Island is a Korean comic series (called “manwha”) created by In-Wan Youn and Kyung-Il Yang. From all I’ve read, it was quite popular in Korea and even did well in Japan and China. It was released by Tokyopop in the U.S., marking their first Korean title. Island falls under the category of Horror, though it touches on many different genres, with plenty of action, mystery, suspense, political intrigue, and real-life historical references. It even has a touch of comedy in the form of two particularly goofy characters.

The setting for Island is the real-life island called Cheju, which sits just off the coast of South Korea. Apparently, the island is full of interesting folklore and legends even in reality, making it the perfect backdrop for a story like this. Throughout the series, Cheju island is presented as a beautiful tourist area that just happens to be infested with all manner of supernatural beings, from demons to ghosts to bloodthirsty fox-like creatures. If it’s inhuman and evil, it probably lives on Cheju.

The story begins when a young woman named Miho comes to Cheju island to take on a teaching job, seemingly an attempt on her super-wealthy father’s part to broaden her horizons. Cynical, rich, and beautiful, Miho is rather unhappy with being sent to Cheju in the first place, but her contempt for the island only grows when she is attacked by a demon on the very night she arrives. She narrowly escapes death by way of a mysterious man who easily kills the demon. But this man is no savior, instead a notorious serial killer who is no doubt far more dangerous than the demon. By a stroke of luck, and genius, Miho manages to convince the man to kill demons for her and act as a body guard, in exchange for ridiculous sums of money.

The series begins drenched in blood and guts and monsters galore, planting it firmly in the horror genre. But as things progress, a deeper plot is exposed. New characters come into play, old grudges are brought back up, and a terrible secret from years past will be revealed.