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DC Comics' heroine Vixen (Courtesy of DC Entertainment) Naver Webtoon Corp., the digital comics platform of South Korea’s online portal giant Naver Corp., is slated to intensify its partnership with DC Entertainment Inc., a US entertainment group known for 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 contents are using intellectual properties (IPs) 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 story 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 on Batman’s family after new vigilante Duke Thomas moved into the superhero’s house, had more than 500,000 subscribers registered in a week after launch. The online comics is available in eight languages via the Naver platform and has earned more than 40 million views globally. The success boosted the launching of DC’s other three original content.The three series are “Vixen: NYC,” young superheroine Vixen’s life story to be released on May 26, “Red Hood: Outlaws”, depicting battles between hero group Outlaws 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, 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 computer-animated film Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs screened in 123 countries in 2019.By Seung-Woo Leeleeswoo@hankyung.comJihyun Kim edited this article.
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