The challenges of digital comic artists

Written by Rahma Yulita | Read in Indonesian

Digital comics are slowly replacing traditional comics. The ease of access makes digital comics, or webcomics, have their own target readers.

Webtoon, a term for digital comics from South Korea, was first created by people who lost their jobs during the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Webtoon evolved into more complex narratives, which are now created by both amateur and professional artists.

At first, the webtoon industry was relatively unknown outside South Korea. However, after many manhwa (a general term for print comic strips and cartoons in South Korea) were published in webtoons, their popularity increased and they started to go global.

The global webtoon market is projected to amount to $56 million (around Rp858 billion) by 2030 with a growth of around 36.8% from 2021.

A South Korean-based webtoon studio, Naver Webtoon (or LINE Webtoon), said that Page Profit Share (PPS), a revenue diversification programme to share profits with comic artists, has grown 87 times in the last decade.

Its annual revenue reached $1.6 billion (around Rp24 trillion) in April 2023, an increase of 87 times from $17.4 million (around Rp226 billion) in 2013. Its global readership stood at around 85.6 million as of June 2022.

Now, what is the story of the comic artists behind the various titles available on LINE Webtoon?

From hobbies to showcasing works officially

The webtoon format is quite different from conventional comics or manhwa. Digital comics are read vertically in long pages. This makes it easier for readers to read them anytime and anywhere, because they are viewable on smartphones. Apparently, this convenience poses a challenge for comic artists who started from drawing traditional comics.

LINE Webtoon comic artist Fluffy Sunkist (real name Aira) said that traditional and digital drawing are completely different worlds. Even though the basics are the same (ex: anatomy, characters), the colouring and how to operate the software are very different.

“After a hiatus of almost 10 years without drawing, I decided to give it another try in early 2020, and my drawings were really bad. So I kept honing my skills while learning the software and hardware. Then I couldn’t stop drawing," said Aira, who prefers creating stories with social issues so that readers can relate to her works.

Then, how can one showcase their works officially?

Aira entered the webtoon industry by participating in a comic contest. Her network in the webtoon community helped her get information about the webtoon contest.

"To be able to showcase my works, I participated in a comic contest. I got the information from the comic community and I joined the competition in 2022 with my work ‘Out of the Blue’. I was selected as a finalist and contacted by the editor to become the Official Webtoon. That was the turning point from a hobby to a career,” she said.

Intense work process, at least 40 panels in one week

"There is a minimum amount of panels for one episode; we have to create at least 40 panels per week," Aira explained the process of webtoon making on LINE Webtoon.

Webtoon making, from production until the story is finished and ready for publication, is a long process. In the initial stage, comic artists have to send storyboards for the first three episodes.

The work will then be assessed by the editor to enter the revision stage. "If we get a pass from the editor, [the work] will then be discussed with the big editing team plus the team in South Korea. Once approved, we'll enter the finishing stage.”

To officially debut on LINE Webtoon, a comic artist needs to prepare at least 13 episodes to be safe and have reserves for weekly release.

The intense working time means that comic artists often experience burnout and even have health problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) as a result of drawing too much.

Aira even said that she only sleeps three to four hours everyday. "Sometimes I felt I was really burned out, but I was also in a bind because on the one hand, I had a deadline, while on the other hand, my physical condition was deteriorating."

Income per episode and extra income from early access

The relatively intense working time with all those demands is not the only challenge. From a financial point of view, it is also difficult to make comics making a single source of income. That is because a career in LINE Webtoon is a project-based career.

So, where do comic artists get income from? LINE Webtoon comic artists will be paid per published episode and get extra income from early access. LINE Webtoon users must have seen episodes that can be purchased using coins; that's the early access that can help increase the artist’s income.

Aira said that early access really helps comic artists. “It really helps, because we need capital to work on our webtoon. So, coins are also a way for readers to support their webtoon artists in continuing their work."

As mentioned above, there is a profit sharing method between platforms and cartoonists called Page Profit Share (PPS).

Naver Webtoon changed the name to Partners Profit Share (PPS) to generate revenue not only from webtoons, but also from games, videos, books, as well as merchandise that use their intellectual property (IP).

How about the career opportunity in this industry?

We can see how people are starting to switch from conventional to digital comics. This is because webtoons have the unique advantage of reaching readers everywhere around the world and eliminating geographic boundaries.

Webtoons also offer a vast expanse of genres and styles, allowing them to cater to a variety of readers' interests and preferences to attract a wider audience. Readers can engage with the webtoon they read through comments and discussions and joining the community.

In addition, many webtoons have been adapted into dramas, films and games. This has scaled up the industry from merely trading goods to content creating, opening broader career opportunities.

"As webtoon artists, we are the content creators who provide content on certain platforms. If you want to have a career as a webtoonist, the opportunities are actually quite wide because you can self-publish [on several platforms] as well," Aira explained.

She said that an opportunity like this could make it easier for artists who want to have a career as a comic artist. "In the past, becoming a comic artist was a bit difficult, especially if you look at the Indonesian comic industry that hasn't developed very well, especially print comics."

"In the end, digitisation is really helpful for young artists who want to have a professional career. Those who once didn't know how to do it now can get the information much easily; they can self-publish their work on self-publishing platforms."

Aira added that the form of support most needed by comic artists to develop their works is by reading their works through legal platforms, so that the comic artists can get the benefits directly.

“If you want to support domestic creators, simply read on legal platforms and interact with their works. Another way is to share their work; it really helps promote the webtoon to more people," she concluded.