Alright friends, I’ve had some people ask already about the current webcomic sphere, specifically how Webtoons treats its creators, so I’m going to give you a small run down of what really has upset not only me, but the many webcomickers in and outside of what WT has been doing.
Before we dive in though, I want to make it clear that this is NOT a post to shit on ANYONE who uses WT. Webtoons works because it knows we need to eat and pay bills- it works because we want our efforts to be seen. People who use the platform are not the problem here, it’s how it’s changed reader (and our own) expectations over these last 6 years into something damaging to folks who just want to survive and thrive.
With that, let’s get into some details.
Over the past 6-7 years, we’ve seen a pretty big shift in the webcomic sphere, I’ve already talked about how I feel about that shift here with many other folks responding to feeling the same.. So, what exactly happened?
Well, webcomics have always been an indie medium for anyone and everyone to try their hand at. You could improve over years, strip comics of any sort took off, you could have large epics of thousands of pages and potentially grab some cool following, flash style comics thrived (yes, i am finally mentioning homestuck, this is for you guys) and it was all done with whatever skill set or level you were at the time. Expectations weren’t what i would call ‘low’ but open to the idea that a good story could come from anywhere. When did that exactly change?
Webcomics had an interesting relationship with being ‘profitable’ in certain circles, project wonderful was a great way to earn some rev, and webrings shared works to new readers daily. It was a time to explore, have fun, be messy, and with little expectation to boot. But then everything changed when the fire nation- when webcomics we’re seen as more than just comics on the web.
The fall of smackjeeves probably marks one of the largest shifts in webcomic spheres to where we are now, and with that, the rise of platforms who want your comics FAST and Professional as possible (emphasis on fast). We’re going to talk about the elephant in the room now.
Over these last years, it was a promising premise to have apps where you could upload comics to thousands (now millions) of readers to check out. It was an answer to what many folks had wanted for so long: Access to potential readers, access to potential ad rev, a chance to strike it big and have your work truly recognised! It sounds incredibly awesome to younger creators especially who’s first forray into webcomics was this.
It can’t... really be that bad.. can it?
Spoilers, it was, and still is.
Following the classic tokyopop model of taking advantage of newcomers to the comic scene, Webtoons creates similar, if not more intense demands from these creators to get any success on their business model. Infamous accounts of creators drained, overworked , and underpaid- all on top of scraping for any sort of help from WT itself as far as promotion, editorial, and assistants go. In fact, there are many articles that talk about this treatment and more to come, as originals and canvas creators on WT open up about their treatment over these last few years. It’s not good.
The worst part about all of this, is that WT knows. It knows about how hard and taxing these demands are, and that their expectations they’ve instilled onto their userbase will only want more and higher quality- but at what cost?
Said in this article, “webtoons are low-cost to produce- one person can make them with a tablet and stylus”, while the artists are struggling on all accounts to keep up with this demand, is a picture perfect example of how disposable creators are at the end of the day. I cannot write about the mistreatments without mentioning the passing of Jang Sung-rak, the creator of Solo Leveling due to being treated as such. Or about the tremendous efforts of Original Creators trying to find some kind of middle ground to meet in this open letter of harsh mistreatment (and the bravery of the many who came forward too). The unfair contracts that continue to reap benefits while you are left behind. The extreme lack of any support for its own creators... And unfortunately so much more.
I’m not the end all be all with this, and I certainly cannot cover everyones experiences on the matter either. I simply want creators to be treated better, on any sort of platform that promises a future. And it’s not just a webtoon problem either. This doesn’t stop at webcomics.
At the end of the day, and the end of this very long winded response- I want you to know how much it means to support creators- illustrators, animators, writers, youtubers, musicians- all of us.
How do we change this? Well.. a little support goes a long way. If we didn’t have to use these predatory platforms to pay the bills, if we could create without having to do the ‘promotion dance’, if we had that stability to just be indulgent with our own creative outlets- well, i’m sure that would be a very different story.
But for now, and with everything you’ve learned from above to see how hard folks work to get that story to you (and mostly free to read), try to support them in any way you can.
Boost their work- sing praises to your friends to check it out, maybe get some merch or donate if that suits you more. Click off site if the work is hosted on their own, share your fan works, send some asks.
At the end of the day, your support is what will help change how creators are treated. Your voice matters when creators talk about the struggles to create and survive. We’ve got a long way to go, but take this as an opportunity to tell your fave creator how much their works means to them- they’re gonna need it!
★Also, support smaller comic hosting places if you want to post your webcomic too. Comic Fury has been my go to for reccomendations, and comic rocket and the webcomic library are neat places to find webcomics. Webcomic collctive Spider Forest has been helping the community since 2004.★
