Webcomics expanding territory

Comedian Yang Se-hyeong, top, and webcomic artist Lee Mal-nyeon pose for a poster for the popular TV show "Infinite Challenge" that ran a six-week-long "Relay Toon" series. / Courtesy of MBC

By Park Jin-hai

Following a trend of cooking shows and DIY home interior shows that have churned out star chefs and self-taught designers, unconventional webcomics have now newly emerged as a new leader in the local entertainment business.

As Kang Chul, a super-rich character in the webcomic "W" crisscrosses the real world and the virtual world, the popular MBC thriller-romance adaptation titled "W-Two Worlds" has become the talk of the town, more and more webcomics authors are escaping from their cyber realm and entering the small screen. This is causing a boom in the online comics industry that has remained a peripheral subculture for years.

One of those multitasking prolific artists is Gian84, the penname of webcomic artist Kim Hee-min, who wrote the coming-of-age digital comic "Fashion King" in 2011, which garnered an accumulated 500 million views and a 26-week top ranking on Naver and was later adapted for film.

The poster for the MBC drama "W-Two Worlds" / Courtesy of MBC

In MBC's popular reality show "I Live Alone," Gian84 reveals his everyday life in which the artist kills time at a neighborhood game room and struggles to squeeze some fun into his "unwitty" storyline under the pressures of a deadline. After gaining a strong positive response from viewers for disclosing his personal life on air, he became the host for the TV show.

Another webcomic artist Lee Mal-nyeon, famous for his "Lee Mal-nyeon Series," has appeared on "My Little Television," a personal internet broadcasting platform similar to AfreecaTV or Twitch.tv where hosts compete for real-time audience responses. With his untrained and fresh remarks, he has made webcomic shows featuring the guests of the day. Each time he appears, he tops the show's viewership rankings.

Cho Suk, famous for his slapstick webcomic "Maeumeui Sori (Voice Within)," has appeared twice on the popular SBS show "Running Man." Park Tae-jun, the creator of webcomic "Lookism," also enjoys celebrity-like popularity. Following his digital comic and fashion activities, he has bagged another job as host of cable channel K-Star's show "Uncontrollably Acting."

Scenes from "Infinite Challenge" / Courtesy of MBC

Long-lived MBC reality show "Infinite Challenge" is airing a six-week long relay webcomics program, where each of its six show hosts pair up with a webcomics artist has to make a collaborative webcomic to be released online. "Not only the content itself, viewers now have increased interest in how the work is done and who creates it," said Choi Mi-young, an official of Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON).

Fresh face with unique world

At a time when comedy programs, which have long been the traditional channel for producing entertainers, are going downhill, local broadcasting companies are increasingly eyeing those webcomic artists with their unique and trendy ideas.

"Behind their ordinary looks, webcomic artists with their unique characters surely stand out. Since they have a trend-sensitive job, where they should communicate with their fans in real time, they have rich ideas to draw a stronger viewer response," said the producer of "Webtoon Hero Toondra Show." She said their unleashed imaginations often lead to unexpected laughter.

Choi Haeng-ho, producer of "I Live Alone," said, "Celebrities are destined to be conscious of cameras. But, Gian84 acts like there is no camera around. When the viewers see him act like himself, they feel that he is one of them." Gian84's works that largely appeal in non-mainstream subculture are popular among young people and his B-rated attitude embedded in his everyday life comes across as fresh to viewers, he added.

Entering into mainstream

The increased activities of webcomic artists prove the elevated position of webcomics in the entertainment business.

More and more young and aspiring webcomic artists join the business, enriching content ranging from epic and fantasy to thriller and daily life, and the market is growing fast. Unlike the 2000s where only local giant portal sites like Naver and Daum provided webcomic content, now small and medium-sized companies specialized in digital comics like Lezhin Entertainment and Bomcomics have jumped on the bandwagon, providing more platforms for those artists.

The trans-media storytelling business, where those webcomics serve as the basis for adaptations into movies and TV shows, is also booming. Yoon Tae-ho's webcomic "Misaeng" was made into a TV drama and created a huge fandom, while his "Inside Men" was made into a film that attracted 9 million viewers at the local box office. Webcomic-based shows, including most recently "Hey Ghost, Let's Fight," "Lucky Romance" and "Cheese in the Trap," are dominating the small screen.

Based on fast mobile network speeds and high public acceptance of digital comics, webcomic authors' influence on local entertainment is up and growing. The number of updated webcomics on web portals amounts to more than 1,200 and Naver's daily webcomics readers surpass 6 million.

According to KT research center Digieco, the Korean webcomic market grew from 150 billion won ($137 million) in 2013 to 420 billion won in 2015. It is expected to more than double to reach 880 billion won in 2018, with an average annual growth rate of 43.5 percent.

"The economic ripple effect of well-made content is beyond what we can imagine, since webcomics can be extended to other cultural content. Webcomic artists are taking the baton from star chefs and self-taught interior designers who previously dominated the local entertainment business," said Yoon Chang-min, an analyst at Shinhan Investment.