Manhwa

Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons (common usage also includes animated cartoons).
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhwa

So, I guess manhwa is just the Korean counterpart of the Japanese manga, which I'm more familiar with.

Jex was the one who introduced me to reading manga and now manhwa as well. I used to only know about the usual popular comics or graphic novels that you see in bookstores. Some stuff I've enjoyed include "30 Days of Night", "Kingdom Come", the "Sandman" series (which I haven't finished), and "Mythology Class". I've read other stuff but these titles are the ones that come to mind immediately.

When Jex introduced me to reading manga online I got hooked on "Mahou Sensei Negima", but I never got to finish it. I guess the problem with me is that I can get addicted to reading stuff online in bursts, but once I stop there's a chance that I might not continue anymore. Most probably part of it can be attributed to laziness (as usual) and another part of it is I just forget and find other stuff to do. But then, I realize, I "religiously" check and read 9Gag everyday, so I should be able to do it easily with manga and manhwa.

Right now I am addicted to "Can't See Can't Hear But Love" and "Trace", both by the same author, Go Yeong-hun (고영훈) also known as Nasty Cat.

Jex linked me to the first two chapters of "Can't See Can't Hear But Love" and after I read them I was both intrigued and afraid to read further. Intrigued because the story really is interesting, with the description "A love story between a blind man and a deaf woman." And afraid because I knew I was going to be sad and cry at some point.

So, yes, it's a mushy love story, but as your read further it's so much more than that. I was pleasantly surprised with the back stories of the different characters. I've read up to the latest available chapter and I'm itching to find out what happens next. I love the characters and I can relate to them and the story well. So well that at one part towards the start of the story I was crying my eyes out. Even up to now, when I think about that part of the story, I can't help but get teary eyed.

"Trace" on the other hand deals with a totally different genre involving people and creatures with supernatural powers. Think "Heroes", the TV series, but with more  interesting and unique powers. I'm already in the middle of the second volume and just finished reading through a really exciting action sequence.

So, there, reading these will be one of the things to keep me preoccupied when I'm online at home. I think it also helps that I'm reading both of them at Batoto.net where you can view each chapter as one long page; no more page turning.But it'll be painful for those with slow internet connections because more images need to be loaded per page, which means more waiting time.

If you're not a big comic reader I highly recommend "Can't See Can't Hear But Love" since it's "lighter". If you're more into stories with action and sci-fi themes, then "Trace" is for you. If none of these interest you, just head over to Batoto and browse through the many other manga and manhwa there that piques your interest.

What other manga or manhwa titles can you recommend? I'm really interested in adding more titles to my list of to-read manga and manhwa.