Family Man (2014)
Written and Illustrated by Pillwon Jung
Published by LINE Webtoons
Completed
We don’t often hear stories about fathers. They are a bit of an enigma in many respects. A character in our lives that is difficult to describe due to the very nature of fatherhood in our society. Family Man seeks to inform our perspective on the leading masculine force in our lives by revealing the secret struggles one father endures for the sake of his family.
Gang-ho is a factory worker in the outskirts of Seoul, who only sleeps 3 hours a night, until one fateful day. A former rescue worker, Gang-ho displays his heroic spirit early on by saving a co-worker during a factory fire without any regard for his own safety. Although he’s been a loyal worker with the company for 7-8 years, Gang-ho is forced to retire when his face is burned after falling asleep while on the job.
Left scarred and unemployed, Gang-ho returns to Seoul ashamed to face his family but unwilling to admit anything is amiss; Gang-ho takes up residence with an old friend at a laundromat. Everyday Gang-ho scours the city for any part-time job he can get his hands on so that he can continue to support his family financially. One afternoon Gang-ho spies his family out for a stroll: his beautiful wife who is struggling to keep the family afloat, Hee-Joong, his son who has special needs and is bullied by the rich kid in class, and Darim, his daughter who is starting kindergarten and later gets caught up in a kidnapping scheme.
Darim catches a glimpse of Gang-ho’s scarred face and screams “kidnapper” at the top of her lungs. Gang-ho does not take this lightly and finds an alternative way to watch over his family without frightening his daughter again. Inspired by a popular children’s television show, Gang-ho decides to become the superhero “Gugu-man” in order to protect the most important thing in the world, his family.
Gang-ho’s quest to support and protect his family gets complicated when a friend steals his severance package and Gang-ho is diagnosed with cancer. The story moves from an origin story of sorts to a more endearing tale about a father’s determination to provide for his family, even after his death. Although Gang-ho would like to carry out all of his plans independently so that he will not be a burden to others, he has a strong supporting cast of characters that refuse to let him fly solo. After all, every hero needs a team to watch their back. Whether Gang-ho likes it or not, he has friends who will guide him, and more importantly, a family that will stand beside him no matter what the situation is. Because when it comes down to it, family means no one gets left behind.
Storytelling isn’t Family Man’s only strong suit. It is full of vivacity thanks to Jung’s remarkable art and use of lighting to create a dramatic comedy that has readers laughing aloud one moment and reaching for tissues the next as they ride the roller coaster of life with Gang-ho.
Family Man is a moving story that drives readers to scroll through at lightning speeds as Gang-ho fights injustice from the shadows-in a bright pink and yellow costume.
