Let me ask a quick question to all the webtoon fans out there.
How does one debut in the world of webtoons?
In today's age, with the increase in platforms that allow webtoon serialization and the rise in profitability, it seems that some common understandings have emerged.
Of course, teamwork is essential, and while seeking efficiency in work, the goal is to create sellable content. Whether to bring the finished work to a platform for serialization or to aim for serialization by winning a contest, the path to serialization varies from person to person and is quite diverse.
Regarding this debut route, there hasn't been much difference in Korea from the past to now. However, the work I am about to introduce is that of a legendary amateur creator whose story is unimaginable by today's standards.
Once, a gateway supporting the Korean Webtoon market: Challenge Comics
(Source: https://comic.naver.com/challenge)
[blogcard url=”https://comic.naver.com/challenge”]
Have you heard of "Challenge Comics"?
It refers to the serialization slot that has produced countless works.
(As of 2014, the number of amateur creators active in Challenge Comics was 139,789)
Challenge Comics has existed alongside the history of NAVER WEBTOON. Even after about 20 years, it has hardly changed compared to the past, with amateur creators' works being serialized irregularly. Readers who enter the above link can view all works and can rate them by giving scores (star marks).
Among Challenge Comics, works that receive good ratings from readers are promoted to Best Challenge Comics. Once a work becomes a Best Challenge Comic, it can continue to be serialized regularly, and if it continues to receive good ratings, it may aim for official serialization. The most ideal route would be to sign a serialization contract with the headquarters, NAVER WEBTOON. Of course, there may also be serialization offers from other platforms besides NAVER.
In any case, for amateur webtoon creators with no background or experience, the Challenge Comics slot is a place of opportunity, and for the platform side, which is always seeking good works, it is also a place of encounter where future hit works can be discovered.
There was a time when many well-known works that every webtoon fan knows were born from Challenge Comics.
"Night Run" (2009)
"Murderer Paradox" (2010)
"Love Revolution" (2013)
"Appearance Supremacy" (2014)
"Mask Girl" (2015)…
It’s no exaggeration to say that many works you may have heard of if you like Webtoons were born through this challenge manga. In this era, it has become common for production companies creating Webtoons to form teams and start serializing works. Due to various incidents (which I hope to cover later), I want all Webtoon fans to remember the existence of this challenge manga, which is gradually being forgotten.
So, what is the work being introduced this time?
It is the legendary work "Galaxy! 은하!", which has been serialized as a challenge manga for the longest time in Webtoon history.
(Source: https://comic.naver.com/bestChallenge/list?titleId=8640)
[blogcard url="https://comic.naver.com/bestChallenge/list?titleId=86400"]
[blogcard url="https://blog.naver.com/pictured"]
👆️This is a link to the blog of the author currently serializing the original work.
Having signed a formal contract with NAVER WEBTOON, they have serialized 580 episodes so far (from 2009 to now). By the way, the version currently serialized on NAVER WEBTOON is a remake. The original version has already been serialized for 15 years.
The content is extremely simple.
The Earth has been destroyed by an external civilization from space. Among them is a girl named "Lera," who was saved by the Galactic Federation. She becomes an adopted child of aliens and is raised on the planet Morlan. Struggling with her identity due to her different appearance and frail body, one day she faces an invader attacking from the outside. Determined to protect her current family, she begins to awaken to powers she never knew she had.
Life will eventually fade away. The universe does not. But the only light that can illuminate this universe is the flame of life. (Translated by the author)
From "Galaxy!" Episode 1
Those who have entered the link and actually seen the work will probably understand, but this work has one very distinctive feature. That is, all the illustrations are drawn by a single artist using markers. It is neither a team effort nor done on a tablet. The artist has been serializing this work analogously for 15 years.
[blogcard url=”https://blog.naver.com/pictured/130097199523″]
The animation of "Galaxy!" created by the original author in 2010. It was submitted as a university assignment. This work, said to have used 150 markers, became famous for the author drawing 1,000 pages alone.
"Galaxy!" boasts such recognition in the challenge manga world that there are hardly any who don't know it. The reason this popular work struggled to secure a serialization contract for so long was due to its outrageous production method. The instability of the serialization cycle and the fluctuations in drawing caused by the analog nature of the work made it seem like a distant dream to operate as a professional author even after more than ten years of accumulation.
In fact, some view it as impressive that it even reached the level of Best Challenge Manga despite such a peculiar drawing style. Although it never reached formal serialization, the Best Challenge Manga was a place where semi-professional authors showcased works they had prepared for a long time. If lucky, one might have to wait a few months for formal serialization, but in some cases, it could take years of unpaid serialization. Many unfortunate works that ran out of steam in the Best Challenge Manga also existed.
In such a situation, the fact that "Galaxy!" could run for 15 years was not only due to the author's irregular passion but also simply because "the work was interesting," which led to it being loved by readers for a long time.
The strength of "Galaxy!" that captivated readers lies in its content, which is not apparent from its appearance.
Since the universe is vast, "Galaxy!" cannot only show beautiful and pretty things. Among them, the story of Deuz and the raiders is particularly so. After the Galix War, the universe fell into a state where morality and society were almost destroyed, except for the Galactic Federation. Due to the destruction of stars and the civil wars, plundering, and invasions between races, many refugees have lost their homes. Unfortunately, countless victims born from such a collapsed society are expected to appear in the future. Moreover, such social issues are also prevalent on Earth, so we aim for reflection on that. (Translated by the author)
Griffon, the original author of "Galaxy!"
Finally, "Galaxy!" had a long journey before reaching NAVER WEBTOON. After hiring an illustrator and creating a remake, it still couldn't get into NAVER and wandered through various platforms.
However, the original version (marker version) simply changed its serialization location to a blog and has continued to upload consistently for 15 years. Now, after going through twists and turns and returning to its hometown NAVER, we can still encounter "Lera," which is always filled with markers.
Plans for When the Writer Passes Away: As you all know, anyone can suddenly pass away. A building might collapse tomorrow, or a fire could break out. You might even get hit by a car that comes out of nowhere. Ever since a writer I knew was hit by a truck and passed away, I’ve started to think about what would happen if I were to die. Many writers have faced sudden accidents and passed away, leaving their serialized works unfinished, leaving readers completely in the dark about the situation. I don’t want readers to have the frustrating experience of waiting endlessly for a writer who never returns, only to realize after a while that they have died. This is a serious dishonor for someone like me who has been serializing for 11 years. (Translated by the author)
Griffon, Original Creator of "Galaxy!"
In this era where questions like "How much will it sell?" and "How can we efficiently create Webtoons?" are being asked.
In the history behind this, there was a writer who wanted to deliver their "work" to readers even after they were gone from this universe.
This work is recommended for those of you who sometimes want to stop and look up at the night sky...
[blogcard url=”https://comic.naver.com/bestChallenge/list?titleId=86400″]
Park Juhyun
Born in 1998, from South Korea. Working at a Japanese animation studio since this year. Realized that I have been reading Webtoons for over 15 years and have spent more than 100,000 yen on early access. Currently writing articles about Webtoons with the desire to earn back what I spent through view counts.