EPIC on WEBTOON!
We're remastering ComixTribe's superteen action comedy for the infinite scroll! Here are a few reason why we're doing it this year...
The new year is the perfect time to try something new, and one new thing we’re doing here at ComixTribe in 2024 is experimenting with remastering and serializing EPIC for the Webtoon format!
EPIC, the superteen action comedy co-created by Tyler James and Matt Zolman,returned after a long hiatus thanks to a very successful Kickstarter last year. The success of that launch has us excited to continue the series, but also has us wanting to do whatever we can to increase the visibility and awareness of the book to attract more potential readers.
I’ve been wanting to play with the mobile-optimized, infinite scroll format for while now, but have struggled with justifying the time and expense of creating something specifically for that format. But it struck me that EPIC, a vibrant, action packed and humorous book with a diverse cast and plenty of high school hijinx and teenage drama, is actually kind of the perfect title for the Webtoon demographic.
Why Publish on Webtoon?
Large Audience Reach - It’s undeniable that webtoon has a massive user base, with some of it’s titles receiving millions of eyeballs. Over the past few years, several of the biggest comic book Kickstarters are webcomics, so there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that serializing a version of your comic online for free helps your launches.
Mobile-Friendly Format - Let’s be honest, most people surf the internet on their phones these days, and reading traditional sized comics on the phone is an onerous task. The Webtoon vertical scroll format, though often off-putting to an old-school comic creator like myself, does make it easier to consume story on mobile.
Engagement and Feedback - Creators put a TON of work into making comics… but outside of Kickstarter launches, new issue release week or the occasional convention, it’s rare that the writers and artists hear much reaction to their work. The nice thing about making webcomics available online, for free, on a platform like Webtoon is that new potential readers can discover it in a frictionless way, and engage with creators in the comments. As Matt and I continue to work on new EPIC, knowing that there are new people reading it every day will keep us motivated to make more!
Discoverability and Promotion: Webtoon has a number of ways it promotes comics, such as featured sections, contests, and an algorithms that suggest content to users based on their preferences. We’ve heard from some Webtoon creators how powerful getting featured can be in growing their subscriber base and reach, so why not throw our hat in the ring for some Webtoon’s love.
Monetization Opportunities - Though this one really isn’t that important for us at this time, we do know that Webtoon provides a number of ways for creators to monetize their work, including ad revenue sharing for comics that hit a certain threshold of readership, Patreon integration, and the possibility of becoming a Webtoon Original, which includes financial support for ongoing creating of comics.
Of course, we’re going into this with a level head, and aren’t expecting any amazing overnight success or massive results with this move. We also know that for the thousands of creators who have been publishing on Webtoon for years, what we’re doing with EPIC is hardly novel. Rather we’re simply excited to be making comics and sharing them with the world in a new (to us) way.
There are currently three short EPIC: Superteenage Wasteland episodes available to read on the platform, and we plan to publish a new episode each Wednesday at 9AM EDT.
CLICK HERE TO READ EPIC: SUPERTEENAGE WASTELAND ON WEBTOON
Next time, I’ll share some of the things I’ve learned about converting an existing traditional comic to the Webtoon format, along with some tips and ways to have some fun with the infinite scroll!
-Tyler James
Love this idea and it's on my list of things to do for SIRE this year. Who is handling the reformtting? Are you using outside Graphic Designers or are your current Gds taking up this task?
I keep going back and forth on whether to utilize webtoons. On the one hand, there is a strong community there hungry for good comics. On the other hand, you've got to nail the scroll format and there are concerning things about the TOC I've heard about. I'll be interested to hear how your experience goes and what you think of it!