
HODO
A Life In Two Acts
Yeong-Shin Ma(Author)
Drawn and Quarterly (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 15. September 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
296 pages
978-1-77046-846-7 (ISBN)
Description
A deeply affecting portrait of a woman s life from the author of the Harvey Award-winning Moms. At first there was 'Lake,' and then there was 'Island.' Or was it the other way around? A story told in two parts, it is up to the reader to determine where they d like to begin this eerie journey. Based on a true story that Yeong-shin Ma felt compelled to help share, together these two parts are Hodo the story of a painter, whose hard and dark past is brought to life with sensitivity and authenticity. Lake Hodo is haunted by her mother and step-mother, her classmates, a neighbor, and yes, literal ghosts. She is also five years old. Through masterful cartooning, we see a child s despair in the face of pervasive violence, and her confusion as to why bad things keep happening to her. We see the edges of her depression begin to appear. Island Hodo is haunted by her past, a friend s suicide, her sister s heartbreaking yet unsurprising betrayal, and yes, literal ghosts, still. Through masterful cartooning, we see a woman reckoning with her past and the shadow it has cast on her adulthood. But we also see her develop her artistic practice and witness her determination to find herself through her paintbrush. Because despite the incredible pain, Hodo is a story of light in the dark a story of hope. From the author of critically acclaimed Moms, Hodo is translated by award-winning Janet Hong.
Reviews / Votes
This wry story, drawn with pen on paper, follows three friends a novelist, a painter and a musician as they struggle with creative obstacles, daily tedium and the pretensions of their wounded egos. The New York Times. Don t sleep on the work of Yeong-shin Ma. The Toronto Star. This darkly comic tale of three hapless and macho males fixes a boldly satirical eye on Korean society. The GuardianMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Montreal
Canada
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
Black-and-White Illustrations Throughout
Dimensions
Height: 220 mm
Width: 148 mm
Weight
367 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-77046-846-7 (9781770468467)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Yeong-shin Ma was born in Seoul in 1982. He made his debut in 2007 and began publishing webtoon comics in 2015. Though comics publishing has moved from print to digital in Korea, he still prefers to work with pen and paper. Recently, he started running the label Bookmark for Kakao Webtoon, creating and producing webtoons, as well as working as a story artist. He has published eleven works to date. Moms, his first book to be published in English, received the Harvey Award for Best International Book and is set to be adapted as a TV series.