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Posted in: Ablaze Publishing, Comics, Manga, Review | Tagged: ABLAZE Publishing, Hellbound, korean comics, labour relations, manhwa, The Awl, union activism
The Awl Vol. 1: A Vital Crash Course in Korean Labour Activism
The Awl by Hellbound creator Choi Gyu-Seok is a vital Korean manhwa series about labour relations, union activism, and corruption.
Article Summary
- The Awl delves into Korean labor activism, unions, and societal issues, showcasing a different side of manhwa.
- Follow Gu Go-sin and Si-un as they navigate corporate corruption and worker abuse in South Korea.
- Explore the deep-seated Confucian dogma influencing passivity and repressed rage in Korean society.
- The Awl Vol. 1 is a crucial read on the importance of unions and worker rights in battling injustice.
Korean comics, or manhwa, are an unexplored field, and Hellbound creator Choi Gyu-Seok's The Awl is one of the more unexpected entries in the medium. This is not a series about people getting superpowers fighting demons but a more social realist story about labour rights, industrial corruption, and worker abuse that offers a portrait of South Korean society that most people don't know about.
A Comic About Unions and Labour Activism
The Awl follows labour activist and negotiator Gu Go-sin and ex-soldier-turned-grocery store manager Si-un, two men whose lives become intertwined when Si-un becomes increasingly uncomfortable with upper management's ploys to get rid of his staff, and Go-sin introduces him to the world of activism and unionization. Si-un is a stoic who tries to be a good soldier but finds his need to look after his workers in direct conflict with the abusive corruption of management. Go-sin and Si-un are complete opposites. Si-un is passive and fears rocking the boat, while Go-sin is a fearless, angry streetfighter who knows how to bring the forces of the law down on corrupt companies and their bosses. Si-un's journey is learning to get out of his head and his own passivity to fight for his workers under the tutelage of Go-sin, who introduces him to the world of corporate corruption, police corruption, and protests. This is the world of The Awl – as far as Go-sin is concerned, injustice doesn't go away until you fight against it and beat the bullies into submission, not keep your head down and let them beat you until they decide to go away.
What The Awl Reveals About Korean Society
The real shocking insight from The Awl is the nature of Korean society that gets exposed in the series. South Korea is deeply rooted in Confucian dogma that makes people feel obligated to keep their heads down and not rock the boat, and results in a lot of passive people who get systematically bullied and abused by those in power, whether it's the government, bosses, family members, schoolmates or co-workers, and the result is a society with seething rage underneath in danger of exploding. This sense of repressed rage and frustration is more pronounced in Korean society than even in Japanese and Chinese society. The workers in The Awl passively take abuse in ways no one in the West would ever tolerate, and this shows how and why unions are essential in protecting their rights. Go-Sin and Su-un are the two sides of the same coin in this story, one active and one passive, in the struggle to secure workers' rights.
The Awl Vol. 1 is out now. It's just the start of the struggle that takes readers through what it takes to get justice for workers. It's about something real that matters in real life.
The Awl Vol. 1
8/10
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.
Credits
Creator
Choi Gyu-Seok
Publisher
ABLAZE
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