THE BREAKER OMNIBUS (VOL. 1), from Ablaze Publishing on August 3rd, 2021, follows Si-woon, a bullied student who finds the courage to stand up to his tormentors after encountering an unusual substitute teacher.
The Details
- Written By: Jeon Geuk-Jin
- Art By: Park Jin-Hwan
- Cover Art By: Kamaro
- Cover Price: $19.99
- Release Date: August 3, 2021
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Was It Good?
We’ve reviewed offerings from Ablaze Publishing in the past, but this is the first time we’ve dived into one of their Manga offerings, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the result. THE BREAKER OMNIBUS (VOL. 1), from Korean creators Jeon Geuk-Jin and Jin-Hwan, is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, sometimes amusing, sometimes thrilling action drama that checks all the right boxes.
If it sounds like a lot’s going on in this Manga, that’s because there is. Admittedly, this is an omnibus (~375 pages not counting the covers and supplemental materials in the back), so you’re going to get a lot more story than you would in a traditional 22-page floppy. Despite the size of the omnibus, the story flows as fast as a river after a rainstorm. We were able to finish the entire Omnibus (without rushing) in under two hours, and that pacing is a testament to how well the story flows and how well the creative team connected the art to share equal storytelling duties.
If you’re new to Manga, a lot of the mainstays are present. There’s plenty of martial arts action, some of it used in secret ways to help the unusual substitute teacher, Mr. Han, get out of sticky situations. There are mountains of emotional beats as you feel the desperation in Si-woon to overcome his weaknesses and strive to become better. And before you make up your mind this is a High School drama (ala The Karate Kid), you soon learn Mr. Han is not who claims to be, leading to a much bigger action/drama.
What sells this Manga further is Park Jin-Hwan’s fantastic art. The action scenes are brimming with power. The character designs are instantly memorable, even for the side characters. And, every panel is constructed to project maximum emotional impact.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with first-year student, Si-woon, getting bullied in school by fellow classmate Chang-Ho and his gang of thugs. Si-woon is ordered to bring Hang-Cho money and keep his mouth shut or risk getting beat up again. When the fight is over, Si-Woon runs into Mr. Han, a strange new substitute teacher who doesn’t seem interested in teaching and dresses like a nightclub gigolo.
Later, the bullying escalates until Si-woon decides to go looking for training help via a local Muy Thai gym. Before he can enter, he spots Mr. Han getting forced into an alley by a group of toughs trying to rob him. From a distance, Si-woon uses his phone to record Mr. Han beating up his attackers using unbelievable martial arts skills.
Back at school, Si-woon continues to get bullied in silence but his longtime female friend, Sae-Hee, reports the bullying to his teachers. Sae-Hee’s report unwittingly makes things worse and Hang-Cho decides to turn his attention to Sae-Hee, forcing Si-woon to dig deeper to find the courage to face his attackers and seek help.
We conclude the Omnibus with Mr. Han’s past relationships coming back to haunt him, Si-woon pushing himself to the extreme for help, and battle lines drawn on multiple levels.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
THE BREAKER OMNIBUS (VOL. 1) is an action-drama Manga that nails every aspect of the genre from top to bottom. The characters are engaging and unique. The action is fierce. The emotional beats hit just as hard as the punches. The jokes work (a rarity in any comic these days). And, that art is pristine and powerful.
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