Why do webtoons scroll down forever instead of turning pages?
A printed comic has pages and gutters. A webtoon has one endless strip, and the artist now controls time with your thumb.
▶ Start the storyWebtoons scroll because they were made for screens, not paper. They are digital comics that originated in South Korea, and today they are usually meant to be read on smartphones. Instead of pages, each episode is published on one long vertical strip, making use of an so that it is easier to read on a smartphone or computer. Unlike most East Asian comics, they are usually in colour, since they are published on a website or app rather than in a printed magazine.
The format grew in steps. The webtoon model dates back to 2000, when Lycos Korea launched a comic section on its , followed by Daum Webtoon in 2003 and Naver Webtoon in 2004. Better allowed a vertical layout with scrolling. In 2003 the cartoonist Kang Full revolutionized the vertical scrolling format with Soonjeong Manhwa (Love Story), with long scrolls that spanned from six pages to nearly twenty.
Scrolling changes how an artist handles time. In a printed comic, the gutter represents the time between panels. In a webtoon, scrolling brings new panels into view, and the scroll function can manipulate the perception of time, enabling cinematic expressions and effects such as and fade-outs. With smartphones and tablets, webtoons moved to apps and added sounds and interactive motions.
Printed comic
- Pages and panels
- The gutter stands for time between panels
- Often black and white (East Asian comics)
Webtoon
- One long vertical strip,
- Scroll manipulates the perception of time
- Usually in colour, with music and effects
The format also spread. Before 2014 most webtoons were available in English only through unofficial fan translations, and in July 2014 Naver subsidiary Line began publishing translations of popular webtoons in English. By September 2023, Naver Webtoon had grown to 180 million worldwide.
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Recap
A webtoon swaps pages for an endless scroll, and the scroll becomes the way the artist controls time.
💡 A trick to remember it · Pages turn; webtoons unroll: the thumb sets the beat that the gutter once set.
Surprising fact · Naver Webtoon had 180 million monthly users worldwide by September 2023.
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