WEBTOON and A New Era of Digital Comics

WEBTOON is a global storytelling platform that features the work of creators from all over the world. Whether it's through their mobile app or through physical publications in bookstores, the WEBTOON brand is home to a variety of different short stories, manga, and comic strips. Many have even been adapted into anime as seen with Tower of God or The God of High School, some have been turned into web animations like My Giant Nerd Boyfriend, and many have live-action properties like Yumi's Cells and True Beauty. At New York Comic Con 2024, Anime News Network had the opportunity to sit down with David Lee, Head of U.S. WEBTOON, and Aron Levitz, President of Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, to go over what the platform's creative process is like, what helps make webtoons distinct as a medium, and the company's upcoming projects.

Most webtoons are consumed via vertical scrolling on devices like iPhones. What do you think this method adds to the comic reading experience? Do you think that they would be viewed or appreciated differently if they were read more traditionally?

David Lee: Yeah, I think what vertical scrolling adds the most is the accessibility. I think that is the most important thing. When we first started, I was surprised when I entered the U.S. market and looked at the industry. The most popular movie box office was equivalent to the size of the entire comics industry at the time. Ironically, I think these movies were based on comics. So, I think there was a strength in the story and characters of comic books. But a lot of them weren't reaching enough people because, you know, not enough people were reading.

Now, we're talking about Korea, a place where people are already consuming comics on mobile phones, which are probably the most accessible devices of the era. I think what we sought to do was have a format that is very well tailored to consume on this device. I think it's really what sort of helps the experience feel different or helps webtoons be appreciated differently compared to if they were consumed in a traditional format.

I think there's a difference between picking up your phone, opening it, and having content that is very accessible so you can have that instant, immersive experience. But I also think going to a bookstore's a very fun journey. You know, you get yourself ready, you go out, maybe you're waiting on your friend, you go inside the bookstore, and everything is like 4D. You smell the bookstore, browse around, and are just in the mood to explore. You pick up and enjoy the book. Then you find a webtoon series and then you start reading. I mean, I think regardless of where you find a series, buying it on your phone or on a bookshelf, I think every medium has value.

It's funny that you mentioned that, since nowadays, a lot of entertainment is consumed on your phone. Heck, most manga I read is on my phone. So I looked into a little bit of the history of webtoons, and, correct me if I'm wrong, they were first conceived in the early 2000s. They were in response to the growing presence of the internet and to compete with other forms of comics at the time, like Japanese manga. How do you think webtoons manage to stand out as a distinct form of consumption compared to Japanese manga and Western comics?

Lee: Again, I think one of the key differences we saw was perhaps distribution. I think it's more like we were adding a new distribution method for more people to experience comics. I think that's what I found very exciting when we started sharing comics globally and when we interviewed our users. It was very enjoyable to learn that, for some of our readers, their first comic experiences were through webtoons, and then they would also venture out to other forms of media. Or maybe the inverse would happen? Some people start watching anime, then they discover manga, and then they find webtoons. I think it's just a different entry point we can provide by giving accessibility.

Our creators come from all over the place. You can see I love manga (gestures to his Detective Conan shirt). I grew up on manga, but most mangaka I'm familiar with and respect are all based in Japan. I think one of the key differences that I see from WEBTOON that is unique to us is that we have an open platform called WEBTOON Campus, which is the same sort of ecosystem that we've started in Korea. Any creator who can upload on Campus can have their stories seen instantly by audiences from all over the world. I think ideas like that are what help make our brand very powerful.

I think what makes all this very exciting for me is when we look at our top creators on WEBTOON and find talents from all over the world. We have talents from the U.S., Korea, South America, Spain, etc. One of my favorite action series is called Ordeal, and the creators are from Trinidad and Tobago. It's very manga-inspired, but also has a very unique sort of cultural infusion in the art style. There's a series called Marionetta from a creator named Miriam, who also created a series called Hooky. When you look at the art, you can tell it's Ghibli-inspired with a very specific tone. When I asked her, “How do you get inspired?” she said, “Oh, it's just my hometown.” So I think you can see the diversity in the content because the art creators come from all over the world.

When a lot of people think “webtoons,” they might associate them strictly with Korean artists. Could you please go over the process of bringing these Korean comics to English-speaking regions like America? How are properties selected for the English-speaking market?

Lee: Yeah, I think that process has evolved over the course of time. You know, when we first started, it wasn't even us. I think it was the fans. Basically, there was a demand, like “Hey, please translate this series,” or “Hey, we're already looking at these series in Korea.” So, I think it was an easy thing for us to start translating things that were in demand. As we grew our platform, we started importing more diverse titles to help expand the taste and scope of the audience. And now I think the demand is just so big. It's less about the selection process and more about how we fulfill the demand and how to make sure we deliver.

