Madame Choi and the Monsters: A True Story

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The incredible-yet-true story of celebrated South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee, abducted in 1978 by North Korean secret agents on the orders of their film-crazed future leader Kim Jong-il. Six months later, filmmaker Shin Sang-ok, Choi Eun-hee's ex-husband, is abducted in turn. Choi and Shin remain unaware of each other's fates until they meet again at a dinner hosted by Kim Jong-il in 1983. Kim forces Choi and Shin to make films, including the infamous kaiju cult classic Pulgasari (1985), all while convincing the world that they serve North Korea willingly. Choi and Shin's love rekindles slowly in this reunited captivity. Only at the 1986 Venice Film Festival do they escape, fleeing in a daring car chase to the American embassy.

Reviews

Sometimes true historical stories seem so outrageous that they can feel like a fictional script. When visuals such as comic art are added, the stories become even more engaging. Madame Choi and the Monsters is one of those stories - so engaging that it seems that it must be fake. * International Journal of Comic Art *
Smart witty, shocking, compelling, romantic and, to be frank, just a bit terrifying, Madame Choi and the Monsters is augmented by a fully detailed Chronology of events capping off a brilliant tale of how strange life, love and obsession can be. This is a treat no thinking funnybook fan should miss. * Comics Review *
The story is so incredible... It's worth reading just to get an intro to Madame Choi herself. What a remarkable woman. * Bookmunch *
Domingo's drawings, highly energetic and extremely economical, make them move at pace in spite of their complicated nature. * The Observers Graphic Novel of the Month, December 2024 *

Author Bio

Patrick Spt lives as a freelance author and editor in Berlin. He studied philosophy, sociology and literary history in Mannheim, Leipzig and Freiburg, ultimately receiving his doctorate in philosophy in 2010. As an author, he mainly deals with historical and socio-political topics. He was a finalist for the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung Comic Book Prize in 2019 with the graphic novel Der Knig der Vagabunden (The King of the Vagabonds), published by Avant Verlag. Sheree Domingo studied at the Kunsthochschule in Kassel and at the Luca School of Arts in Brussels. As a cartoonist, she works and lives in Berlin. She was a finalist of the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung Comic Book Prize in 2016 with her graphic novel Ferngesprch (Long Distance Call), published by Edition Morderne. In 2022 she and her collaborator Patrick Spt went on to win the same prize with the German edition of Madame Choi and the Monsters.