WEBTOON fans can look forward to a slew of new digital comic adaptations in the near future.
As detailed in a recent press release, the world’s largest online webcomic platform is expanding its partnership with Aethon Books, a sci-fi and fantasy-centric publisher based in the United States. As part of this collaboration, WEBTOON will adapt 14 of Aethon’s works, offering readers the opportunity to experience a visual retelling of these stories using WEBTOON’s vertical scroll format. The majority of these series belong to either the action-fantasy or LitRPGs genres and include massively popular works; Aethon will collaborate with hit studios like Moonquill, Laurel Pursuit and Kisai Entertainment, among many others, to create and produce these adaptations. The complete lineup is listed below.
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- Defiance of the Fall by TheFirstDefier
- Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
- System Universe by SunriseCV
- Mark of the Fool by JM Clarke
- Oh Great! I was Reincarnated as a Farmer by Benjamin Kerei
- Bastion: Immortal Great Souls by Phil Tucker
- Mage Errant by John Bierce
- All the Skills by Honour Rae
- Super Powereds by Drew Hayes
- The Path of Ascension by C. Mantis
- My Best Friend Is an Eldrich Horror by Actus
- Reborn as a DemonicTree by Xkarnation
- RE: Monarch by J. McCoy
- The Laws of Cultivation (Qi+MC^2) by KrazeKode
WEBTOON’s New Fantasy Titles May Also Appeal to Anime, Isekai and RPG Fans
Although many of these creators are based in the West, several of the aforementioned works derive inspiration from the realm of anime. My Hero Academia fans may enjoy Super Powereds, which is also set in a world where humans are born with superpowers and can attend a school designed to mold them into official heroes. Additionally, the premise of Oh Great! I Was Reincarnated As a Farmer will immediately sound familiar to fans of the isekai genre. It revolves around a semi-pro gamer named Arnold who is reincarnated into an RPG-style world after a botched resurrection ritual and must max out his farming skill to 100 to obtain a more exciting job class. This story is a prime example of the LitRPG genre, which typically utilizes gaming elements in its worldbuilding to make readers feel as though they have entered a virtual space.
XKarnation’s Reborn As a Demonic Tree is another example of a LitRPG. The novel’s hero, Ashlock, can only power up as a tree by devouring people and using a daily “sign-in” system to catalog his growth. In contrast, Dungeon Crawler Carl is more akin to a Western-style RPG like Dungeons & Dragons. After a mysterious entity transforms the globe into a massive 18-floor labyrinth, a small group of humans is forced to make the treacherous descent, dodging traps and monsters while their struggle is televised to every corner of the galaxy. At the time of writing, the novel’s audiobook version has sold over 100,000 copies.
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WEBTOON’s upcoming collection will also include traditional fantasy. John Bierce’s Mage Errant chronicles the adventures of Hugh, a mage-in-training who is considered one of the worst students in his Academy’s history. Against all odds, Hugh is given an apprenticeship with an unusual master and embarks on a journey into the mysterious labyrinth beneath Skyhold Academy. Phil Tucker’s Bastion series follows a demonic guardian named Scorio who is wrongfully banished to the depths of hell. Deeply embittered, he vows to escape the fiery inferno and reclaim his place among the underworld’s elites. The series currently holds a 4.7 star rating on Amazon.
WEBTOON’s press release did not reveal when each series would launch on the platform, but it did state that the launch dates would be announced at a later time.
Source: Press release
