Pads & Panels

Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender

Interview with: Onrie Kompan

Interview by: Chris Park

West Coast correspondent Chris Park found himself interested in the subject matter of Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender, with Issue #1 of Onrie Kompan’s new comic series, which tells the tale of the Korean admiral in his first bombastic naval battle. He was a little hesitant, though, about the introduction of the character, and had questions about what directions the historical fiction series would take. So Park exchanged emails with Kompan last week to discuss his new series.

Where did the idea for producing a comic book about a Korean admiral come from?  There isn’t much in terms of Korean history comics in the West, and translated work from Korea mainly runs in the “for girls” category.

Generally speaking, most comic book readers are used to comics with superheroes in them.  When I discovered who Yi Soon Shin was and what he accomplished in real life, it made me realize that heroes exist beyond the realm of comics. In many ways, these real heroes are what inspired the ones we read about. Like most non-comic readers claim that comics are “for kids,” I find it equally important to reveal that Korean stories are not just “for girls.” Especially the one we’re telling.

This is a war story, and war is never pretty. Yi Soon Shin was no wimp, either. He was a warrior that killed people. He was always outnumbered; so many times he had to get his hands dirty. Aside from barking orders at his men, he was out there chopping off enemy heads and kicking ass! How many superheroes have the ability to kill thousands of men in a matter of hours without access to their powers? There is nothing girly about it.

With Yi Soon Shin, what is the goal in producing the comic?  Is it to bring more attention to Korean history, or is it something that you were interested in before?

Both actually.

Make no mistake, though; there is no political agenda or hidden message in this comic. We want to inspire people by telling them a good story. That’s it.

These last few years have been difficult for society and I think it’s time we remember that nothing is impossible. In life we are all faced with incredible tasks, and Admiral Yi managed to succeed despite all the adversity he faced.

It’s a very human story.

What are the difficulties with Yi Soon Shin? Like researching information and fact checking, along with having accurate representations of people of the time.

Managing people’s expectations for who Yi Soon Shin was is the greatest challenge we face. Koreans put him up on the same level we put George Washington. They expect certain things to come out of our book, and it is our duty to ensure that we retain Admiral Yi’s integrity and maintain the facts within reason.

I spent 3 years researching this topic and traveled to Korea in order to cross reference everything I’ve read and saw. I also had the help of professors and historians and plan on returning to Korea at the end of April.

Now, in terms of our culture, people are still learning who Yi Soon Shin is. Most of the people I talk to can barely pronounce his name. But his name is not nearly as important as his achievements, his character and his philosophy. Once people learn this, I guarantee they won’t have any problems pronouncing his name.

In terms of dialogue, I decided to take a contemporary approach because it’s important that these characters feel real and that you can relate to them.  By eliminating obvious slang terms that are out of context, we hope to make this book easier to comprehend and more fun to read.

How much time goes into an issue? It seems like the series is bi-monthly.

Given the amount of time that goes into each page, bi-monthly is probably the best route to go. But ideally, we would like to finish the first trade (Issues #1-4) and release them all at once.

At this point, getting Issue #3 out there depends entirely on when I come across the means to produce it. Until we find a publisher, this will move at whatever pace it’s destined to move at. But I have faith in the artists I work with, and they have faith in the project. This team can meet any deadline they are given. They mean business.

Dak and I will actually begin editing Issue #3 just as soon as Issue #2 is complete!

Any plans post-Yi Soon Shin?

I’d love to do some work at DC and Marvel. It would be a real treat to work on characters like Captain America and Thor. I’d also like to have my shot at Hawkman and Green Lantern.

Aside from that, I am working on chronicling my grandfather’s life. During World War II, he was a colonel in the Russian army that shot down German fighter planes. He also spent 5 years in a Gulag.

What are some of the influences that you have?

Oh wow.

Well I am a fan of lots and lots of things. Mad Men and Deadwood are my greatest writing influences. Those shows are brilliant!

In terms of film, Gladiator is a favorite, along with pretty much any James Cameron film. Oh, and Gone With the Wind! Rhett Butler is the man!

In terms of comics, I am very traditional. I like the works of Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Art Spiegelman, Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Jason Aaron.

Favorite Korean movie?

Taegukki: The Brotherhood of War. That movie made Saving Private Ryan look like a Disney movie. It was brutal, but it told a very powerful story of two brothers and how their relationship was affected during the Korean War.

Lastly, is there anything you want to say to the readers of Pads & Panels?

A great big thanks to them for taking interest in the series and for their genuine support!

And if anyone is interested in purchasing the book, they can do so by clicking on the following link…

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MVAUM8

For more info, www.onrie-kompan.com

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