Naver Webtoon to release three DC comics series from May

Naver Webtoon Ltd., the digital comics platform of South Korea’s online portal giant Naver Corp., is slated to intensify its partnership with DC Comics., the US publisher of superhero comics such as Batman and Superman. Naver Webtoon said on April 8 that it will sequentially release DC’s three original comics via the Korean comics platform’s global service next month. The original content uses the intellectual property (IP) of DC Universe, the entertainment group’s video streaming service unit.

The launch of the three comics is part of Naver Webtoon’s Super Casting, a project to produce webtoons and web novels based on IPs of global entertainment content. In January, the Korean comics platform launched its first Super Casting content in a partnership with music label HYBE Co. – 7Fates: CHAKHO, a futuristic urban fantasy starring BTS; Dark Moon, a teen romance starring boy band ENHYPEN, and The Star Seeker,  a magical story starring boy band Tomorrow X Together (TXT).

Naver Webtoon and DC jointly released Batman: Wayne Family Adventures last September as their first collaborative effort. The DC’s original webtoon, a series of episodes about Batman’s family after vigilante Duke Thomas moves into the superhero’s house, had more than 500,000 subscribers registered in the week after its launch. The online comic series is available in eight languages via the Naver platform and has earned more than 40 million views globally. The success boosted the launch of DC’s three other original content series.

The three series are Vixen: NYC, the life story of the young superheroine Vixen to be released on May 26; Red Hood: Outlaws, depicting battles between the Outlaws group of supeheroes and some of DC’s villain and hero characters; and magician story Zatanna & The Ripper, to be available in the second half of 2022.

The collaboration will expand DC’s use of its IP rights as well as expand Naver Webtoon’s presence in the global online comics industry. “This is a meaningful combination of Naver Webtoon’s new format of online comics and DC’s legendary content IPs,” said David Shinok Lee, a vice president of content at Naver Webtoon.

The Korean online comics platform is also speeding up its moves to turn webtoons into video products and expand its metaverse businesses. Last December, Naver Webtoon acquired a 52.19% stake in Korean video technology company LOCUS Corp. for 23.5 billion won. LOCUS is regarded as one of the top players in the visual effects (VFX) sector producing some popular videos, including the computer-animated film Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs screened in 123 countries in 2019.

Write to Seung-Woo Lee at leeswoo@hankyung.com
Jihyun Kim edited this article.