Lord of Mysteries — the manhua
Lord of Mysteries has had two lives in comics. A first manhua, produced by Yuewen and the Hantai studio, launched on Bilibili Comics on 21 January 2020, before the novel had even ended. It went on hiatus in August 2020 at chapter 65. A new adaptation arrived in 2025, carried by the excitement around the donghua.
Origins and publication
The first version launched with a week of intensive releases to draw readers in. But adapting such a dense novel proved difficult, and the release pace did not hold. After the hiatus, the franchise went several years without an active manhua, while other Yuewen hits were adapted continuously.
The 2025 relaunch coincided with the release of B.CMAY Pictures' donghua. It benefits from a much wider audience, especially abroad, where the animated series introduced many people to the franchise.
How it differs from the donghua
The 2020 manhua uses a style close to Korean webtoons, clean and colourful, quite far from the dark, foggy atmosphere the donghua established. It follows the novel closely but has to condense Klein's monologues heavily, which makes some investigations harder to follow. The donghua, by contrast, had the means to build atmosphere through detailed backgrounds and music.
Reception and success
The first version had a mixed reception: readers appreciated the effort but found the art uneven and the pacing too fast. Its halt at chapter 65 left a sense of unfinished business. The new 2025 adaptation benefits from the success of the donghua, ranked among the year's highest-rated Chinese animations on Crunchyroll and IMDb.
Trivia
- The 2020 manhua launched with seven days of daily releases.
- It was produced by Yuewen, which owns Qidian, together with the Hantai studio.
- The novel's first volume is titled "Clown", a name also used for a spin-off animation project.
- The donghua ended its first season on 14 September 2025 with a 9.3 rating on IMDb.
My take
Honestly, the manhua is the weakest version of the franchise. The 2020 version lacked resources and stopped too early, and nothing replaces the atmosphere of the novel or the donghua. I mainly recommend it to collectors or to anyone who wants to see the opening chapters in pictures. To discover Lord of Mysteries, start with the donghua or the novel.
Who is it for?Completionist fans and webtoon readers curious to see Klein in comic form.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan
The authorCuttlefish That Loves Diving 爱潜水的乌贼The master of Lovecraftian steampunk