Webtoon is a website where users can publish their own digital comics, and it has continuously risen in popularity over the last few years. The website recently announced that the platform received over 100 billion views in 2019 alone, with over 60 million active monthly users. The site’s rise is comparable to another famous platform, YouTube, which also found early success due to its wide variety of user-generated content. Although it’s unclear if Webtoon is the future of online entertainment, the young site is a paradise for lovers of manga and continues to deliver fresh, original stories from passionate artists.
Think back to the early days of YouTube. Back then, the internet was still in its Wild West era. Videos went viral organically, and the platform wasn’t heavily moderated in the way it is today. Creators were motivated by their desire to share their work, not their aspiration to become the next internet superstar.
To add to that, there was a wide breadth of content available, from flash animations to early (often cringeworthy) attempts at meme humor. The website had a chaotic creativity that kept users coming back time and time again.
Webtoon today has captured the same energy that YouTube had back then. It’s frenetic and imaginative, with a quality of artwork and storytelling that rivals some mainstream manga series. Comics from previously unknown authors reach audiences of several million. Rachel Smythe’s Lore Olympus series, a modern story featuring characters and events from ancient Greek mythology, has compiled nearly 300 million views on its own.
It’s even been tapped by the Jim Henson Company to be adapted as an animated YA series. The democratic nature of Webtoon allows original stories like Lore Olympus and many others like it to reach audiences the size of which were once unimaginable.
Also like YouTube, a variety of genres are available on Webtoon. While the drawing style is inspired by Korean manwha, the types of stories told vary quite a bit. Some comics explore romance and everyday life, while others are based in horror, fantasy or thriller. The only thing limiting the kinds of stories told is the audiences’ willingness to read them. With that in mind, hopefully readers continue to support original creators and the website continues to flourish.
Still, Webtoon may one day experience the plight YouTube has faced. With an overabundance of content, it’s possible that readers will only flock to the well-known creators and it will be harder to discover new authors. It’s hard to say if Webtoon is the future of comics or not, but for now we should be satisfied that artists and audiences have a space where they can celebrate their love of these stories.