Tower of God Volume 4’s Bad Printing Almost Ruins a Great Story (2024)

In the latest publication out of Webtoon Unscrolled, the global sensation Tower of God Volume 4 offers readers greater insight into the series' supporting characters as Bam takes a backseat. Tower of God Volume 4 is written and drawn by S.I.U., with editing by Jennifer Hale, cover design by Josh Beatman, English language lettering by Niko Dalcin, production senior manager Patrick McCormick, and production editor Delaney Anderson. The graphic novel collects episodes 32-39 of the original webcomic that debuted on Webtoon in June 2010. The new volume also includes bonus material and a special sneak preview of Noblesse Volume 2.

In Tower of God Volume 4, the surviving Regulars get ready to face their next test on their dangerous climb to the top of the Tower. Khun and Bam shift their focus to creating new alliances as it's discovered that Bam is making alarmingly fast progress in training. Meanwhile, Anaak and Rachel continue to safeguard their biggest secrets until they are forced to come to light. As new battles and tests begin, the Regulars must overcome a Ranker if they want to continue their climb.

Tower of God Volume 4 Is Held Back by Its Pages' New (But Worse) Paper

Thin Pages Impact the Reading Experience, but S.I.U's Genius Shines Through

When first picking up Tower of God Volume 4, the most noticeable difference from its predecessors is the size of the book. This volume is notably less than half the size of the first three volumes. The size difference is explained by the new type of paper that was used in its publication and printing. Up until now, Webtoon Unscrolled graphic novels used the kind of thick paper commonly associated with graphic novels. Conversely, Volume 4's pages have the look and feel of magazine paper. Since the paper used is much thinner, the book is much smaller than the other Tower of God volumes despite having roughly the same number of pages and content. This change is likely unfavorable to most readers, as the paper feels more fragile and prone to tearing. It is uncertain if future installments will use this new paper going forward or revert to prior printing methods.

Thankfully, the book's printing does little to affect the story itself. The tone of Tower of God Volume 4 remains consistent with S.I.U's incredible writing that pulls the reader into the narrative. In this volume, the series' main protagonist, Bam, takes a backseat as the supporting characters get a chance to shine and undergo significant development of their own. True identities and backgrounds are finally revealed as the Regulars undergo a new and dangerous test, where they must come face-to-face with a Ranker. They see firsthand the true power and capabilities of a Ranker, making them all realize just how much they need to improve if they want to climb the rest of the tower and survive.

Tower of God Volume 4's colors are also consistent with the original artwork and the previous installments. The coloring stays true to existing character designs and helps set the scene for each panel. Some scenes are intentionally dark during nighttime and dark memories of the past. Despite these darker scenes, readers will not have any trouble seeing all the artwork and details within the panel. The English lettering by Niko Dalcin is clean and consistent, making for an easy reading experience. The font and text in the dialogue boxes stay the same throughout the volume, while the action and sound words are primarily black with white outlines to create simple and subtle lettering that doesn’t steal from the rest of the scene. Some lettering is in color for action words where appropriate, but colored text is used rarely.

However, the thin pages occasionally allow dialogue bubbles and artwork from the page behind it to seep through and be somewhat visible. Not only does this somewhat spoil what happens next, but it almost ruins the otherwise impeccable art on display. This bleeding effect often occurs in magazines or any other book with the same type of thin paper that Tower of God Volume 4 switched to. Why exactly Webtoon decided to change what kind of paper this book's pages were printed on is unclear, but it was an undeniably bad idea.

Tower of God Volume 4’s Story Overcomes Questionable Printing Changes

The Book is Still a Worthy Read For Fans of the Webtoon Hit

Tower of God Volume 4 is formatted into eight episodes throughout the graphic novel. Most Webtoon Unscrolled adaptations alter the episode format in favor of chapters that are more expected when it comes to books. Despite being called "episodes" with corresponding numbers from the comics' original Episodes 32 through 39, these sections are effectively the same as having eight chapters. The chapters are well paced, and chapter breaks usually occur when a specific scene wraps up to transition seamlessly to a new scene. The pacing of the narrative is ideal because there is a lot of development happening among the supporting characters. The chapter breaks are simple white pages with the episode number and title, accompanied by a minimalist sketch. Due to the blank white pages for the chapter breaks, this is one of the examples where readers can easily see the art and contents of the page behind it leaking through.

Tower of God Volume 4 is a thrilling narrative that reveals character motives while keeping many mysteries still unsolved. The change of print format and quality was painfully noticeable throughout the read and almost detrimental, but it does not take away from the genuinely thrilling and captivating story itself. It's a testament to all the artists involved in this book's creation that their hard work and vision were not compromised by questionable printing. While it may impact the reading experience for some, this volume remains ideal for fans of Tower of God and those who want a suspenseful, action-packed series about power, greed, betrayal, and complex relationships.

Tower of God Volume 4: A WEBTOON Unscrolled Graphic Novel is now available wherever books are sold. The ongoing original webcomic can be read on Webtoon.

Tower of God Volume 4

5/ 10

Fame. Glory. Power. Anything in your wildest dreams is possible when you reach the top of the Tower of God. Those lucky enough to be chosen by the tower ascend each floor in hopes of fulfilling their dreams, but to succeed, they must complete dangerous and deadly tests along the way.

Author

S.I.U.

Genre

Manhwa , Fantasy , Action-Adventure

Adaptation

Tower of God

Pros

• Captivating storytelling by S.I.U. that draws readers in.
• Supporting characters receive more development.
• Plot was well-paced and chapters were effectively used to build suspense throughout the volume.
• The volume remained true to S.I.U's unique, original art style.

Cons

• The use of thin paper negatively impacted the overall reading experience.
• Ink sometimes bled through the pages and interupted certain scenes.
• The volume felt flimsy and fragile.