Comico, the webcomics and digital comics platform that has been a massive success throughout Japan and much of Asia, is making its way to North America with an English language version of the app that is bringing its expansive library of popular sequential art with it. The English version — called Pocket Comics — is ringing in 2021 with more than 180 titles spotlighting Comico’s most successful titles and creators, curated to showcase a wide range of manga, manwa, manhua and web graphic novels. Pocket Comics is the only US webcomics app to feature an extensive library of content across all four formats.
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Comico has been one of the world’s biggest webcomics players, with more than 35 million downloads of its apps across Asia and millions of daily readers. Late this summer, Comico soft launched Pocket Comics, featuring more than forty titles from across its library. Pocket Comics quickly garnered a following, and has been averaging more than 300,000 monthly active users.
Part of the goal in bringing the app to the United States is to cultivate American talent as well, so that Comico is also bringing new content back home from the States.
“We are very excited about the prospects and opportunities in the US,” Sungjun Yeon, the Senior Executive Director, Head of NHN Comico/Pocket Comics, told ComicBook. “We have a production studio in LA that allows us to not only bring our existing premium content to the US, but also be closer to US artists and content to host on our platform.”
Huge engagement from Pocket Comics’s early adapters, as well as the overall demand from US comic audiences for webcomics content sparked Comico’s decision to further invest in its US growth and meet the demand for more of its greatest hits that have never been available in North America.
“Pocket Comics introduces over 15 new titles every month and constant refresh of new episodes each day,” Yeon said. “We launch our In-house Originals but also carefully source and curate external content to cater to our readers. We boast a wide range of titles, both completed and currently in series.”
Among the huge titles and celebrated comic talent audiences can now experience on Pocket Comics include:
Her Tale of Shim Chong
By: Writer: Seri/ Illustrator: Biwan
The story of the solidarity and love between two women , Shim Cheong, an underprivileged class, and Mrs. Seungsang Jang, a high-class woman. In 2018 the series was awarded with Today’s Manga Ward — a top culture honor — by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism
The huge following of the series has resulted in Studio&New – producers of box office hit Train to Busan and Netflix darling Descendents of the Sun — to develop a live action film adaptation that is in pre-production.
After Midnight
By: Yodeng
One day Jina, a 24-year-old woman, realizes that she has a peculiar constitution that turns into a man’s body at midnight. Forced to change to a job without overtime, Jina starts working at a law firm as an office clerk. An unfortunate chain of events leads to her handsome playboy lawyer boss witnessing the moment when she transforms into a man…?!
The popularity of this series grabbed the attention of Studio Dragon — producer of Netflix hit Forced Landing of Love and the subsidiary of the conglomerate behind Oscar winner Parasite — who is developing a live action series based on the webtoon to debut in Korea in 2021.
Every Moment, It Was You
By: Original work (an essay book) by Taewan Ha, web novel by Joohee Kim, Illustrator Jungha
The webtoon adaptation of the Korean best-selling book of short essays that depicts nostalgic moments of love and has sold more than 500K copies.
Yeon describes Pocket Comics as home to “premium content defined by meticulous attention to storyline and heavy investment in creative work. Some books are creators’ pet projects, while others have a more traditional American “creative team” model with between five and ten artists and producers on a project like Lady To Queen.
Yeon told ComicBook that the app hopes to offer a “diverse collection of new and unique titles across k-webcomics, manga, and manhua while innovating in how web comics are enhanced and formatted to cater to a global audience. For example, for the majority of our manga releases, we revamped works from the conventional white and black page format into a vertical-scroll and colorized format that is easier to enjoy,” and an ever-growing catalogue not just in terms of licensing existing books but developing new ones that will speak to the American audience.
“We have titles ranging from Romance, Fantasy to Drama, Horror and everything in between,” Yeon explained. “Some titles, such as Lady to Queen, Empress Cesia Wears Knickerboxers, and Girl Jock Empress, have married different genres to produce something new, and have enjoyed substantial success in Asia. We are excited to bring these titles to the global market. We will continue to widen and deepen content, titles, and genres.”
Pocket Comics can be downloaded through the Google Play and Apple App Store.
