LINE Webtoon (http://www.webtoons.com), the popular digital comics publisher pioneering the development and distribution of comics worldwide, and DeviantArt, the largest online social network for artists and art enthusiasts to exhibit, promote, and share their works have announced that they will be working hand-in-hand at four upcoming comic conventions helping discover, nurture and support new and emerging talent. Both DeviantArt and LINE Webtoon are dedicated to engaging with creators at these conventions while surrounded by fans of the arts as well as true comic enthusiasts. At these convention stops, Boston Comic Con (8/12 – 8/14), Baltimore Comic Con (9/2 – 9/4), Rose City Comic Con (9/10 – 9/11) and New York Comic Con (10/6 – 10/9), LINE Webtoon and DeviantArt will offer a variety of exciting panel discussions, Artist Alley Sponsorships, live draw events, influencer and creator demonstration areas and onsite contests – getting creators new and old experiencing vertical storytelling and thinking about comics in stimulating new ways.
The tour begins this weekend at Boston Comic Con where LINE Webtoon and DeviantArt will be the primary sponsors of Artist Alley and Drink & Draw, and be present at booth C713 with appearances and signings by several of LINE Webtoon’s hit creators. Creators are welcome to visit the booth to learn more about the recently announced partnership and integration between LINE Webtoon and Patreon. At the LINE Webtoon panel on Sunday, August 14th at 2pm LINE Webtoon’s Tom Akel and Patreon’s Heather Wilder will walk attendees through how to publish and promote their comics and how they can take advantage of a new Webtoon creator investment program. Joining the panel will be Tri Vuong (The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn), Orlando Caicedo (The Bad Guys), joho (Saphie: The One-Eyed Cat), as well as the creator of the hit series Bluechair, Shen. Additionally DeviantArt Creative Director Hal Hefner, superstar artist and educator Sanford Greene (Power Man and Iron Fist, Black Panther) and Webtoon’s Tom Akel will be giving portfolio reviews throughout the weekend.
"We are excited to join this tour with LINE Webtoon, a world leader in creator-owned comics,” said Angelo Sotira, DeviantArt’s co-founder and CEO. “So many of the Artist’s Alley creators at every comic con are members of our community and the chance to connect with them directly through this tour is exciting.”
With both brands dedicated to the art of creation, LINE Webtoon’s open platform Discover allows digital comic creators a way to publish their work, build a fanbase, and receive feedback from a community of over 10 million unique daily readers and 35 million unique monthly readers. Now along with DeviantArt, who attracts over 65 million unique visitors per month to their site, creators will now be able to interact with fans in a live setting, taking the creation process offline and into the hands of hundreds of thousands of convention attendee’s between now and October at Comic Cons coast-to-coast.
“For years, DeviantArt has proven to be the premiere destination for artists to be discovered and supported,” said JunKoo Kim, Founder and Head of LINE Webtoon. “To partner with them for these upcoming conventions, we’re excited to see what comes about and what new, fresh and emerging talent we can discover together.”
More information and specific details on LINE Webtoon and DeviantArt’s activations at each of these upcoming conventions will be made available closer to the date of each event.
To download the official LINE Webtoon app, visit the Apple App Store and Google Play.