AceShowbiz - As Hollywood continues to seek fresh sources for film and TV adaptations, a new and thriving arena has emerged: web comics. These digital narratives come with built-in audiences, driven by the interactive and serialized nature of the medium, making them highly attractive for studios aiming to tap into existing fandoms.

At The Wrap's Creators x Hollywood summit, held in partnership with Whalar and The Lighthouse, Yongsoo Kim, president of Webtoon Entertainment, highlighted a significant shift in the origins of compelling storytelling. Speaking on Wednesday, Kim emphasized that the traditional path of stories originating from established publishers or studios is evolving. Instead, many captivating tales now emerge directly from individual creators publishing digitally online.

Discussing this evolution during the “How Creators Are Building Multimedia Universes” panel, which was presented by Webtoon and included creator Jessica Ramsden and Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, Kim noted that web comics have rapidly developed devoted followings. This success is largely linked to how well they align with the media consumption habits of Gen Z audiences.

"Today's fandom grew with storytelling on their mobile and it is almost second nature to them," Kim explained. He pointed out that webcomic content is serialized and interactive, encouraging fans to regularly revisit the platform to follow story developments and character relationships. This builds a dynamic community where users develop the habit of returning to see new episodes, strengthening their engagement over time.

Sam Register added that this model fosters a unique and direct connection between creators and their audiences, a relationship less common in traditional animation. He described the conventional animation process as lengthy, taking about 18 months from greenlighting an episode to release, with audience feedback arriving only after the fact. In contrast, digital platforms offer immediate viewer reactions, allowing creators to see audience response in real time.

"What’s great about digital and being able to publish that quickly is that reaction is so fast, people can pivot quicker," Register said. This rapid feedback loop lets studios and creators refine their content along the way, making the creative process more responsive and gratifying.

Jessica Ramsden echoed these sentiments, acknowledging that while she maintains a buffer of approximately six months ahead in her stories to manage pacing, the instant feedback is invaluable. She shared that seeing fans’ positive reactions to certain characters enables her to adjust storylines to include more of those favored elements, enhancing representation and audience satisfaction.

Looking ahead, Webtoon and Warner Bros. Animation are collaborating on 10 new series based on web comics, covering a range of genres including action, fantasy, and romance. According to Kim, one of the key advantages of adapting web comics is that they come with a proven blueprint: a global audience with millions of page views, making these stories compelling candidates for screen adaptation.

The Wrap's Creators x Hollywood Summit serves as an invite-only gathering that brings together top creators, entertainment leaders, and brand partners who are shaping the future of storytelling and the entertainment economy. The event is presented in partnership with global creator agency Whalar and The Lighthouse, both part of the Whalar Group. Sponsors include City National Bank, Fox Entertainment, Lionsgate, Loeb & Loeb LLP, and Webtoon.

As the entertainment industry embraces these digital-first narratives, the synergy between creators and their fans is transforming how stories are developed and adapted for bigger platforms. The immediate engagement and built-in audiences that web comics offer present exciting opportunities for both creators and studios looking to expand multimedia universes and reach new generations of viewers.