Husband-and-wife team gear up for release of 'No Rules Tonight'
Art from the upcoming graphic novel "No Rules Tonight," a sequel to "Banned Book Club" by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada, is on display at Busan Global Webtoon Center, Saturday. Courtesy of Ryan Estrada
Kim Hyun Sook hadn’t dreamed of authoring a book.
“I never planned on being a writer,” she said during a recent event in Busan promoting her upcoming graphic novel, "No Rules Tonight." “But my husband was so interested in my story that he had the idea to turn it into a book. I was nervous at first, but I’m happy we did because I’ve heard from so many people all over the world who told me that it inspired them.”
Author Kim Hyun Sook, center, laughs during an event promoting the upcoming release of her next graphic novel, "No Rules Tonight," held at Busan Global Webtoon Center, May 18. Courtesy of Ryan Estrada
Her husband, American writer/illustrator Ryan Estrada, had already established himself in the world of comics and was on the lookout for more material. One night, Kim recounted a story to him about her college days during the dark era of South Korea’s military dictatorship in the 1980s, where she was a member of a secret, underground group that read and smuggled illegal books.
“Ryan was so surprised that he posted about it on Twitter,” Kim continued, “because he has a big mouth.”
A publisher saw the post and was so blown away that they offered Kim and Estrada a book deal on the spot: "Banned Book Club" was born.
Published in 2020, the critically acclaimed "Banned Book Club" has gone on to sell tens of thousands of copies and garner numerous accolades, including being shortlisted for the prestigious Eisner Awards.
“We had no idea our book would find that kind of success,” Estrada said. “But then again, we thought we were writing about history.”
While the book was the kind of hit that many creators dream of, it also attracted unwanted attention from radical conservative groups and individuals whose mission is to ban books they find immoral, offensive, or subversive, a movement that has been picking up steam over the past few years. The irony that there are people actively trying to censor a book about fighting censorship is not lost on the authors.
Art from the upcoming graphic novel "No Rules Tonight," a sequel to "Banned Book Club" by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada, is on display at Busan Global Webtoon Center, May 18. Courtesy of Ryan Estrada
“When we started writing in 2017,” Estrada continued, “mass book banning was an unthinkable idea in America. I thought 'Banned Book Club' would be some obscure, niche book that a few folk might be interested in. We didn’t expect that history would so thoroughly repeat itself, that politicians in the U.S. would start following the same playbook as past dictators. That not only would mass book banning become a thing in America, but that our book would be one of the books targeted.”
While the controversy surrounding "Banned Book Club" proved disconcerting to its creators, it also came with a silver lining. Librarians across the country witnessed firsthand that book banners were challenging the work and rallied to its defense. This surely helped raise the book’s visibility and caused important media outlets to also take notice.
“When our book finally came out in 2020, the first line of The AV Club’s review was, ‘It’s hard to imagine a world where Banned Book Club could be more relevant than it is right now,’” Estrada said. “That’s when we knew our book was going to be looked at in ways we never expected. And the support from libraries especially has helped us a lot.”
The success of "Banned Booked Club" changed the lives of Kim and Estrada. Big doors began to swing open, and the pair soon found themselves with high-powered agents and several new deals on the table, including for a sequel to the first book, which became their newest work, "No Rules Tonight."
Art from the upcoming graphic novel "No Rules Tonight," a sequel to "Banned Book Club" by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada, is on display at Busan Global Webtoon Center, Saturday. Courtesy of Ryan Estrada
“'No Rules Tonight' is a stand-alone story I originally pitched as 'Love, Actually' meets 'Persepolis,'” Estrada said. “While 'Banned Book Club' took a larger view at a period of Korean history, this is a much more personal tale. It centers around the curfew that everyone in Korea lived under for decades. Anyone out after midnight would go to jail. Since the curfew had been started by American soldiers, the one night of the year with no curfew or responsibilities was Dec. 24.”
With that in mind, the story takes place on Christmas Eve 1984, when a group of friends spend a night on Mount Jiri, one of South Korea’s highest and most sacred peaks.
“We gathered a bunch of stories from (Hyun Sook's) friends and explored what every member of our ensemble cast would do with their one night of freedom,” Estrada said.
The couple’s creative process is an organic progression of back-and-forth steps, beginning with Kim. She verbally relates her tales to Estrada, who responds with a flurry of questions in order to bring out and clarify the details.
“Once I find out her perspective, I give her a list of questions for her friends, teachers and family members,” Estrada said. “She goes out and does interviews and then translates them for me. We follow this by having some long conversations, and then I sit down to write a draft, which I give her to read over and fact check. And then between the two of us we figure out how to make it as accurate as possible while still making it a story.”
After this comes the most labor-intensive part of the process: the actual drawing.
Art from the upcoming graphic novel "No Rules Tonight" has been colored during a hands-on event at Busan Global Webtoon Center, Saturday. Courtesy of Ryan Estrada
“Because 'Banned Book Club' is such a Korean story about Korean history, we wanted a Korean artist to illustrate it,” Estrada said. “Since 'No Rules Tonight' is a more personal story, Hyun Sook thought it best if I could do the art while she was in the room, so we could give feedback back and forth.”
The result is 600 pages of hand-drawn illustrations that make up the visual story of "No Rules Tonight." These were all on display on May 18 at Busan Global Webtoon Center during an event promoting the book’s upcoming release.
The detailed, black-and-white illustrations were attached together and hung from the ceiling in a series of massive comic book banners. In addition to taking in the authors’ talk, guests could wander among the drawings and read snippets of the story, while soaking up just how much meticulous detail goes into the creation of such a book.
There were also tables where newbies could try their hand at comic drawing and coloring, as well as screen projections of pages from the book’s final edit, along with a performance of the 'No Rules Tonight' theme song from well-known Busan singer/songwriter Gino Brann.
Kim and Estrada's enthusiasm about their newest project was infectious, and anyone in attendance that afternoon certainly knew that this husband-and-wife team were onto something extraordinary. These are two people absolutely dedicated to the art of storytelling — along with the principles of free expression that make such a thing possible.
Ryan Estrada gives a book talk at Busan Global Webtoon Center, Saturday. Courtesy of Ryan Estrada
A remaining question is: Would "No Rules Tonight" draw the attention of the same groups and individuals back in the U.S. who have spent so much money, time and energy trying to get "Banned Book Club" removed from schools and libraries?
“The folks behind book bans in the U.S. have already labeled Hyun Sook and I as ‘Problematic and Prolific’ in their official documents,” Estrada said, “so they’ll definitely be keeping an eye on anything we do.”
“We always hear that America is such a free country,” Kim said, “but a lot of things are looking very similar to how Korea was 40 years ago under a dictator.”
“Their attention is not something we want to court,” Estrada continued, “but this book features a trans character, a queer romance and a cover blurb by Maia Kobabe, the most banned author in America, all of which are things they haven’t been kind about in the past. If they come after us, we’ll be ready.”
"No Rules Tonight" comes out on Penguin Workshop on Oct. 1. Visit ryanestrada.com for more information.
Originally hailing from the Pacific Northwest in the U.S., Chris Tharp has called Korea home for nearly two decades now. He’s a regular contributor to National Geographic Traveller (U.K.), and his award-winning writing has also appeared in CNN Travel, Condé Nast Traveler, The Telegraph, Fodor’s, Asia Times and more. He lives in Busan with his wife and a houseful of animals. Visit substack.com/@christharp and christharp.journoportfolio.com for more information.