만화 《멍텅구리》로 본 근대 도시, 경성의 이미지

Abstract

In the middle of the 1920’s, Manwha Fool series in Chosun Ilbo was one of the most important parts of the visual image newly consumed in modern Korean culture, due to its publication of about 700 comic strips over for 3 years as a joint creation by cartoonists and journalists. It was both the first comic strip for adults and the first comic strip consisting of four panels in the newspaper.BR The capital city of Gyeongseong(京城) was located at the cross-section of modernity and colonialism during the Japanese Colonization of Korea. From the analysis of approximately 550 comic strips related to Gyeongseong, the majority of the modem daily life experienced by the 3 main characters was the street view. They used streetcars, automobiles, and rickshaws on the newly mended road to go the outskirts for picnics and to move quickly through the city. And western-style architectures also entered the screen view. The main aspect of the urban modern life was the consumption culture, i.e., eating out, photography, going to movies and shopping. Even in the discourse on modern housing in the 1920’s, the characters lived in traditional Korean houses.BR Hitherto, the Fool series was criticized as a comic strip that was indifferent to the real colonial life. However, the present study revealed that Fool series presents political opinions over the series. During the Japanese colonization, the main characters, the unemployed and gisaeng(妓生) as the socially underprivileged had to survive the violently changing daily life. Therefore Fool seriesis valuable as a visual record in the history of daily life during the Colonization period.