Solo Leveling: A growing manhwa Kbooks edition

News culture Solo Leveling: A growing manhwa Kbooks edition

It only took a few months to make Solo Leveling the phenomenon we know today. This Webtoon, which quickly became essential in its country of origin … South Korea, is breaking through in 2021 in the West. The Delcourt publishing house is publishing the series in France on its Verytoon online platform as well as in paper format under the Kbooks label specializing in Korean comics.

Since April 2021, the Solo Leveling series comes out in paper format on a regular basis in our territory with a new volume every two / three months. After a second volume published last June, it is the turn of the third to make a place for itself on the shelves of our bookstores during the month of September. Here is our opinion on Solo Leveling – Volume 2 and Solo Leveling – Volume 3.

We will not do you the affront to summarize once again the initial premise of Solo Levening. If you stumbled upon this article “by chance”, the editorial staff of JV invites you to discover the saga via a dedicated article which looks back on its origins as well as the criticism of the first volume. As a reminder, volume 2 covers chapters 13 to 24 while volume 3 integrates the following 13 chapters … from 25 to 37.

With Solo Leveling – Volume 2 but above all Volume 3, the series (finally) gets to the heart of the matter after a first spring publication serving mainly as an introduction. We thus find Sung Jinwoo, hero of the saga, while he still tries to understand his new status of “player” and the supposed limitless extent of his rise in power. The narrative arcs put forward continue to present the universe imagined by the author Chugong, and induct certain allies and antagonists including Yoo Jinho and Hwang Dongsoo who will become recurrent in the rest of the story.

Solo Leveling: A growing manhwa Kbooks edition

The story is on the right track, and never suffers from the switch from Webtoon to paper format. The book adaptation is smooth. The dynamism of the fights and the epic that emerges from them remain one of the strengths of the work. This narrative by pages fundamentally changes the structure of the story without altering either the subject or the evocative force. Solo Leveling remains Solo Leveling regardless of the format. Volumes 2 and 3 even benefit from a double page and / or several full pages… An effort made by the publisher and generally appreciated by readers, which should be commended. The full colorization coupled with the large format ensures for their part an authentic reading comfort. These editing choices made by Delcourt ideally highlight the still excellent illustrations from the Redice (or Dubu) studio.

Delcourt takes care of the series he publishes under the Kbooks label. The first volume was an example to follow in terms of finishes, and those that follow only confirm this first impression. Better still, volumes 2 and 3 correct certain defects present in the first. The pixelation of certain boxes due to a pronounced zoom effect is a thing of the past. Only flashbacks still suffer from a less convincing ethereal rendering. Nevertheless, the quality of the printing is once again to be emphasized. The colors are perfectly transposed on a paper pleasant to handle. The first and back cover are not left out with the now traditional titles and golden edging in volume to which are added a highlighting of certain elements in order to accentuate the desired depth effect.

Volumes 2 and 3 of Solo Leveling published by Delcourt under his Kbooks label confirm all the good that we thought of the first volume. If you were still hesitating, you can definitely give in to this print edition of the popular Webtoon.