New York Comic Con 2023 Held
"I'm really hooked. First, let me show you my 'latest list.'"
On the 14th (local time), at the 'The House of KOREA COMICS' joint exhibition hall within 'New York ComicCon 2023' held in Manhattan, New York, USA, Lucy Ottermerian burst into cheers when asked if she liked Korean webtoons and comics. On the phone screen that Ottermerian, dressed in a cute cape, showed, there were as many as 23 English titles of Korean comics densely listed, including "I am the real one" and "Your majesty please don`t kill me again."
On the 14th (local time), local visitors attending 'New York ComicCon 2023' held at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, New York, USA, visited the joint exhibition hall 'The House of KOREA COMICS' to explore Korean content.
New York ComicCon, held over four days from the 12th to the 15th at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, is a large convention event featuring content such as comics, fantasy, sci-fi movies, and TV series. True to the event that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, the ComicCon venue was so crowded with attendees on the weekend that it was hard to find a place to step. Tickets starting at the low $80 range sold out early, and people looking for leftover tickets were noticeable near the nearby subway stations and the exhibition entrance. Many attendees were cosplaying as characters from Marvel Comics, Star Wars, as well as Japanese animation characters like 'Howl's Moving Castle' and 'One Piece.'
At events in North America, including New York ComicCon, Japanese and American content still dominate, with Dragon Ball, which concluded in 1995, guarding the entrance every year. However, K-webtoon content is also rapidly growing its influence. This year, Korean companies' booths were set up in a joint exhibition hall led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency. At the entrance of the 'high-teen concept' joint exhibition hall, about ten visitors were lined up waiting to enter. A representative from the Korea Creative Content Agency said, "More than 5,000 people visited the day before. It seems even more today," adding, "Compared to previous years, we produced more goods and focused on differentiating to better promote K-content to local visitors." The agency has been supporting participating companies for three consecutive years from 2021 to this year.
On the 14th (local time), visitors crowded the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, New York, USA, where 'New York ComicCon 2023' was held. This year's New York ComicCon will take place over four days until the 15th.
At the joint exhibition hall, in collaboration with Naver Webtoon, the leading company in the North American webtoon market, the intellectual property (IP) of 'Marry My Husband,' the number one English service in popularity, was prominently featured. Exhibitions and on-site experience events were also prepared for works from five companies, including Daon Creative's 'Viridescent Tiara,' Ultramedia's 'Mosquito War,' DCCENT's 'Corpse Knight Gunter,' and HYBE's 'Dark Moon: Altar of the Moon.' Among these, Dark Moon is attracting attention not only from local comic fans but also K-pop fans because it expands the HYBE boy group ENHYPEN into webtoon characters.
Victoria Perret, who visited the venue with her boyfriend, pointed to Korean comic posters posted in front of the experience space and expressed delight, saying, "I have read 'Talented Baby Squirrel' and 'Viridescent Tiara' as well." Perret, who accesses Korean comics through various platforms such as webtoons and Tapas, said, "I like romance," adding, "When I was young, I liked Korean dramas like 'Coffee Prince,' so naturally, I started enjoying Korean comics." Ottermerian, who is deeply immersed in Korean comics, also said, "I am reading (Korean webtoons and comics) through various websites like Tapas."
On the 14th (local time), local visitors attending 'New York ComicCon 2023' held at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, New York, USA, are drawing Korean webtoon characters in the experience area within the joint exhibition hall 'The House of KOREA COMICS'.
Local visitors showed interest in the works introduced at the joint exhibition hall and asked many questions about whether they could purchase comics or goods. Unlike Korea, in the North American region, content consumption is still mainly focused on comic books rather than online-based webtoons. Accordingly, a Korea Creative Content Agency representative explained that many works popular on platforms like Naver Webtoon are introduced in comic book form through contracts with local publishers. This is why posters of familiar K-content such as 'True Beauty' and 'Business Proposal' could be easily found at booths of American local publishers scattered throughout the New York ComicCon exhibition hall. The agency representative said, "It is true that Japanese and American content still have strong power at North American ComicCons," but added, "In recent years, the popularity of Korean content centered on webtoons has been increasing."
Korean content, including webtoons, is being showcased throughout the exhibition halls at 'New York Comic Con 2023'.
Visitors are gathered at the 'Pentacomics' introduction booth set up inside the exhibition hall of 'New York Comic Con 2023'.
This year at New York ComicCon, the K-webtoon platform 'Pentacomix,' scheduled to launch on December 1, was also introduced. Truelight Korea, responsible for webtoon production and localization, plans to translate about 50 well-known Korean webtoons such as 'The Red Sleeve Cuff' and 'Mukhyang - Dark Lady' into Spanish and present them to Spanish-speaking countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Spain. Han Jung-yoon, CEO of Truelight Korea, said, "By supplying Korean webtoons in Spanish, which is the native language of about 500 million people, to the world, we will serve as a bridge for talented Korean webtoon artists and production companies to meet overseas readers," adding, "We will strive to establish Korean webtoons as a pillar of popular culture not only in Spanish-speaking regions but also in markets where Korean webtoons have not yet actively entered."
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