Inspired by Subject Object Verb’s review of indie manhwa Kafe Limbo by Kim Han-min — a book which I’d really love to read in English, by the way - I was inspired to post about another odd and untranslated Korean comic, the Nudl Nude ( 누들누드 ) series by Yang Yeong-sun. I found this in the small 만화 library section of a love motel I was forced to stay at due to being in between homes, and picked it up as it was the only Korean book in the collection (the other comics being hangul translations of manga from Japan). The cover also caught my eye, admittedly:

Whereas Kafe Limbo is strange in a surreal sense, Nudl Nude books are strange in a bawdy style that reminds me of saucy old comics from France and Belgium. These books date back to 1997 when Korea was caught up in the Asian financial crisis, so perhaps they were a much-needed source of titters and tits during that dark period. Have a look at some pics I took of cartoons from various Nudl Nude collections, with more info available in their captions.

A woman lusts for sex after a long period of chastity, as represented by the cobwebs in between her legs that take on a life of their own in pursuit of male victims.

Turns out the horny girl’s been daydreaming, and she’s really at work with her grumpy old boss.

Girl Power!

Shit and Run: This Superman parody saves someone by taking a poop, as representative of Korea’s childhood love of scatological humour. The odd style of body shapes here is also very common in Korean character design.

A Tekken spoof where King キング wins by dry humping his opponent.

FLAYED. Women usually hold their own in these tales.

Nudl Nude was also transformed into two animated movies for the hentai (変態) market, and there are Nudl Nude condoms out there you can buy. The second installment of my two part look at odd Korean comic strips will explore a more current webtoon that’s caught my eye with its unique aesthetics.