Review by Ian Keogh

Tiger Division are South Korea’s superhero team, uniting some characters Marvel readers have previously seen with new creations. The half dozen team members are introduced preventing a disaster on a cruise liner before an indication that there’s more to the Superman equivalent Taegukgi than he’s letting on to his team-mates. Via a brief snatch of dialogue it’s also established that whether or not they’ve been seen in other series, Tiger Division have a track record and a history.

It’s an efficiently handled opening sequence from Emily Kim and Creees Lee, and if some of the heroes seem archetypes – the armoured warrior, the scrapper – there’s enough difference about their personalities and their colleagues to ensure things shouldn’t become stale. Taegukgi is the primary focus, with a history heading back to the Korean War, and regular dips back into the past showing it as the story continues, although sharper readers will pick up on someone who’s role isn’t confined to the past. Kim also ensures readers realise this is another country, using common Korean terms and phrases, translated in caption footnotes.

The three e’s in Lee’s first name are his choice in case you were wondering, and in common with Kim he’s an American creator with a Korean heritage. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and lively movement to the art, which outweighs some occasionally poor figures, and he puts the work into showing people from a distance and embedding them in locations. Definitely an artist to watch.

Very little about Tiger Division is predictable, which is welcome, especially the surprise appearance of a major Marvel villain, and Kim handles the emotional content well. You’ll live Tae’s regrets along with him. The other characters are established without revealing everything about them, leaving plenty of mileage for further volumes explaining how a pop star has ice-generating powers or how a couple of robots are part of the team. You’ll want to know.