Screen adaptations could draw even more people to webtoons, as film versions of Spider-Man did for Marvel comics
Webtoons began life in the early 2000s when Naver and Daum, the country’s biggest search engines, hired cartoon artists to design online comic strips. They were supposed to attract more visitors to their websites rather than generate income. But over the past decade the market has grown tenfold, making webtoons a vital source of income for the internet companies. More strikingly, they have begun to attain a degree of influence over global culture that belies their humble origins.
For readers of webtoons, the advantage over more traditional comics lies in the variety of storylines and in the interactive features, animations and dramatic background music. After finishing an episode, fans can hit the comments section and debate the twists and turns of the plot with others. Lim Hyun-jee, a 26-year-old from Seoul, likes being able to read new episodes on her phone on her way to work rather than lug around hefty volumes of Japanese manga , which she also enjoys.
But the success of webtoons is not restricted to comic lovers, says Jang Min-gi from Kyungnam University. Some of the cartoonists who started with Naver and Daum years ago have found themselves consulting on films and television dramas, raking in thousands of dollars. “Sweet Home”, a horror webtoon about a man surviving a virus that turns humans into monsters, was made into a drama last year and became the most-watched show on Netflix in eleven countries .
Ms Jang thinks this will eventually draw even more people to webtoons, as film versions of Spider-Man or Black Panther did for Marvel comics. “Most of today’s Marvel fans saw the films before the comics. It’s the same with webtoons. They are creating their own universe.” This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Striding the universe"
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