Image credit: kkday
The popularity of Webtoon is nothing new. Together with the rapid rise of Korean content, it has certainly taken the digital comic world by storm. While people love manga just as much, the story, along with interesting characters and diverse genres of Webtoon, is something readers cannot miss. In fact, what adds to the fun is the vertical scrolling together with new content whenever a person logs in.
Looking at the rising trend, according to Publisher Weekly, back in 2022, Publisher Weekly launched a US-based imprint design called Webtoon Unscrolled to publish several English-language series into print for readers for the North American market. About three titles were launched: True Beauty, Cursed Princess Club, and Tower of God. Their trio titles sold 200,000+ copies in the imprints for the first six months. Read more about the Webtoon prints on Publisher Weekly.
Not just that, by the end of the upcoming year, that is, 2024, Webtoon Unscrolled aims to publish 20 ongoing series, which includes Lumine by Emma Krogell and Third Shift Society by Meredith Moriarty. Both are absolute classic reads for the readers.
One of the reasons behind the extensive popularity of the Webtoons is their adaptation to dramas and animated series. Besides that, the vertical orientation contributes to the ease of reading, especially for smartphone and tablet readers.
Webtoons are also secured with easily digestible formats. It’s backed up by the Korean “snack culture,” which means consuming media/content within a shorter time period. In such a case, having them in print is certainly a win-win situation.
Webtoon series are usually released once a week. It’s also released in series, between which the creators go on hiatus. The number of seasons for Webtoons depends on the creators themselves. While some could be short (about a couple of seasons with few episodes), others could go on for hundreds of episodes with multiple seasons.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.