The original cover of Volume 1 of the Print version
The Mannamong is a fantasy-adventure webcomic by Michael Adam Lengyel intended for readers of all ages. It has been nominated for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The comic has its own website here
, but can also be viewed through Webtoon here.Kali is a young girl with an incurable fever that believes in the fairy tales of guardian spirits called Mannamong, and hopes that they can save her. Her prayers are answered in the worst way possible, when it turns out her illness was actually caused by a fire elemental Mannamong named Tontorus that wants to atone for past mistakes but has to hide from his brethren by making her a compatible vessel. Although she initially resents Tantorus for this, Kali is also willing to offer forgiveness upon learning more about him, and tries to maintain her faith while Tantorus' past starts to catch up to them.
Tropes:
- Cassandra Truth: Due to the Perception Filter that separates the mortal and spiritual worlds, Kali's attempts to tell other humans about her current problems are misattributed as her childish imagination.
- Demonic Possession: In order to hide from his fellow Mannamong, Tontorus initially attempts to possess Kali directly, and then through her totem necklace when her body can't handle it.
- Forced Transformation: Because Tontorus is possessing Kali instead of harmonizing their spirits and becoming her guardian, it's slowly transforming Kali into a Mannamong that looks like him and has similar powers.
- Perception Filter: Regular humans are unable to see Mannamong or think of them as anything more than fantasies, even when they're causing trouble in the world of mortals.
- Ret-Gone: Because of the Perception Filter that prevents Mannamong from interacting with regular humans, Kali's Forced Transformation into one threatens to cause this to her. It actually occurs at the end of Episode 48, when Kali fully transforms and disappears while screaming for her mother to notice her, with Vianne unable to recognize the totem necklace Kali left behind (which Vianne had gifted Kali herself) and old photos of Kali having her fade away.
- Struggling Single Mother: Vianne, Kali's mother. She gave birth to Kali at a young age, gave up her dream of becoming a doctor in order to get a biology degree and a job with it, and feels taunted at the beginning of the story due to Kali having a fever that has put them in tremendous medical debt.
- Touched by Vorlons: Regular people are unable to see past the Perception Filter outside of their dreams, but Tontorus's meddling with Kali allows her to interact with them in the mortal world.
