The World After the Fall by singNsong, who you may also know as the creator of Omniscient Reader, was first released as a webnovel, but it was later adapted into a manhwa by S-Cynan and Undead Gamja. Originally, it was only available to read online with English translation via manhwa readers like Webtoon, but you can now collect the series physically thanks to Ize Press.
Ize Press is Yen Press’ imprint dedicated to manhwa and there’s a lot you can look forward to from them in the near future, including print releases of The Boxer by JH, the creator of The Horizon, Tomb Raider King by SAN.G (Redice Studio), Yuns, and 3B2S, Villains Are Destined To Die by SUOL and Gwon Gyeoeul, The Remarried Empress by Alphatart, Sumpul, and HereLee, and My Gently Raised Beast by Teava, Yeoseulki, and Early Flower. I’m even more excited to pick up more of their releases after seeing the quality of The World After the Fall firsthand.
Before I get into the story, I want to talk about the quality of the edition first. The quality of this printing is incredible and Ize Press went above and beyond with this release. The World After the Fall, Volume 1’s cover features our MC, Jaehwan. The cover is matte, but they added glossy details, which add even more visual appeal to the volumes. The ice as well as the logo seen on the front cover are glossy. On the spine, the artwork as well as the logo are glossy too. All of these details give the edition a more premium look, and as a result, they look great both on and off the shelf.
Since I loved the print quality of Solo Leveling, which is releasing now from Yen Press, I expected the print quality to be great in The World After the Fall also. After reading the first volume of The World After the Fall, I’m happy to report it is. They used glossy paper, the perfect type of paper for full color releases, like this one. The colors are bold and the artwork is crisp.
I also want to talk about the formatting. Since The World After the Fall reads vertically on Webtoon’s site, the panels had to be reformatted for a physical release. I couldn’t be happier with how they cut and pasted the panels. Everything reads well and the artwork looks great on the page. The panels still have the same impact in the physical release and the formatting as well as the print quality are top-notch.
The World After the Fall volumes also feature new lettering and an updated translation. The dialogue and text are all readable and the fonts they choose look great. The way the sound effects were done in particular is super nice. The colors of the sound effects either match or complement the colors of the artwork, so they blend in, but also stand out on the page.
And then you have the translation, which is great as well. If you have read the series on Webtoon, you may notice that the translations are different in the physical release. Reading it side by side with the digital release of The World After the Fall on Webtoon, the sentences flow better or have more impact in the physical release. For instance, the digital version says ‘The tower summoned humanity,” whereas the print release states, “The tower called out to humanity”.
The edition itself is nice, but the story and premise are what initially got me into the series. In The World After the Fall, mysterious towers appear across the world, summoning monsters that prey on mankind. Tower Walkers—adventurers with special powers to fight the monsters—are faced with a choice: to return to the past for a second chance via a regression stone, or fight for their doomed world.
Tower Walker, Jaehwan, refuses this choice to fight for his original timeline and uncover the truth behind the Tower. It presents an interesting predicament for those now tasked with saving humanity…Do you return to the past to try to prevent what’s to come or do you come to terms with this new reality and stay and fight?
I’ve read a lot of Omniscient Reader, which you can read now on Webtoon, so I am familiar with singNsong’s works, but this is my first introduction to The World After the Fall. Since I love Omniscient Reader, I couldn’t wait to get into this one, and after reading volume one I am looking forward to what’s to come in the future volumes.
I’m not familiar with the original source material (the webnovel), so I can only comment on my thoughts on the manhwa, but I really enjoy the concepts and setup in the first volume. The minute I saw the tower arise and the fear on everyone’s faces, I was hooked. One minute we see everyone going about their daily lives and the next, we see them suddenly faced with a horrifying new reality.
Usually, these types of manhwa follow the video game turned reality type setup, and while it appears that way at first, the consequences and the monsters in this series are very much real. People die and a third of the world’s population is wiped out, so it’s clear from the get go that this series isn’t going to be like anything you’ve read before.
Early on, we find out this situation is very real for our characters and there are some twists that already become apparent towards the end of this volume that have me even more intrigued in the story to come. Not everything is as it seems in this story, so in addition to action and fantasy, there’s a fair amount of mystery in The World After the Fall.
The events that occurred in Volume 1 have me hooked, but the breathtaking and vivid art is also keeping me invested in The World After the Fall. The pages are dripping in action and the colors pop, so it’s as visually and aesthetically-pleasing as it is exciting to read.
I am looking forward to picking up future volumes of the series, but I’m also looking forward to collecting Ize Press’ upcoming releases, especially The Boxer! This one has been long-awaited, so much thanks to Ize Press for picking up the series, in addition to other exciting new titles like this one.
If you’d like a more in-depth and inside look at the first volume of The World After the Fall, feel free to check out my video on YouTube below!
The World After the Fall, Volume 1 Review Video
The World After the Fall, Volume 1 is releasing on November 8, 2022 and you can shop the series as well as Ize Press’ other upcoming manhwa releases at a trusted manga retailer. In other news, check out all of the new manga that’s releasing in 2023!