There are also so many talented creators and studios who are producing content. You know, how do we make sure that this content gets delivered? How do we deliver it quicker and faster? There's a growing appetite, and I think the patience is almost growing thin. It's like, “I want it instantly.” So this year, we've released several series in different regions at the same time! We call it a global launch. So we've done several of those this year, which I think the readers really like. They can instantly see it at the same time as the Korean audience.

Were there any webtoons that were particularly challenging to bring over to America that stick out to you?

Lee: No, I would say everything is a challenge because I think something like translation is a work of its own. You know, maybe there's a type of humor that goes underappreciated. So I think those are the types of things that we're always looking for. I think there are also different titles that would have different cultural relateability.

I think there is a demand, which makes our job a bit easier, but I would still love to be able to translate more content that's perhaps not instantly culturally relatable yet. Maybe translate and bring over titles that can help people gain a little bit more cultural understanding so that you can suddenly appreciate the value of the story a lot more.

That idea of importing more content actually flows pretty seamlessly into my next question, which is about global expansion as a platform. As a platform, how does the WEBTOON company and brand plan to continue expanding globally? Does it just come down to licensing and distributing more comics, or are there any additional ventures the company plans to pursue?

Lee: I mean, there are so many exciting things. Obviously, we want to empower more creators. That has always been our core value. So, I think establishing a very strong global creator ecosystem has always been the most important thing for us. We want to be able to continue fostering a lot of creators because our creators' success doesn't stop at WEBTOON. I think Aron can speak to a lot of how so many series being published in bookstores have several TV, film, and animation adaptations lined up. But I think we also have a lot of new globally grown creators, whether from the U.S., Europe, or different places, and these creators are also getting deals, which is very exciting to see. By working with traditional publishers, we're sort of reigniting interest in these properties.

One of the most recent examples was when we worked with Dark Horse Comics to reformat Avatar: The Last Airbender. I was thrilled and surprised at how eager everyone was to click through this several-year-old published content that was just reformatted. Obviously, it's because we had a great audience looking for Avatar content as Netflix's new show came out. So, I think it was a great opportunity for Dark Horse and us to help reignite that interest. Besides reformatting this published content, we also work on a lot of original IPs or original stories based on well-known IPs. We've done Wayne Family Adventures, which has been a big hit with people.

That has been one of my favorite properties.

Lee: Thank you! One of our top creators, Pirpah, creator of Suitor Armor, has also been working on a D&D story with Hasbro. I think there are a lot of things that haven't been announced, so I can't share them, but I think there's a growing interest in more companies wanting to present their IP in this format, which is very exciting for me. It's just this is all I ever dreamed of: seeing a diverse range of stories and having an independent creator's original story being served right next to a billion-dollar box office movie property.

WEBTOON started by competing with all those properties, and now, you're synergizing with them in a way that reignites interest in those properties.

Lee: I don't think I ever really saw it as a competition from the beginning because everyone who comes to work for WEBTOON, including myself, all grew up on something. When we reformatted Avatar: The Last Airbender, the producer who worked on it was so meticulous about it because she was a huge fan of the property growing up. It's very easy for us to facilitate these partnerships because whenever I would ask our team if anyone was interested in these types of stories, people just instantly raise their hands. So, we already have a lot of internal fans who understand both the world of webtoons and a lot of these properties that they grew up with. I think it's more about people's dreams coming true rather than competing, while also creating a continuously reignited interest in these properties as well.

Speaking of reigniting those interests, we've seen anime and online adaptations of some fairly popular WEBTOON properties in recent years. Could you explain the approval process for how these animations get greenlit? How do you decide what webtoon gets an animation adaptation and what webtoon gets something like a live-action adaptation?

Aron Levitz: Yeah, for sure. When it comes to globalization, people have access to stories in so many different ways now. If you go into Barnes and Noble on a Saturday, there are just hundreds of people reading. Like David said, this might be how they learn about webtoons. They read a story like unOrdinary or Third Shift Society and see the WEBTOON logo on the front and ask, “What's a ‘webtoon’?”

Part of globalization is actually adapting things off-platform, where we know fans are going to see how we expanded on their favorite universe. This way, we may bring new fans into the universe. So when we are looking to adapt things, whether it is for live-action, animation, or publishing, we use this really beautiful mix of art and science. The art is working with brilliant creators who tell brilliant stories from all over the world. The science comes from understanding fandoms.

