First Honor in Vertical Scroll Webtoon Genre... Accumulated Views Reach 1.2 Billion
"Lore Olympus," discovered by Naver Webtoon, has won the Eisner Award, known as the Academy Award of the comics industry.
The San Diego Comic-Con International, which hosts the awards ceremony, selected Rachel Smythe's "Lore Olympus" as the winner in the Best Webcomic category on the 24th (local time). The Eisner Awards, named after Will Eisner, a pioneer in the American comics market, have been held since 1988 and are recognized as the most prestigious awards in the United States. The Best Digital/Webcomic category was established in 2014, and since 2017, webcomics have been evaluated separately. The award honors the best online comic published in the past year.
"Lore Olympus" is the first work in the vertically scrolling webtoon genre to receive this honor. Rachel Smythe said, "I am grateful to the global fans who have changed my life," and added, "I am proud to share stories with Naver Webtoon's global readers."
"Lore Olympus" is a reinterpretation of the story of Hades and Persephone from Greek and Roman mythology. It skillfully blends romance with themes of growth and healing, gaining prominence on the amateur platform "Canvas." Naver Webtoon brought it to its English service "Webtoon" in 2018 and began serialization. The accumulated views have reached 1.2 billion. Last year, it was also recognized for its completeness by winning the digital category of the "Harvey Awards." The Harvey Awards have been presented since 1988 to honor the achievements of American cartoonist and editor Harvey Kurtzman.
Kim Hyung-il, Head of Naver Webtoon's North American Business, said, "'Lore Olympus' captivated global readers with its amazing artistry and storytelling," and added, "We are pleased that our efforts to steadily promote 'Webtoon' in the U.S. market from the early days have been recognized in this way."
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