justice, Raifai" in 1959, readers were introduced to the imaginary era of the future world through comics.
After that, in the 1960s, comics with diverse backgrounds, settings, and main characters such as Wang Hyun's "Shoot the Star," Shin Dong-woo's "Fight Earth Fleet," Park Ki-dang's "Cheonlian," and Lee Jeong-moon's "Snowman Alpacaan" gained popularity.
With the emergence of webtoons in the 2000s, readers began to seek out colorful, full-color science fiction webtoons.
Various works such as Yang Yeong-sun's "Denma" and Moon Ji-hyun's "Nonamed" were presented, and Se-yoon's "Pure Villain", Bapsae and Walpae's "Us on the Water", and Sanho's "And the Witch Went to the Forest" showed that it is possible to create SF webtoons that can be loved by readers with just an emotional approach without directly revealing scientific theories and the machine age.

● Why is the science fiction genre so unsuccessful in Korea?

Looking at recent popular webtoons, novel comics with various fantasy settings, such as romance fantasy and otherworldly fantasy, are the trend.
It is true that in such a situation, SF webtoons are seen as non-mainstream.
Nevertheless, SF webtoons have already carved out a niche in the comic webtoon market.
If we list the names of SF webtoons we know from the last 10 years, we can see it clearly.
There is a view that this is due to the characteristics of readers who accept the comics market rather than a problem with the production of SF genre webtoons.
In other words, if we understand the complex relationship between distribution channels and the content industry in advance, we will be able to predict the future of Korean science fiction webtoons.

● What keywords can I use to find SF webtoons?

On webtoon platforms, it is difficult to easily find examples where a specific work is clearly marked as a 'SF webtoon'.
However, although the environment for clearly classifying SF webtoons has disappeared, paradoxically, the number of works classified as SF comics and webtoons has been nearly doubling every year.
Entering 2021, the frequency of explicit appearance of the keyword "SF" in SF webtoons has noticeably increased compared to the previous year.
It combines hybrid genres such as game fantasy, regression, superpower battles, and creature games to drive the narrative.
The works of this period are based on a worldview that operates like a game rule, and science fiction elements such as the apocalypse, survival, and the appearance of creatures serve as the driving force of the story.
In particular, with the proliferation of keywords like AI, survival, hunters, and the occult, exaggerated real-world threats serve as a key narrative engine. Science fiction has moved beyond mere background setting to become a core element driving the story's themes.
Recently, however, science fiction has expanded beyond serious exploration and philosophical questions to embrace everyday life and playfulness, and this change can be interpreted as an evolutionary trend toward shedding the rigid, inherent image of science fiction and communicating with readers through a more popular sensibility and rapid pace.