Artist
Translated by Janet Hong
About
Three men — a novelist, a painter, a musician — all in their forties, all past the age when Korean culture considers artists relevant. They form a group called Arcade, argue about what constitutes real art, snipe at younger artists who seem to succeed without trying, and wait for the recognition that may never come. Then one of them gets it — and the friendship that held them together becomes the thing pulling them apart. Yeong-shin Ma's manhwa captures the particular hell of middle-aged artistic ambition with absurdist humor and genuine affection. The arguments are petty, the egos are fragile, the squabbles are hilarious — and underneath all of it is the terror of being forgotten. Artist is a comic about three men who would rather fight about art than admit they're afraid they've already lost.