Like, why did the fans love this story? Why did they love this episode? Why did they love this character? Why didn't they love this tournament? How did the creator react when they found that out? So learning all those pieces, mixing that kind of understanding of fandom with this beautiful storytelling really helps inform us how things should be adapted. Maybe this story really makes sense as a film? Things like Apocalyptic Horseplay, which we just announced with one of the writers of the TV show Workaholics, really stood out to us as something that needs to be told in animation.

Something like Lore Olympus, which is, you know, one of the largest webtoons of all time. I think most of this audience will know when you see that artwork for the first time. It's so different, it's so striking. The coloration is so important to the storytelling. We knew that animation was a great place to start with that, which is why we're working with the Jim Henson Company. So really, every story is going to have its own journey to screen, and it's really just understanding how and why the creator created it and how and why the fans interact with it. That's how we're kind of figuring out the best things that we should bring to screens and shelves all over the world.

You can't adapt everything the exact same way, especially with so many different, unique stories.

Lee: There are things that won't make sense for both live-action and animation. And we do look at it in both ways. In fact, we have teams that are always looking at things in parallel if we can. But I think that one of the amazing things about when you're talking about a webtoon that's really different from adapting other kinds of IPs from other places is that there's no set direction it has to go in. It can start as a web novel that we adapted into a webtoon that we can turn into a movie. It could be a webtoon that we really like that we're going to start with merchandise and then look at publishing it into traditional publishing and then bring it to the screen. Like, there's no set way we have to do this.

Do either of you have any advice for artists who want to create a comic or series under your brand?

Lee: Well, I don't know about advice, but what I've learned from other creators is to just create something and don't be afraid to share your work. I think being consistent is very helpful because we live in an era where it is so easy to create something, no matter what field you're in, and share it with the world. I think the internet has been so powerful in that way. I think our open platform campus provides a space that is more specific for comics. But it's almost like anyone could set up a lemonade stand. Not everyone might like your lemonade stand, and some people might be critical of the lemons you use, or how you create your lemonade. But I think what's most important is just showing up consistently so people will try it. And if there are certain people who are very into your lemons, I think that audience will grow, and that's how you will eventually find your voice. I've seen so many creators go through that journey, and it all started with just creating and sharing their work. It takes a lot of courage and guts to make something and show it to the world, but I think everyone went through that. So don't be afraid.

Levitz: If I may add one small part to that, it's write the story you want to see. From my perspective, there's so much of a rush from the traditional industry to repeat the same franchises again and again, right? Prequels, sequels, and pre-sequels are constantly out there. What always excites me most when I open the app and start reading is storytellers who tell a story they didn't see out there. Something that hasn't been told in that way because the rules aren't the same when you write webtoons as you would in a traditional industry. So that's always something I come to the platform for, seeing our creators who break the rules and create genres by putting two things together because that's the story they want to see. That is the most fun thing, working with our creators.

And are there any upcoming projects that you guys are really excited about?

Lee: Well, something that I was very excited about recently because we've translated several U.S. originals into our Korean market. We have a series called Vampire Family that was just translated a couple days ago. I love reading the comments since I grew up on the Korean WEBTOON platform. It's very fulfilling to see.

Levitz: You know, speaking of Vampire Family, the writer of that wrote another story called Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell, which we're adapting with Imagine Entertainment, Ron Howard's company. This is the beauty of our ecosystem, right? A creator creates one hit, we get to adapt it further off-platform, and they start writing their next hit all over again. For the animation fans out there, we have Lore Olympus, which we're developing with the Jim Henson Company. I mentioned Apocalyptic Horseplay with the writer of Workaholics. We're adapting this phenomenal sci-fi web novel called Hawk with Chris Yost, who wrote small things like Thor: Ragnarok and has worked in Marvel Animation before. So it'll be well known to some of your readers, I'm sure. With tons of great projects out there on screens, on shelves, and on the platform itself, people will be very busy for months to come.

Lee: Since this is the Anime News Network, obviously, you saw the announcement for Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. I think I'm personally very excited about GOSU, which is a Murim story and I think it's one of the more distinct genres of manhwa from Korea. These are sort of martial arts-style fighting stories, and GOSU is one of the series we've announced for anime adaptation. I think we've also seen a lot of RPG game fantasy animations coming out. But I think this is one of our first Murim animations that we're going to be seeing, which I'm very excited about because I think there's so much kick-ass cool action that you can't quite replicate anywhere else. Being able to see that on the big screen is going to give a huge lift to the genre. I know there's a huge dedicated fandom behind it outside of Korea that's slowly growing. So I'm very excited to see it get animated!

I'm looking forward to seeing it! Thank you guys so much for your time.