By Let me ask a question to readers who love Webtoons.
How does one debut in Webtoon?
In today’s world, there are more platforms available for serializing Webtoons, and their profitability has increased, leading to some common understandings.
Of course, teamwork is essential, and while seeking efficiency in work, the goal is to create sellable works. Whether to bring the completed work to a place where it can be serialized or to aim for serialization by winning a contest, the path to serialization varies from person to person and is diverse.
Regarding the routes to debut, there hasn’t been much difference between the past and present in Korea. However, the work I will introduce this time is that of a certain amateur author who became legendary because it defies the logic of today.
Once, a gateway supporting the Korean Webtoon market: Challenge Manga
（Source: https://comic.naver.com/challenge）
Have you heard of “Challenge Manga”?
It refers to a serialization slot that has produced countless works.
(As of 2014, the number of amateur authors active in Challenge Manga was 139,789.)
Challenge Manga has existed alongside the history of NAVER WEBTOON. Even after about 20 years, it has hardly changed compared to the past, with amateur manga works being serialized irregularly. Readers who enter the link can view all works and can rate them by giving scores (star marks).
Among Challenge Manga, works that receive good ratings from readers are promoted to Best Challenge Manga. Once a work becomes a Best Challenge Manga, it can continue to be serialized regularly, and if it continues to receive good ratings, it may aim for official serialization. Ideally, this would mean signing a serialization contract with the main company, NAVER WEBTOON. Of course, there may also be offers for serialization from other platforms besides NAVER.
In any case, for amateur Webtoon authors with no background or experience, the Challenge Manga slot is a place of opportunity, and for the platform that 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 Manga.
『ナイト・ラン』（2009）
『殺人者パラドックス』（2010）
『恋愛革命』（2013）
『外見至上主義』（2014）
『マスク・ガール』（2015）…
It is not an exaggeration to say that many works that fans of Webtoon have at least heard of were born through Challenge Manga. In today’s era, where production companies that create Webtoons have emerged and it has become common for teams to sign contracts and start serialization, I hope that fans of Webtoon will remember the existence of Challenge Manga, which is gradually being forgotten due to various incidents (which I hope to cover later).
So, what is the work I will introduce this time?
It is the legendary work 『銀河！은하!』, which has been serialized as Challenge Manga for the longest time in Webtoon history.
（Source: https://comic.naver.com/bestChallenge/list?titleId=8640）
👆️This is a link to the blog of the author who is currently serializing the original.
Having signed an official contract with NAVER WEBTOON, it has serialized 580 episodes (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 “レラ,” who was saved by the Galactic Federation. She becomes an adopted child of aliens and is raised on a planet called Morlan. Struggling with her identity due to her different appearance and frail body, she eventually faces invaders attacking from the outside. Determined to protect her current family, she begins to awaken her powers that she had never known before.
Life will eventually disappear. The universe does not. However, the only light that can illuminate this universe is the flame of life. (Translated by the author)
『銀河！』第１話
Those who actually visit the link and see the work will likely understand that this work has one very distinctive feature: all the illustrations are drawn by a single author using markers. It is not a team effort, nor is it created using a tablet. The author has been serializing this work analogously for 15 years.
The animation of “銀河！” created by the original author in 2010. It is said that 150 markers were used for this work, which became famous for being drawn by a single author over 1000 sheets.
With a recognition level that is now known by almost everyone in the Challenge Manga community, the reason why “銀河！” could not sign a long-term serialization contract was due to its outrageous production method. The instability of the serialization cycle and the fluctuations in drawing due to the analog nature made it seem far from being a professional work even after more than ten years of accumulation.
In fact, despite such a unique drawing style, it is impressive that it was able to rise to the level of Best Challenge Manga. Although it did not reach official serialization, the Best Challenge Manga at that time was a place where semi-professional authors showcased works they had prepared for a long time. If lucky, one could reach official serialization in a few months, but in some cases, it could take years of unpaid serialization. Many unfortunate works have met their end in Best Challenge Manga.
In such a situation, the fact that “銀河！” could be serialized for 15 years is not only due to the author’s irregular passion but also because the work was simply “interesting,” which allowed it to be loved by readers for a long time.
The strength of “銀河！” that captivated readers lies in its content.
Since the universe is vast, “銀河！” 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 of moral and social collapse, except for the Galactic Federation. Due to the destruction of planets and the internal wars, plundering, and invasions between races, many refugees have lost their homes. Unfortunately, countless victims born from such a collapsed society will continue to appear. Moreover, such social issues are also prevalent on Earth, so I aim for reflection on that. (Translated by the author)
Griffon, the original author of “銀河！”
Finally, before reaching NAVER WEBTOON, “銀河！” had a long journey. After hiring an illustrator and creating a remake, it still could not enter NAVER and wandered through various platforms.
However, the original version (marker version) has simply changed its serialization location to a blog and has continued to upload consistently for 15 years. Even after returning to its hometown NAVER after many twists and turns, we can still meet “レラ,” who is always filled in with markers.
Plan for when the author dies: As you all know, anyone can suddenly disappear. A building might collapse tomorrow, or a fire might break out. You might get hit by a car that suddenly comes out of nowhere. Since a fellow author I knew died after being hit by a truck, I started to think about what would happen if I were to die. Many authors have faced sudden accidents and died, causing their works to cease serialization or leaving readers completely unaware of the situation. I don’t want readers to have the frustrating experience of waiting for an author who never returns and only realizing after a while that they have died. This is a serious dishonor for me, who has been serializing for 11 years. (Translated by the author)
Griffon, the original author of “銀河！”
In today’s era, where questions arise about “how much can it sell” and “how can we efficiently create Webtoons,”
there was a single author in the history behind it who wanted to deliver “works” to readers even if he disappeared from this universe.
For those who sometimes want to stop and look up at the night sky, I recommend this work…
[blogcard url=”https://comic.naver.com/bestChallenge/list?titleId=86400″]Park Juhyun
Born in 1998, from South Korea. Working at a Japanese animation studio from this year. Having read Webtoons for over 15 years, I realized I have spent over 100,000 yen on early access. Currently, I am writing articles about Webtoons with the desire to earn back what I spent through views.
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