The first project from the new Naver/Baobab Studios collaboration (see “WEBTOON Parent Invests in Animation Studio Baobab”) will be Shine, by filmmaker Erick Oh and artist Madeleine Rosca, which is being developed both as a vertical-scroll comic to run on the WEBTOON platform and a graphic novel to be published by First Second. The project is still in an early stage, but we reached out to Kane Lee, Chief Content Officer of Baobab Studios, to get some early intel on their plans.
How did Shine originate – who had the original idea?
The idea for Shine originated with one of Baobab’s directors, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Erick Oh. We then brought on Madeleine Rosca, acclaimed WEBTOON author, to help develop the story with Erick and Baobab.
Will it be developed simultaneously as a webtoon and a graphic novel? How do you plan to handle the different formats?
The projects are being developed in conjunction. The biggest challenge is modifying the page layouts for the vertical WEBTOON format,
Which comes first, the webtoon, the animation, or the book, and when can we expect to see them?
We are still determining the sequencing for the webtoon and graphic novel, more details to follow.
Why did you decide to include a webtoon – aside from the fact that Naver is an investor, what does it add to the project?
Our focus at Baobab is telling original stories to Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences. Webtoons, with their massive global footprint, where 75% of their 140M monthly readers belong to Gen Z, are the perfect medium to amplify Shine.
First Second is working on another project with Baobab, Intercats. Will that also be a webtoon?
At this time we are primarily focused on creating the best Intercats graphic novel.
Rosca is the creator of Hollow Fields, a graphic novel series published by Seven Seas (see “‘Hollow Fields’ Back to Press”).
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Source: ICv2
