WebToons?

    Where do we read comics? We read comics through comic books that we buy through book stores. It was a common logic that we read comics in books and we enjoy looking at the pictures. However, as the time passes comics are not only existed in books but other places. Comics also can be seen on the Internet. The new trend started to rise as comic books are not the only way to read comics. The internet like comics is called WebToons. We can see comic "toons" in webs that many author and illustrator upload images.

http://comic.naver.com/index.nhn

          The first web comic / Web toons were first published by Eric Millikin the "Witches and Stitches" in the USA, but due to the low internet access the popularity of Webtoons can not rise. However, the trend of Webtoon started to rise during the late 1990's and early 2000's when Microsoft introduce Window 98 and XP. The boom of internet access made people access to Webtoon much easier and comfortable. The major advantage for Webtoons is that it can be easy approach. You can easily go to any portable site and just click to see and read comics. Plus, recent Webtoon does not require any financial cost or price to read them, everything is free! Don't you think it is a very comfortable entertainment media we can easily enjoy? Compare to those comic books where you need to access physically through books, it is heavy and need to buy them to read. People who want paper comics, and accustomed to comic books might have no problems, but those who do not can have a huge disadvantage. 

http://mishael.tistory.com/727

      This Web toon also shows great advantage in cost efficiency spreading to the readers. Let us think about comic books. Comic books require printing fee that need papers and inks. This lead to having the low benefit that only 10% of the total beneficial avenue will fall to the authors. Furthermore, printing something requires venturous move because once you print them company need to print a certain amount of books. When there is less amount of book printed, then the price of each book will rise. Minor comics have the huge disadvantage in the comic market. Webtoons are mostly free, and they make a contract with a certain company to make comics. These comics are used as icons to advertise other products and attract customer strongly. Currently, Korea has the most biggest WebToon market in the World. They have thousand of Webtoons listed contracted by different companies, and use them as the icon to advertise products. Some Webtoons can be listed as low - a price to read, but extremely cheap than comic books and also give lots of benefits to the authors where it is more than 42% of total benefits.

          However, there is a critical disadvantage to these Webtoons. First, Webtoons are purely relied on in authors and illustrators. Most of the comic books uses printing company and get support from many different illustrators that upgrade the quality of the images. And these Webtoons shows "Amateur" level quality of story and illustration which depress many readers. Comic book and its author went through the severe competition to gain prestige in the comic "world", requiring professional story lines, quality of images, and other techniques.

          Both Webtoons and Comic books have pro and cons; it is your preference to read. Many famous and major comics are coming out through Comic books, especially in Japan. Many minor comics are freely playable in the Webtoon society. However, it is your interest to decide because major and minor comics can be a slight difference whether it is famous or not.