Hidden gold mine – The most successful Comic book publisher in the world, millions of people Webtoon every day. The Online platform has become obsolete with its huge range of all the traditional publishers.Raphaela Portmann0 comment Rachel Smythe was with her Webcomic about Persephone and Hades practically famous overnight.Illustration: Rachel Smythe
The Comic has come a long way. Long before the font was invented, we told people stories using pictures. From ancient cave hieroglyphics, and, finally, letters were paintings. Modern Comics in this original style of storytelling and combine the Scripture with the image. Meanwhile, the colorful pictures have arrived long ago in the art scene and museums and on the Internet.
One of the Online platforms for young artists and comic lovers, the Korean company Webtoon is On a Website and via App a large amount of Comics will be managed. Can upload anyone who wants to. Reading the Comics is free. It is, therefore, a serious competition for the traditional comic business?
Over 10 million users per day
Actually, the Internet platform has already overtaken all traditional publishers. Webtoon is not only the most successful digital publisher in the world, but the most widely read publisher of comics at all.
in 2004 by the Naver Corporation in South Korea launched in, was launched in the App, ten years later, the world English. The user base of Webtoon to growth after the global launch of the service rapidly: More than 10 million people use the platform every day – most of them via mobile phone. Since last year, the Internet portal has grown to more than 100 billion views annually.
In Europe Webtoon is still relatively unknown. Among the Top 100 of the most widely read Comics, only a few Spanish and French signatories, in addition to a variety of American and Asian artists. According to Swiss authors, you must look for longer.
Scrolling instead of page
One of them is the 25-year-old Adina Ziebart, located in Winterthur. In the context of its illustration studies at the University of Dundee she drew the Webcomic “Living that Student Life”, published with seven episodes on Webtoon.
Adina Ziebart in your Webcomic itself, after the submission of their Semester exams.Illustration: Adina ziebart illustration: Adina ziebart illustration: Adina Ziebart1 / 4
“I found it very enjoyable to post on Webtoon. You can play well with the white areas between the individual images and, hence, different voltage is build up as in traditional Comics,” says Ziebart.
While leafing through traditional comic books, scrolls, one on Webtoon from top to bottom through the illustrated stories. This allows the artist to control the reading speed and to determine what is on the screen and what remains for the reader to hidden. This can be after each image with a Cliffhanger played in traditional Comics, however, only at the end of a double-page spread.
With the large number of Comics, and a total of over a Million – it’s for artists, however, difficult to generate a readership: “Webtoon makes the beginning very easily. There are, for example, the Tool “Creator 101″, which explains handsomely, as you have to make the first steps,” says Adina Ziebart, and adds: “but If you want to land on the home page, you have to invest a lot of time. It is difficult, among the many other Comics to attract attention.”
mythology new
Packed on the first page of a Webtoon a variety of different Comics, including most read, personalized proposals daily recommendations can be found. “I find it amazing, how big is the selection on the Webtoon, and that all of this is provided free of charge. There is something for every taste and in every Genre: romance, LGBTQ, Humor, thrillers – in fact, everything,” says Adina Ziebart, which uses the platform as a reader quite often.
On the first place of the most popular towers currently available, “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe, which brings the story of Persephone and Hades from Greek mythology and re-packaged. The Comic tells of the friendships, lies, and wild parties of the gods and of forbidden love.
Smythe’s Comic reached in 2018, virtually overnight, a huge popularity on the platform: Up to today, he recorded over 300 million views and 3.9 million subscribers. Like some Webcomics before him (for example, “True Beauty” or “Tower of God”), also “Lore Olympus” as soon as the series to be adapted – in this case, Netflix.
“Lore Olympus” Hades and Persephone play with the hell-hound Kerberos.Illustration: Rachel Smythe comic competition
Who wants to imitate Rachel Smythe and co., currently has an opportunity for short story competition in Webtoon to participate, with just under 15’000 Swiss francs can win. In the categories of “heart” or “brain” can still have up to 30. June an illustrated short submitted story.
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