Official Review: The Great Successor: Kim Jong-Un - A Pol...

Sunnyroyish · Post by **Sunnyroyish** » 28 Aug 2018, 14:07

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Great Successor: Kim Jong-Un - A Political Cartoon" by Ha Tae Keung.]

4 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Where there is tyranny, there is resistance! The Great Successor: Kim Jong-Un written by Ha Tae Keung and illustrated by Choi Byeong-Seon is a graphic comic that portrays the social, economic and political injustice of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.

Through the vibrant and thought-provoking graphics and writing, the author has accomplished to stir the flame of resentment in the reader's mind. The comic unveils the unfair system of dictatorship under Kim Jong-Un. The dictator oppresses the citizens of North Korea and extorts huge amounts of money to fund the military. A country where the ruler has taken military-first policy is bound to fall economically and socially. North Korea is not an exception. The comic illustrates the draconian acts of Kim Jong-Un and his imprudent use of power. 7.7 DDOS attacks, the Cheonan attack and 150 days battle are some of the examples given in the comic. The inflation rate of 7500% during the currency reform is one of the notable incidents that show us the economic condition of North Korea. People who rose to revolt against this tyranny were brutally tortured and executed without any trial.

The illustrator did a great job portraying the dark age of North Korea. The use of vibrant colours to express palpitating situations was impressive. Also, the use of green colour for certain peaceful situations is very appropriate. What stood out to me in the comic is the portrayal of the economic, social and political situation of North Korea. Every incident was followed by different opinions of various types of people in the country. This gives the reader a comprehensive view of the situation. The mystery around the birth of Kim Jong-Un and his biological mother also piqued my interest. Technically, the book was professionally edited and I found no grammatical or spelling mistakes in the book. The format and layout are also perfect. Personally, I loved the comic and was deeply touched by it.

The only thing that was troubling to me in the comic was the use of Korean in some parts of the comic. However, the use of Korean didn't affect the readability too much. In a way, it also made the book more appealing.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The reason I gave it a 4 is the brilliant use of graphic and a very realistic portrayal of North Korea. I didn't give it a 3 because I couldn't find any typos or error in the book. I recommend this book to someone who loves to read graphic novels and politics.

******
The Great Successor: Kim Jong-Un - A Political Cartoon
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like Sunnyroyish's review? Post a comment saying so!

Espie · Post by **Espie** » 30 Aug 2018, 01:00

I've always preferred to remain apolitical and nonpartisan, and would normally veer away from even commenting on anything related to politics. It's good that you've found value and significance in the book. Thank you for your well-written review.

Sunnyroyish · Post by **Sunnyroyish** » 30 Aug 2018, 01:09

Espie wrote: ↑30 Aug 2018, 01:00 I've always preferred to remain apolitical and nonpartisan, and would normally veer away from even commenting on anything related to politics. It's good that you've found value and significance in the book. Thank you for your well-written review.

Thanks for commenting ma'am.

AmySmiles · Post by **AmySmiles** » 30 Aug 2018, 08:19

I appreciate your review, but do not find this book of interest to me. Thank you.

Sunnyroyish · Post by **Sunnyroyish** » 30 Aug 2018, 08:40

AmySmiles wrote: ↑30 Aug 2018, 08:19 I appreciate your review, but do not find this book of interest to me. Thank you.

The subject of the book is very controversial. Thank you for your honest reply.

Marissa Michael · Post by **Marissa Michael** » 30 Aug 2018, 09:52

Thanks for such a detailed review. North Korea is indeed an oligarchy country. I enjoy reading political books because Im curious how a particular country is governed and what are the policies. It's really a great idea to have graphics for this type of book as the subject matter of this book may sound dull to most readers; with the inclusion of graphics, I think this book will look more appealing which will attract more readers.

Sunnyroyish · Post by **Sunnyroyish** » 30 Aug 2018, 10:15

ParadoxicalWoman wrote: ↑30 Aug 2018, 09:52 Thanks for such a detailed review. North Korea is indeed an oligarchy country. I enjoy reading political books because Im curious how a particular country is governed and what are the policies. It's really a great idea to have graphics for this type of book as the subject matter of this book may sound dull to most readers; with the inclusion of graphics, I think this book will look more appealing which will attract more readers.

You are absolutely right. The graphics made this book a lot better and enjoyable. Also the book is an eye-opener. Those who are unaware of the situation of North Korea must read this book. Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate it.

Sahani Nimandra · Post by **Sahani Nimandra** » 30 Aug 2018, 13:22

When I saw the title of this book it made me wonder why did you choose to review this read, and I can see why through your review. I'm not interested in politics, but a comic read as this sounds really interesting. Thank you for your detailed review!

Alicia09 · Post by **Alicia09** » 30 Aug 2018, 13:46

At first I thought this was going to be a regular novel, but since you say it is a graphic novel I am even more intrigued. This sounds like it would be a good story for anyone who wants to know more about the dictatorship in North Korea at the moment. I can even forgive the fact that the author is biased against Kim Jong-Un, considering the way he treats his people. Since you mention that this is a graphic novel, I wonder if it would be suitable for a younger audience. Do you think that this graphic novel could be suitable for children or teenagers to read?

yakubusunny · Post by **yakubusunny** » 30 Aug 2018, 18:31

tyranny is always the foot stool of greedy political gladiators

Sunnyroyish · Post by **Sunnyroyish** » 30 Aug 2018, 20:16

Alicia09 wrote: ↑30 Aug 2018, 13:46 At first I thought this was going to be a regular novel, but since you say it is a graphic novel I am even more intrigued. This sounds like it would be a good story for anyone who wants to know more about the dictatorship in North Korea at the moment. I can even forgive the fact that the author is biased against Kim Jong-Un, considering the way he treats his people. Since you mention that this is a graphic novel, I wonder if it would be suitable for a younger audience. Do you think that this graphic novel could be suitable for children or teenagers to read?

There are some violence in the comic and since it's politics, children are definitely going to stay away from it.

Sunnyroyish · Post by **Sunnyroyish** » 30 Aug 2018, 20:25

yakubusunny wrote: ↑30 Aug 2018, 18:31 tyranny is always the foot stool of greedy political gladiators

Yup...you are right.

MsTri · Post by **MsTri** » 30 Aug 2018, 22:56

I so totally started to review this! But I wasn't impressed by the sample on Amazon, so I passed. I still thought about it, though, after I declined it; I don't know much about Korea or Kim in particular, so it seemed like a graphic novel would be a great way to learn. Thanks for confirming that it was a great read with wonderful illustrations...now excuse me while I beat myself up, *lol*. Thanks a lot for the review!

Sunnyroyish · Post by **Sunnyroyish** » 31 Aug 2018, 00:39

MsTri wrote: ↑30 Aug 2018, 22:56 I so totally started to review this! But I wasn't impressed by the sample on Amazon, so I passed. I still thought about it, though, after I declined it; I don't know much about Korea or Kim in particular, so it seemed like a graphic novel would be a great way to learn. Thanks for confirming that it was a great read with wonderful illustrations...now excuse me while I beat myself up, *lol*. Thanks a lot for the review!

Thank you for your funny and truthful review.