Review by Ian Keogh
It takes some while to get your head around what The Breaker is, and a poor cover of an unnaturally stretched man does it no favours. Keep reading, though, as it’s unpredictable crime drama with the focus on martial arts, and telling a complete story over five volumes.
First seen is put-upon student Si-Woon extorted by the school bullies before a cool young guy appears on the school wall above him and jumps into the premises, commenting on Si-Woon’s lack of spine. It turns out he’s Chun Woo-Han, a substitute teacher. The charismatic teacher is a staple of Japanese comics, but The Breaker is a Korean alternative, and Si-Woon and the teacher’s paths cross a couple more times before writer Jeon Geuk-Jin reveals the reason for his presence at the school. He’s undercover, and will have to remain there for a few months.
Despite his lack of courage, Sae-Hee still finds Si-Woon attractive, and the primary cast is rounded out by bully Chang-Ho, a glaring malevolent presence as drawn by Park Jin-Hwan and written as confident and manipulative. For a long time it’s Si-Woon’s problems that take precedence, a situation many a teenager’s been through, and no amount of advice about always hitting back can overcome the fear of a beating. The upsetting school drama is interspersed with comedy interludes about Chun trying to cop off with another teacher and avoiding responsibility for the damage to the Vice-Principal’s car. Eventually, though, Si-Woon manages to convince him to teach martial arts. At that point Jeon switches to the gangster material that’s been only hinted at before, reveals who Chun is and why he’s hiding out, and introduces new school nurse Si-Ho Lee, who’s a bit of a handful.
Park is an unobtrusive artist whose storytelling skills are exemplary. Everything flows so well it’s only when you pause to look at a page that just how complete it is becomes apparent. A variety of emotional tensions seep off the pages, such as Si-Woon overawed by the glamorous school nurse, with the sample art showing Park hits the mark when it comes to action. He delivers a spectacular spread near the end of Chun just ploughing his way through a dozen gangsters.
While the first half of the book is entertaining, The Breaker really comes to life with the introduction of Si-Ho, who can’t match Chun physically, but is able to make him distinctly uneasy in other ways, not least by brazenly coming on to him. Her thoroughly disruptive presence livens up an already engaging story.
The only possible drawback is readers hoping for a martial arts extravaganza may be disappointed by too much concentration on Si-Woon’s frankly rather whiny personality. By the end, though, the martial arts percentage has been considerably raised with a cliffhanger leading into The Breaker 2.
