11 hours ago
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Madame Choi and the Monsters is the English title of a British graphic novel about Koreans originally published in German, by German writer Patrick Spät and Brussels-trained illustrator Sheree Domingo. And here I am in Kentucky reading it.
What a world!
Madame Choi and the Monsters tells the story of a revered South Korean actress and her filmmaker husband and how they were kidnapped by North Korea, on the highest order of then-dictator Kim Jong-Il, and forced to make award-winning movies for the Communist state.
In particular, they’re used to create a Godzilla-like kaiju epic based on an ancient Korean legend and starring a former Godzilla actor as their monster.
Sounds insane, right? Unbelievable even for a graphic novel? Well, strap yourself in because this is actually—believe it or not—a true story!
The back of the book has an annotated timeline going from 1926 to 2011 which puts into perspective all the events in the book, as well as a creepy photo of the story’s protagonists, Madame Choi Eun-hee (1926–2018) and Shin Sang-ok (1926–2006), posing with their smiling captor.
The resulting giant monster movie the couple created, 1985’s Pulgasari (essentially a remake of a lost 1962 South Korean film Bulgasari) is even currently on YouTube!
FROM THE BOOK: Some suspect that Kim Jong-il had the original film reels stolen, and therefore knew the film’s plot intimately. Both Bulgasari and the North Korean remake Pulgasari (1985) by Choi and Shin are based on a centuries-old Korean myth that tells of the transition from the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) to the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910): a time of political upheaval. In the myths, Bulgasari is morally ambivalent. On the one hand, the iron- eating monster is destructive and uncontrollable; on the other, it wants to help the weak. In the myths, Bulgasari has the body of a bear, the nose of an elephant, and the paws of a tiger. However, in the Korean films, Bulgasari’s appearance resembles that of Godzilla.
The book’s translation, credited to one Michael Waaler, is good and the story is easy to follow. The artwork is crude but seems purposely so, as if to underscore the crudity of the events. It’s somehow reminiscent of imagery I’ve seen from early Asian comics while maintaining an impressive usage of layout and color. Most importantly, the facial expressions of the characters are anything but crude, highlighting their feelings throughout, which are often purposely in conflict with their words.
The story is engrossing, essentially a mystery plot told creatively by interspersing scenes from real life with scenes from a legend as well as, ultimately, scenes from a movie they make. There are fantasy bits, but always with a basis in the hard realities of Communist control.
Enjoyment of the book is actually helped if one reads up on Kim Jong-Il first (or afterwards, as in my case). In life, he was a major film buff and actually, pre-dictator, the head of North Korea’s film ministry. To have the rival state’s top filmmakers supposedly defect to his side was a major propaganda coup. He had to both break them and keep them happy at the same time in order to accomplish his goals.
Madame Choi and the Monsters is the first book I remember seeing from a company called SelfMade Hero and it’s impressively packaged all around. Hopefully they’ll continue moving forward to present to the English-speaking market some of the best international graphic novels. This one offers history, romance, infidelity, intrigue, mystery, politics, and building-stomping gargantuan creatures. And it all really happened! What’s not to like?
Booksteve recommends.
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Madame Choi and the Monsters is the English title of a British graphic novel about Koreans originally published in German, by German writer Patrick Spät and Brussels-trained illustrator Sheree Domingo. And here I am in Kentucky reading it. What a world!
Madame Choi and the Monsters tells the story of a revered South Korean actress and her filmmaker husband and how they were kidnapped by North Korea, on the highest order of then-dictator Kim Jong-Il, and forced to make award-winning movies for the Communist state. In particular, they’re used to create a Godzilla-like kaiju epic based on an ancient Korean legend and starring a former Godzilla actor as their monster.
Sounds insane, right? Unbelievable even for a graphic novel? Well, strap yourself in because this is actually—believe it or not—a true story! The back of the book has an annotated timeline going from 1926 to 2011 which puts into perspective all the events in the book, as well as a creepy photo of the story’s protagonists, Madame Choi Eun-hee (1926–2018) and Shin Sang-ok (1926–2006), posing with their smiling captor. The resulting giant monster movie the couple created, 1985’s Pulgasari (essentially a remake of a lost 1962 South Korean film Bulgasari) is even currently on YouTube!
FROM THE BOOK: Some suspect that Kim Jong-il had the original film reels stolen, and therefore knew the film’s plot intimately. Both Bulgasari and the North Korean remake Pulgasari (1985) by Choi and Shin are based on a centuries-old Korean myth that tells of the transition from the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) to the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910): a time of political upheaval. In the myths, Bulgasari is morally ambivalent. On the one hand, the iron- eating monster is destructive and uncontrollable; on the other, it wants to help the weak. In the myths, Bulgasari has the body of a bear, the nose of an elephant, and the paws of a tiger. However, in the Korean films, Bulgasari’s appearance resembles that of Godzilla.
The book’s translation, credited to one Michael Waaler, is good and the story is easy to follow. The artwork is crude but seems purposely so, as if to underscore the crudity of the events. It’s somehow reminiscent of imagery I’ve seen from early Asian comics while maintaining an impressive usage of layout and color. Most importantly, the facial expressions of the characters are anything but crude, highlighting their feelings throughout, which are often purposely in conflict with their words.
The story is engrossing, essentially a mystery plot told creatively by interspersing scenes from real life with scenes from a legend as well as, ultimately, scenes from a movie they make. There are fantasy bits, but always with a basis in the hard realities of Communist control.
Enjoyment of the book is actually helped if one reads up on Kim Jong-Il first (or afterwards, as in my case). In life, he was a major film buff and actually, pre-dictator, the head of North Korea’s film ministry. To have the rival state’s top filmmakers supposedly defect to his side was a major propaganda coup. He had to both break them and keep them happy at the same time in order to accomplish his goals.
Madame Choi and the Monsters is the first book I remember seeing from a company called Self Made Hero and it’s impressively packaged all around. Hopefully they’ll continue moving forward to present to the English-speaking market some of the best international graphic novels. This one offers history, romance, infidelity, intrigue, mystery, politics, and building-stomping gargantuan creatures. And it all really happened! What’s not to like?
Booksteve recommends.
English (US) ·