Manhwais bigger than ever, and while the medium has produced some truly incredible stories, few are as revolutionary or as hard-hitting as Choi Gyu-Seok’sThe AWL. Fans of manhwa looking for a series. Far from the high fantasy or dark horror that many associate with manhwa,The AWLis a thoroughly grounded story tackling the very real issues of labor rights in a world often all too happy to trample all over laborers. The result easily ranks among thebest manhwa of all time.
Originally published in South Korea from 2013 to 2017,The AWLis now being released in English for the first time by manhwa publisher Ablaze. The series' first volume was just released on September 24th, and it appears as though Ablaze is planning on staggering the release of the series' other five volumes. Interested fans can buy the first volume from various booksellers for $14.99.
The AWL’s Realism & Tackling Of Important Issues Makes It A Truly Revolutionary Series
Gyu-Seok’s Masterpiece Knows How To Hook Readers
The AWLfollows a grocery store manager named Si-un who is asked to let go of the vast majority of his staff. Trying to fight to keep his employees, Si-un’s innate sense of right and wrong leads him to cross paths with labor activist Gu Go-sin. Through these two characters and many more, Gyu-Seok exposes the ways employers try to exploit their employees while also exploring the difficulties facing the labor-rights movement.
Choi Gyu-Seok was also the artist who worked onThe Hellbound, a popular manhwa that currently has a TV adaptation streaming on Netflix.
What’s immediately remarkable about Gyu-Seok’s work onThe AWLis just how compelling the plot is. The opening scene where Gu Go-sin helps a young man reclaim lost wages from a bullying employer carries an energy that is absolutely electrifying. In the talented artist and writer’s hand, a tense meeting between labor activists and their corporate bosses drips with all the tension of the most impressive fights found inthe best action manhwa.
10 Best Manhwa Antiheroes
Antiheroes in manhwa are as prevalent as in other written media, but from webtoons to the page, these characters often take center stage.
The key toThe AWLis all in Gyu-Seok’s masterful character writing. Si-un and Gu Go-sin are wonderfully realized characters who feel at once larger-than-life and painfully small against the titans they face. No matter how high they hold themselves, they’re still regular people going against structures of power so insulated against resistance that they don’t bat an eye at folks like Si-un and Gu Go-sin. This is the point though. No one force of personality can fight back against worker abuse alone. Real change inThe AWLcomes from people banding together to stand up for what’s fair.
The AWL Shows Just How Deep Manhwa Can Truly Be
Manhwa is a truly incredible medium with so many stories to tell. Series likeSolo LevelingandWhy Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’s Mansionmay have helped the medium’s popularity outside of Korea, and though they deserve all the praise and acclaim they get, they aren’t all there is to manhwa.
Series likeThe AWLcan legitimately change how readers see the medium
Series likeThe AWLcan legitimately change how readers see the medium by telling grounded stories that grapple with real issues people face. Though it might not be the best series tointroduce someone to manhwa,The AWLstands tall with a gripping story that explores important issues with a deft hand.
