This picture is worth just under 900 words.

Gods, this drawing took a long long time. I just wanted to draw some modern Corean superheroes.

This drawing is a little different than any others I've done. Firstly, it's a group portrait of some of my favorite online friends. Secondly, they are posing as character types I've had in mind for several years.

First up, is my hot lil action-packed dongseng, KEY. Character name: ETHAN OH (as in "ethanol").

Here she is seen proudly sporting Corean face paint, with a broken soju bottle in one hand, and a Bible strapped to her hip. Her suspender says something like "Our house only worships Jesus" in Corean (thanks Anna). It was written on a plaque that my sister-in-law gave me to put on my wall (too bad there's no room because of all the K-pop posters). Christianity was brought to Corea in the 1790s, but it didn't take a real hold until a century later, when it began to replace Buddhism. In 1985, nearly half of South Corea was Christian. While many Corean traditions and cultural treasures are Buddhist in origin, Christianity, in contrast, is identified with modernization and social reform. (Confuscianism is viewed as more of a code of social ethics, to finish the trinity.)

Even as an atheist I understand that no Christian is truly free of sin, as represented by the cross and anti-cross on her nunchakus (sticking with the old Dungeons & Dragons rule that clerics could only use blunt weapons, in contrast to real-life Corean Buddhist monks who were allowed to use bladed weapons). The flames at her feet are symbolic and literal. I liked the idea of a fighter wearing flame-resistant boots/pants, dousing her feet in alcohol and lighting them on fire, prior to a brawl. Just for dramatic effect.

In the background to the left is an ad for fast-delivery Pucca Noodles (Ja jang myun). There's also an ad for Lineage XII (the Lineage series is the most popular online game in the world ... and it's Corean).

Next is the irrepressible, unpredictable, and gorgeous, MIRA. Character name: MYRRH MAR (as in heart "murmur").

I wasn't sure how to draw Mira at first. When I asked her for suggestions, she wanted big guns. All puns aside, while I am a huge fan of shooting games, I try not to put guns in my drawings. They are also illegal in Corea. So we decided on swords. Fifteen swords.

Corean swords (awesome link by the way) are different from their Japanese and Chinese counterparts. In fact, Corean swords were often made to be mirror images of their owners in some way, of all shapes and sizes, often made by the martial artists themselves, with no standard pattern.

Mira's left pant leg spells out "Dae han min guk" (an earlier 1919 version of Corea's modern name "Hanguk") while her left sleeve has the original non-Corean spelling of "Corea" (added a third article to that page recently). The tied ribbon, sleeves, and V-collar are from the hanbok design, with some typical Corean patterns near the ends.

Mira's foot rests on a motorcycle made in a Taekwon V motif. Taekwon V was a very popular, and now nostalgic, robot cartoon back in 1970s Corea. (It was either a Taekwon V motorcycle or a fire hydrant in the form of a temple demon guardian.)

The poster to the left says "Blue Genes - Designer DNA" for the highly fashion conscious Corean youth of today and tomorrow.

Last but not least, is the understated, modest, and disarmingly amusing SOO. Character name: OTTO ZOMO DOM (as in "Autosomal dominant" mutation. Give me a break on the names, I thought them up 9 years ago in medical school.)

He's a Corean Superman, but reserved, gentle, and he keeps his glasses on (and his size screws up any sense of perspective in my drawing). The clothes decorations are from Corean paintings from the 15th-16th centuries.

The poster behind Soo, is a parody of the K-pop princesses known as Fin.K.L. - in this case Fin.K.I.L.L.

The little boy in the lower right corner of the drawing is my 19-month old little champion, SUN SU. He's wearing his favorite pajamas. Sun Su actually had a hand in this drawing as well. If you look at that grey scribble over the Blue Genes poster (upper left, top of page), that's his handiwork with a (thankfully) yellow marker.

One of these days, my little one will be the Corean superhero. As will his yet unborn sister.