WEBTOON is a Korean online publishing portal for a type of digital comics known as 'webtoons'. Just like the WEBTOON platform, the concept of webtoons originated in South Korea. Webtoons differ from other comics in that they are usually made with each episode or chapter being one long vertical strip instead of more regular pages. They are usually in colour, as they are normally only published digitally. Another feature that some stories make use of is having music or animations accompanying some chapters.
While there are many webtoon publishing platforms, WEBTOON is one of those that have gotten the most fame internationally, and a big part of the reason why is that it allows anyone to submit their own work. WEBTOON was created in Korea in 2004 under the name Naver Webtoon and later LINE Webtoon, but the platform has different names in different countries, hence the English name of WEBTOON. WEBTOON is free to use, and on a daily basis, there are 10 million people reading on the platform. Due to this large userbase, multiple stories have gained enough popularity to be made into tv series.
To learn about some of our (Moss and Cimorene) favourite webtoons, click the little green arrows to either side of the layout to navigate throughout the pages of this article.
Midnight Poppy Land is a story about the young book editor assistant Poppy Wilkes, who is a sweet and shy 'girl next door' type. The story starts when she catches her boyfriend cheating on her, which through various circumstances leads her to become in possession of a specific notebook that the local mafia is interested in. This leads her to become entangled with a young mafia lord and his very intimidating bodyguard Tora, whom she falls in love with, and the story itself follows the evolution of their relationship.
Season 2 is currently being posted, and there are about 70 episodes out right now.
Why you should read this story:
What drew me into this webtoon was the drawing style, and it also features one of my guilty pleasure tropes: thug/mafia and innocent girl. The story is interesting, and the relationship has a perfect slow build where you can't help but cheer/yell at Tora and Poppy. The art really does top it all, and it features some really beautifully drawn scenes.
Unholy Blood is originally a Korean webtoon that has been translated to multiple languages, and the English version alone has 1,4 million subscribers. It should be noted that the story contains strong language and gore.
In a world where vampires are well-known, the main character Hayan just wants to live a normal life. Her chance at this however is destroyed by a vampire. This leads to her accepting herself as being a pureblood vampire, and she uses those powers to hunt down and destroy the regular vampires that hunt humans for fun and protect those she loves. To do this, she teams up with a rising star in the local police force, adding a romance aspect to the story.
Why you should read this story:
This is one of the latest webtoons I started, so I'm not too far into the story. It has a very dark vibe, and comes with a trigger warning of lots of gore. I like the stark contrast to my usual romance reads, and look forward to diving deeper into this world.
Lore Olympus is a modern take on ancient Greek mythology, focusing on the story of Hades and Persephone, but including a lot of other myths as well. The story follows Persephone, Goddess of Spring, as she leaves a sheltered home to go to university in Olympus City. There she goes to a party for all the gods of Olympus and catches the attention of Hades, God of the Underworld. From there the plot goes with intrigue, trauma and complicated relationships, more or less following the original Greek myths.
A neat thing about the design of Lore Olympus is how each character has their own colour. The art in general is a very unique style, which can take some time to get used to. The story is currently in its second season, and there are about 165 episodes out. Lore Olympus is also out as a graphic novel, and it is now being picked up by Netflix and The Jim Henson Company as an animated series!
Why you should read this story:
It took me a while to start this, as I found the art style quite.. artistic? However, as soon as I started this, I was beyond impressed. It is STUNNING, and the colour choices for each character really adds to the story and it's meanings. Highly recommend this. However, I'd also like to mention this has a trigger warning for sexual assault.
In a world that's a mixture of fantasy and steampunk, 12 guardians and their knights have protected the realm of Mankind against the Keres, who are ancient creatures with a thirst for souls. For a long time there were peace between the realms, but a series of attacks threaten that. The story follows the Knight Hawk and a young inventor named Kira as they find themselves in the center of events. The story is a classical romance with plenty of intrigue and character development.
Empyrea currently has the first two seasons out, but is on a break before season three will start.
Why you should read this story:
This is a very creative story with a good magic system and world concept. I've enjoyed getting to know these characters, and quickly found myself invested in their separate journeys. It's a romance, but it also features some magical and political mystery.
To end a centuries long war, princess Clove of the Azure clan of the North has agreed to travel south to marry the enemy prince, Kyro, of the Crimson clan. Both clans are descended from dragons, with members of the royal lines being able to shapeshift into the form of a dragon: red dragons for those of the Crimson clan and blue for the Azure clan.
SubZero has everything from enemies to lovers, political intrigue, assassins and hidden enemies. The world is fully developed with both history, intrigue and relationships; it doesn't just revolve about the romance between Clove and Kyro. The publishing of season 2 has just started, and with the first season being 91 episodes long, there are a lot of content to get started on.
Why you should read this story:
This Webtoon had a very interesting storyline filled with intrigue, politics and romance. Both the world and the characters are well developed, and the full-colour drawings adds great atmosphere to the story. Even if romance isn't your cup of tea, I recommend this.
The story of Hades and Persephone is a popular one, and has inspired multiple great webtoons. Another one of these is Punderworld. Unlike Lore Olympus, Punderworld is much more 'classic' in its approach to both myths and art style. When Hades, the antisocial ruler of the Underworld visits Harvest Goddess Demeter on an errand and meets her daughter Persephone, he develops a huge crush, which Persephone returns. Many years of pining follows, mainly in thanks to an overprotective mother, until a festival gives them a chance to get together. Shenanigans ensue.
The story is cute with adorably awkward characters who have a lot of depth to them, despite only the first season of about 20 chapters and some bonus short stories being released. The first season will be available in a printed copy from August 31st as well!
Why you should read this story:
Even if you don't care about romance or mythology, the artwork alone is enough of a reason to read Punderworld. It is truly stunning in its details, and there has been paid attention to everything. One detail I really like is how all characters have a 'crown' of sorts based on their powers, which is used to tell their mood, giving a really nice effect. The characters have depth and the plot manages the balance of silliness and seriousness very well.
Things get intense when Dr. Fernando Guevera opens a veterinary clinic right next door to Dr. Matias Guevara's health clinic. The similar surnames and locations create massive confusion in the neighborhood. This leads to an instant rivalry that evolves into pranks and bickering. Both men have been emotionally hurt in the past, but they might just end up healing each other's broken hearts and turn the rivalry to romance.
The story updates weekly and currently has over 60 episodes.
Why you should read this story:
When I initially started this Webtoon, the cover photo featured the main characters in a "our get along shirt." The start of the webtoon was a really funny prank-filled feud, but it's developed into a super sweet slice-of-life featuring a lot of great representation.
Heartstopper follows the boy Charlie who is having a hard time being openly gay at an all-boys school. People bully him, and the guy he thought was his boyfriend had just been using him. But then he meets Nick, a handsome and kind - and straight - classmate. But as the friendship grows, Charlie starts to notice that Nick might be reciprocating his growing romantic feelings, but is he just seeing what he wants to see? Heartstopper is a sweet story with a slow-building romance, as Nick tries to come to terms with his sexuality.
The sixth season of Heartstopper is currently airing on WEBTOON, while the first four seasons have been published as graphic novels. The story is also about to get a Netflix adaptation! The adaptation will have 8 episodes that are written by the author herself.
Why you should read this story:
Heartstopper is a very sweet story about falling in love and accepting yourself and others. The representation in this story is endless, and each and every character is very loveable. There are trigger warnings in this too, most prominently for eating disorder.
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