WEBTOON is celebrating Rachel Smythe’s second consecutive Best Webcomic Eisner Award for “Lore Olympus.” The win was revealed during the 2023 Eisner Awards ceremony at Comic-Con International: San Diego on Friday night.
“Lore Olympus” is a modern retelling of one of mythology’s greatest stories that has amassed more than 1.5 billion global views on WEBTOON. After launching on WEBTOON in 2018, the webcomic has since burgeoned into a two-time Eisner Award-winning global phenomenon. The series has multiple #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel adaptations published by Del Rey Books, a merchandise deal, and an animated series in development from Wattpad WEBTOON Studios and The Jim Henson Company.
This is the second consecutive Eisner win for both Smythe and WEBTOON, following a growing global fandom and accolades for “Lore Olympus.” The webcomic has also won prestigious Harvey Awards in 2021 2022 for Best Digital Book, the Prix Babelio – Bande Dessinéea in 2021, and a 2021 Good Reads Choice Award. “Lore Olympus” also won its first Ringo Award in 2022 for Best Webcomic, following a 2021 nomination. The series is again nominated for the 2023 Ringo Award for Best Webcomic.
“I love being an artist and a storyteller, and sharing Lore Olympus with the world has been incredibly fulfilling, both personally and professionally,” said Rachel Smythe. “WEBTOON has been an amazing, collaborative partner throughout this journey, and to see ‘Lore Olympus’ celebrated by fans around the world and my industry peers is beyond what I could have ever dreamed.”
Junkoo Kim, Global CEO & Founder of WEBTOON Entertainment, added, “We are so proud of Rachel Smythe’s creative talents and to be able to help share her amazing work with readers around the world. ‘Lore Olympus’ has enchanted readers with its breathtaking art and incredible storytelling, and it’s a real joy to see the Eisners shine a very deserved spotlight on Rachel and Lore Olympus once again. I want to congratulate Rachel, every WEBTOON creator nominated this year, and every reader who has supported these artists.”
This second-ever Eisner Award for a WEBTOON series underscores the platform’s growing influence and success among fans and the comic industry. WEBTOON’s breakout DC collaboration, “Batman: Wayne Family Adventures,” was also nominated for an Eisner Award this year and will be released in print on August 8, 2023.
Other 2023 Eisner-nominated content and creators that can be found on WEBTOON include Sarah Anderson, nominated for Best Writer/Artist and Best Humor Series for Cryptid Club. Anderson’s acclaimed Cryptid Club and Sarah’s Scribbles series are both available on WEBTOON CANVAS. Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper Volume 4 was nominated in the Best Pub for Teens category. Heartstopper is available on WEBTOON, where it has more than 455M views. Michael Adam Lengyel’s The Mannamong and Spores, by Joshua Barkman, were both nominated for Best Webcomic, and available on WEBTOON CANVAS. And Dark Horse’s print edition and translation of WEBTOON sensation Hellbound (by Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Gyu-seok, translation by Danny Lim) was nominated for the Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia category.
The Eisner Awards are among the most prestigious accolades in the comic industry. Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner, the awards celebrated their 35th year of recognizing and celebrating the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels.
Source: Press Release
