K-pop’s ENHYPEN is about to make history as the first South Korean music group to have a panel in Ballroom 20, one of the most popular TV rooms at San Diego Comic-Con, a.k.a. Comic-Con International: San Diego. They’re also doing a full takeoverto celebrate their epic original vampiric story and IP, ‘DARK MOON: Blood Night.’
Throughout the convention weekend, which begins on Wednesday, July 22, on Preview Night, and continues until Sunday, July 26, at the San Diego Convention Center, ENHYPEN’s’DARK MOON’will have an official booth on the convention floor located at #4129. There will be fun giveaways and events throughout the time there, including a special appearance by the group
The group kicks off San Diego Comic-Con with a panel “BITE ME: Calling All Vampires” on Thursday, July 23. The members – Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki – will be joined by Twilight’s director Catherine Hardwicke and actors Peter Facinelli and Ashley Greene, best known for portraying Carlisle Cullen and Alice Cullen in the Twilight saga. Hosted by TV Guide Magazine’s Damian Holbrook, the panel is set to touch on how vampire storytelling has evolved across film, television, music, webcomics, animation, and more.
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“We are thrilled to be part of this year’s Comic-Con and invite global audiences into the DARK MOON universe,” said Taeho Park, Head of HYBE Next Entertainment Business (NEB), in a press statement. “As DARK MOON continues to evolve into a global IP where music and storytelling are interconnected to deepen one another, we look forward to joining creators and fans to celebrate the vampire genre and the power of storytelling.”
On Friday, the group will be doing signings for the webcomic – “DARK MOON with ENHYPEN Autograph Session” for Friday, July 24, 3pm-3:40pm, To apply, you must have a Comic-Con badge on the Online Exclusives Portal
The group continues their takeover with an exclusive event, DARK MOON BLOOD NIGHT with ENHYPEN, at the House of Blues in the Gaslamp Quarter on Friday evening, July 24. There will be live performances by the group, as well as a conversation with DJ and radio host JoJo Wright. Tickets were given through their Weverse fan club, but there will be opportunities to win beforehand. The dress code for the event is vampire-themed, so come with your best “fang-tastic” attire to step into the Dark Moon universe.
Prior to their Comic-Con appearance, the group will bring their ENHYPEN World Tour ‘BLOOD SAGA’to the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Tuesday, July 21
So, what exactly is DARK MOON?
Since ENHYPEN’s debut in 2020, they’ve had avampire concept tied to their music competition series, I-LAND, as they were competing to debut and experiencing a sudden rise to fame. Their debut EP, Border: Day One, marked their transition from trainees to idols/artists, featuring Dusk and Dawn concepts. They continued with their Borderand Dimension albums, exploring themes of fame, loss of privacy, and entering another stage of their lives, all tied to the vampire story that connects their trainee life as humans to their turn into artists as vampires.
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Utilizing ENHYPEN’s vampire lore, DARK MOON: The Blood Altarwas released in 2022 as a webcomic on Naver and LINE Webtoon. It is the first story in the DARK MOON series, depicting the chemistry between vampire boys and a superpowered heroine, and their need to protect each other from outside forces trying to separate them
The 81-chapter fantasy romance centers on Sooha, a young schoolgirl with superhuman strength who transfers to the prestigious, supernatural-hating Decelis Academy in Riverfield. She meets the ENHYPEN members, each of whom is hiding the fact that they are vampires with unique powers. As they swore to protect her, they began to feel drawn to her and follow her wishes. After a person is murdered – and it looks like a vampire did it, Sooha finds herself in conflict between the vampires and the werewolves group. She must figure out how to navigate through this dangerous supernatural journey.
The original story of DARK MOON has become a multi-platform story IP that has expanded into multiple media – webcomics, animated series, merchandise, and even ENHYPEN’s music
How many series have there been from this?
The franchise has gone on to multiple stories with DARK MOON: The Blood Altar being the first, the sequel DARK MOON: Two Moons, and the prequels, DARK MOON: The Blood of Vargr and Children of Vampfield. There is a spin-off for another music group as well, &TEAM
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Dark Moon: The Blood Altar- the first and most popular, which has an animated series based on it
Dark Moon: Children of Vamfield- a prequel about the origins of the ENHYPEN-based vampires, growing up in an orphanage and discovering their vampiric heritage and the world behind it
Dark Moon: The Blood of Vargr- a prequel to the ENHYPEN-based characters, a lifetime before their vampire ways, and to assist with the next sequel. It gives backstory into the existing characters and introduces Selen, a princess who tries to save her doomed kingdom of Varhr
Dark Moon: Two Moons – It continues the events of The Blood Altar, with Selen again in this lifetime, along with more relationships and conflicts from this universe
What does ENHYPEN have to do with this?
The main characters of DARK MOON are based on the members’ looks and concepts. They are all members of the school team for the fictional sport, Nightball
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Former member Heeseung/EVAN- Heli, a senior and telepath (ability to speak to others with his mind). He’s the captain and center of the Nightball team
Jungwon- Jakah, a 9th-grader who is the smartest and fastest among the vampires. He is the wing of the team
Jay- Jaan, an 11th-grader with supernatural strength. He is the team’s enforcer
Jake- Jino, an 11th-grader with pyrokinesis (fire). He’s the back of the team
Sunghoon- Solon, a 10th-grader who is a mixed vampire-werewolf. He keeps the secret from everyone, including his group. He’s the team’s forward
Sunoo- Shion, a 10th-grader with gravikinesis (the ability to manipulate gravity). He’s the back of the Nightball team
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Ni-Ki- Noa, a 9th-grader who can manipulate shadows and control darkness. He’s an additional forward for the Nightball team
The group has also utilized the story in their music. Their 2023 EP, DARK BLOOD, centered on the webtoon’s lore and featured six tracks, including the popular track “Bite Me.” They continued the “bloody” theme with their next EP, ORANGE BLOOD, which featured the song “Sweet Venom.” In 2024, ENHYPEN created a special EP, Memorabilia, which served as DARK MOON‘s original soundtrack and included popular songs “Criminal Love” and “One in a Billion.”
Is &TEAM part of this lore?
Yes. The J-pop group, &TEAM, who are also under the HYBE labels, have their own story as werewolves in the DARK MOON series. They have their own spin-off series, DARK MOON: The Grey City,which came out in late 2022
How popular is this franchise?
This franchise is the most successful work among the HYBE Original Stories, which also includes BTS-inspired 7FATES: CHAKHO and TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s THE STAR SEEKERS
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DARK MOON: The Blood Altar has over 200 million cumulative views and has been highly praised in South Korea, earning a 9.78 out of 10 rating on the webtoon platform. The animated adaptation is available in more than 80 countries/regions
Why are they going to Comic-Con?
ENHYPEN and HYBE are attending to introduce their new story, DARK MOON: Blood Night, the DARK MOONseries, and their growing franchise at one of the world’s biggest pop culture conventions. They plan on more stories in the future
For more information on ENHYPEN’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con, click here. You need a Comic-Con badge to attend
This article was originally published onForbes.com
