Guide · 5 min read
What is a webtoon? The format explained in five minutes
Where webtoons came from, how they differ from manga and comics, why the vertical format won phones, and how to make one yourself.
The five-minute definition
A webtoon is a digital comic built for phones: a tall vertical strip you scroll through, usually in full color, published in episodes. The name comes from South Korea in the early 2000s, where web plus cartoon described comics made for the internet instead of print.
How it differs from manga and comics
- Reading motion: webtoons scroll down; manga and comics turn pages.
- Color: webtoons are almost always full color; classic manga is black and white.
- Pacing: one or two beats per screen, built for thumb speed.
- Publishing: episodes on a schedule, like a show, not volumes.
Why the format won
Phones made the vertical strip the most natural reading surface in the world, and the episode model turned readers into subscribers. Hit webtoons became shows and films, and the style, clean lines, soft gradients, expressive faces, became one of the most recognisable looks in comics.
Making one without drawing
The format is now open to non-artists: describe an episode, lock your characters (from photos if you want to star in it), and generate pages in webtoon style. The craft that remains is the fun part: what happens this episode.