“I find myself thinking that someday I may very well become one of the raucous, aging hikers I’d looked so distastefully upon until now, or perhaps one of the older people chatting and cackling loudly with friends in monkfish restaurants.” (《엄마들》, 휴머니스트, 2015 / Moms, Drawn & Quarterly, 2020)
Ma Yeong-shin is an independent graphic novelist who portrays aspects of reality often overlooked in mainstream comics.
1. Life
Ma Yeong-shin was born in Seoul in 1982. He began his career in 2007 by publishing the short comic Anything? in Poptoon, a comics magazine produced by Cine21. Working primarily in the independent rather than commercial comics sphere, he has published works grounded in reality and rich in social awareness. Drawing on his experience working in a range of places, including factories, film sets, and convenience stores, he creates stories with strong realism and depth. To capture authentic voices, he often pays the people around him to write freely about their lives, then incorporates those narratives and sentences into his comics. Moms, first published in 2015 in the comics magazine Bogo (보고), was created after he gave his own mother a notebook and asked her to write about herself and her friends. In 2015, he began serializing 19-nyeon Ppoppi on Daum Webtoon (now Kakao Webtoon), marking his entry into webtoons. In 2021, he co-founded a creative label called “Jeulgyeochatgi” (즐겨찾기 Favorites) with other artists pursuing artistic quality and diversity, with the aim of discovering artists working across diverse comic styles, producing their work, and connecting them to webtoon serialization. He also creates short independent films and uploads them to YouTube.
2. Writing
Ma Yeong-shin is a Korean independent graphic novelist whose work focuses on the raw, unfiltered realities rarely depicted in mainstream comics. Eommadeul(엄마들 Moms), which won an American Harvey Award, challenges conventional portrayals of mothers traditionally confined to supporting or background roles in Korean creative works, and instead brings forward the voices and lives of “real mothers” that have long remained untold. Candidly portraying mothers who navigate both romantic relationships and jobs, the work vividly captures the existence and desires of middle-aged women, along with the difficulties and limitations they face in society. Namdonggongdan (남동 공단 Namdong Industrial Complex) is based on Ma’s own experience working in a factory in the Namdong Industrial Complex of Incheon. The work brings lyricism and human warmth to the monotonous and physically demanding routines of factory life. In 19-nyeon Ppoppi (19년 뽀삐 Nineteen Years, Ppoppi), he depicts, in an unadorned and realistic tone, the quiet comfort and small moments of happiness that companion animals bring to everyday life. Hodo (호도Hodo), based on a true story, tells the story of a female artist’s growth, tracing her journey of rebuilding a life shattered by violence and finding her way to painting.
Reference
Books
《뭐 없나?》, POPTOON, 2008 / Mwo eomna? (Anything?), Poptoon, 2008
《빅맨》, 새만화책, 2012 / Big maen (Big Man), Saemanhwachaek, 2012
《욕계》, 새만화책, 2012 / Yokgye (The Realm of Desire), Saemanhwachaek, 2012
《남동공단》, 새만화책, 2013 / Namdonggongdan(Namdong Industrial Complex), Saemanhwachaek, 2013
《길상》, 새만화책, 2014 / Gilsang (Auspicious), Saemanhwachaek, 2014
《삐꾸래봉》, 창비, 2015 / Bbikku Raebong(Wonky Raebong), Changbi, 2015
《엄마들》, 휴머니스트, 2015 / Moms, Drawn &Quarterly, 2020
《벨트 위 벨트 아래》, 수다, 2016 / Belteu wibelteu arae (Above the Belt, Below the Belt), Suda, 2016
《19년 뽀삐》, 씨네21북스, 2016 / 19-nyeon Ppoppi (Nineteen Years, Ppoppi), Cine21 Books, 2016
《연결과흐름》, 송송책방, 2018 / Yeongyeolgwaheureum (Connection and Flow), Songsong Chaekbang, 2018
《콘셉트》, 위즈덤하우스, 2018 / Konssepteu(Concept), Wisdom House, 2018
《아티스트》, 송송책방, 2019 / Atiseuteu (Artist), Songsong Chaekbang, 2019
《아무리 얘기해도》, 창비, 2020 / Amuri yaegi haedo(No Matter How Much I Talk), Changbi, 2020
《아티스트 : 곽경수의 길》, 송송책방,2020 / Atiseuteu: Gwak Gyeongsu-ui gil (Artist: The Path of Gwak Gyeongsu), Songsong Chaekbang, 2020
《너의 인스타》, 송송책방, 2020 / Neoui insuta(Your Insta), Songsong Chaekbang, 2020
《우리 동네 삐-》, 송송책방,2022 / Uri dongne Bbi- (Our Neighborhood Bleep), Songsong Chaekbang, 2022
《아날로그의 힘》, 송송책방, 2024 / Anallogeuui him(The Power of Analog), Songsong Chaekbang, 2024
《호도》, 송송책방, 2024 / Hodo (Hodo), Songsong Chaekbang, 2024
(co-authored) 《월간만화 보고 6호》, 휴머니스트, 2015 / Wolganmanhwa bogo 6-ho (Monthly Comics Report, Issue 6), Humanist, 2015
(co-authored)《우리 학교앞 전설의 컵볶이》, 보리, 2016 / Uri hakgyoap jeonseorui keopbokki (The Legendary Cup Tteokbokki in Front of Our School), Bori, 2016
LTI Korea 
DLKL 
SIWF 
