Webtoon Recommendation: “The Iron Inside” – Manta Comics

Featured Image for The Iron Inside by Sina — Featured Image for *The Iron Inside* by Sina

The Iron Inside by Sina, a well-nuanced post-apocalyptic narrative about what it truly takes to survive and love in an unforgiving world. The webtoon breaks through the boundaries of its genre, doing more than simply providing high stakes for its target audience.

Monsters and disease run rampant in Baekgi’s world… except this isn’t the world she remembered or expected at all. Before, she was in cryosleep for too long. When she’s awakened, she finds her world reduced to ruins and sand. Baekgi, now a member of the protective unit Spear and Shield, trains under Senior Officer Ibaek, a complicated woman with a reserved past. Throughout her experiences in the bunker and the harsh desert world above, Baekgi learns how people in this future perceive the meaning of love and survival.

The Iron Inside is its own spin into the post-apocalyptic landscape. Look beyond the familiar desert world, mutant creatures, and a rigid community of survivors (called a bunker in this story) – this webtoon exceeds those limits. The story includes economic depictions of the past versus the future, the reasoning behind people’s decisions (whether it’s rationing food or abandoning a comrade during a dangerous situation), and fleeting romances because of the notion that someone wouldn’t live long in this perilous world.

Baekgi – a survivor of an incident where equipment broke down and caused an explosion – initially steps into the future with doubt and hostility. Having consented to sleep for decades to keep humanity alive, the windowless and colorless rooms aren’t the future she expects. The view of the ruined city adorning the desert devastates her.

Ibaek is the first person to offer comfort. Even when Baekgi steadily gets to know the structure of the bunker and its inhabitants, she yearns for her Senior officer’s attention. However, Ibaek, involved in a relationship with another woman, hasn’t fully opened herself to Baekgi.

The webtoon’s consistent themes involving survival and persistence make this a compelling read, even for readers who don’t usually flock over to the post-apocalyptic genre.

The Iron Inside by Sina is an ongoing webtoon available on Manta. For readers not subscribed to Manta Unlimited, this webtoon is available under its Free Pass. After reading the first three (free!) episodes, the next episode will unlock after 24 hours.

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For more great webcomic recommendations, check out our Wednesday Webcomics archives!