Romance webcomics are perhaps the most popular genre of the lot. Of the most-read webcomics on Webtoon in 2019, 10 are specifically categorized as "romance," with several "slice-of-life" comics from the list touching on romantic themes as well. Likewise, two of the 10 most-read webcomics on Tapas in 2019 focus on romantic themes, with several others touching on the topic.
Current Webtoon stats reflect a similar skew toward romance comics, with Rachel Smythe's Lore Olympus -- which is currently being adapted for TV -- consistently claiming the top spot, alongside Mongie's Let's Play. Although there's no hard and fast data to explain the popularity of romance webcomics over other genres, there are at least a few reasons why they're so popular amongst readers. Here's a breakdown.
Accessibility
First and foremost, the majority of webcomics are free-to-read. Some creators have "premium" content available through individual Patreon pages or on Tapas, which helps them sustain their work and allows readers who want to and are able to fiscally support their favorite creators to do so. Several creators also have premium content in addition to free content.
For example, Alice Oseman publishes full pages of her incredibly popular, LGBTQ high school romance webcomic, Heartstopper, weeks ahead for Patreon subscribers -- then she publishes them for free on Tapas. This seems to be a sustainable model for many creators, as it provides exclusive, early access to some fans but still makes the work widely available. This brings in new readers, some of whom can afford premium content, so the cycle continues.
Furthermore, free webcomics are all over the Internet. In addition to thousands of stories available to read on Webtoon and Tapas, webcomics can also be found on Hiveworks, individual servers and even social media sites like Twitter and Instagram. The former two are especially convenient because they offer free apps for use on any mobile device, which means readers can pick up and read webcomics wherever they are.
For romance comics especially, this allows readers to engage with the genre without fear of judgment -- which makes some people avoid reading romance novels in public, for example. Plus, readers can engage with LGBTQ romance content in a safe way, which is especially helpful for younger readers who want to see themselves represented in fiction but can't do so in their environment. It's worth noting romance is the most popular in every age group regardless of gender on Webtoon, save for one -- and the comic topping that category, Wendy Lian Martin's Castle Swimmer, is a fantasy romance. Thus, romance comics technically take the top spot for every chart currently available on the site.
Formatting
Webtoon, in particular, asks its creators to format their comics for maximum scrolling potential. Rather than updating with individual pages, many Webtoon creators update with full chapters or "episodes," which gives readers lots of new content all at once that they can scroll through on their computers or mobile devices.
However, even webcomics shared on other platforms are highly readable across a number of devices. Readers can click through individual pages on independent servers and webcomics posted to social media are shareable via retweet, reblog, or sharing to Instagram Stories. In fact, many webcomics -- especially romance webcomics and most especially slice-of-life romance webcomics -- are frequently turned into reaction memes and shared widely (ideally with creator credit, though this isn't always the case).
Feelings
This one is pretty obvious: people love love. Romance has always been a popular genre, whether it's presented in books, comics, movies, or TV shows. Although mainstream romance comics are few and far between, the indie market produces a number of romance titles each year. In fact, 2019 saw the massively popular First Second graphic novel, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, take home several industry awards and receive a nod in the Goodreads Choice Awards for best comic or graphic novel.
The simple fact is, whether the story is by Jane Austen or Rachel Smythe, readers will flock to good romance. Webcomics depict some of the best romances in the genre in a highly-accessible way that allows everyone to fall in love, regardless of age, gender or relationship status.