This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Masha Zhdanova and Justin Guerrero from K-Comics Beat joined Comic Watch and Anime Corner to talk with creators Brent Bristol (Ordeal) and Punko (Stagtown, Cinderella Boy) about the craft, challenges, and joys of making webtoons.
Getting Started in Comics
COMIC WATCH: Tell us about your history with cartoons and what inspired you to get into the medium.
BRENT BRISTOL: I grew up on anime, manga, and comics—I was a big fan. I didn’t have a lot to do as a kid and was very indoorsy, so I spent my time reading comics, watching anime, and playing with action figures. I still collect them as an adult. I’d create scenes with them and make my own little comics—obviously all copyrighted stuff [laughter]—like Spider-Man and Star Wars. I’m a huge Star Wars fan, and that love for storytelling just carried into adulthood.
PUNKO: I knew I wanted to be a comic artist when I was eight, and I haven’t deviated since. When I told my parents, they said, “Aww, that’s cute.” At thirteen, I told them again, and they still thought I’d grow out of it. When it came time for college, I said, “I’m going to study comics,” and they finally realized I was serious. They asked, “Don’t you want a nice state job like your mother?” But I said no—I wanted to make comics. Back then, there weren’t many schools where you could get a degree in comic art, so they sent me to the only one. I’ve been tunnel-visioned on it ever since.
Managing Time and Quality
K-COMICS BEAT: Brent, your art is incredibly detailed—the linework, the rendering—yet you still meet your deadlines. How do you manage that? And for both of you, how long does it take to complete a panel in your respective styles?
PUNKO: I was about to ask him the same thing! I think he has more hours in the day than the rest of us.
BRISTOL: Time management was my biggest issue early on. When I was on Canvas, each chapter took me weeks. But once I signed with WEBTOON, they required weekly episodes. I tried to argue, but they told me to figure it out. I had to make sacrifices, like reducing episode length—or so I thought. I draw for seven days to finish an episode, about sixty to seventy panels a week, and later discovered my contract only requires fifty. So technically, I’m overdoing it.
Fans say my episodes feel short, especially during action scenes where they scroll quickly because there’s less text. They finish in five minutes and complain, but I tell them that’s the trade-off—either shorter episodes or reduced art quality. Backgrounds take a lot of time since I don’t use assets. Nothing against them—it’s just not my thing. I prefer drawing everything myself. So I keep the detail high and cut down on length.
PUNKO: I had the same problem with Stagtown. I drew everything by hand in an Edward Gorey-style etching technique in Procreate, which made me really sick from overwork. And when I had action scenes, people would still say, “This episode’s too short!” So now I use words as speed bumps to slow readers down. With Cinderella Boy, no one complains about short episodes—they even think my episodes are long!
I structure the pacing so that dialogue breaks up the action. It keeps readers engaged and gives me some breathing room.
K-COMICS BEAT: That’s a great trick—using text to control pacing.
PUNKO: Exactly. It’s still meaningful text, but I spread it across multiple panels so readers go back if they miss something.
BRISTOL: That’s real experience talking.
PUNKO: Time management is key. I used to take a day to draw eight panels, but on deadline days, I’d do the same in three hours. So now I work with an eight-hour timer and discipline myself. I don’t over-render hair or tiny details. Funny enough, fans say the quality’s improved—I think it’s because I’ve stopped second-guessing myself. I’m chasing that last-minute “it’s due today” energy every day.
[laughter]
BRISTOL: It’s brutal when you spend five hours on a panel, and readers scroll right past it.
PUNKO: That’s why I pick one “hero panel” per episode—the one people will screenshot or gush over—and focus my time there. Then I tier the rest: second-tier, third-tier panels, each with a time limit. It keeps me sane.
From Horror to Comedy
K-COMICS BEAT: Punko, you went from horror in Stagtown to comedy in Cinderella Boy. How was that transition?
PUNKO: Really fun! When I pitched Cinderella Boy, they asked if I could do comedy since switching genres can be tricky. I’ve done stand-up and improv, so it felt natural. Comedy’s more relaxed. Readers don’t nitpick continuity or tiny details—they just have fun.
K-COMICS BEAT: Comedy and horror both rely on timing and emotional response, so the shift makes sense.
PUNKO: Exactly.
Action, Adventure, and Character
K-COMICS BEAT: Brent, what genre do you enjoy most?
BRISTOL: I’m an action guy. My favorite thing to draw is fight scenes—they’re actually faster for me to do because they’re more fluid. Talking scenes take longer due to facial expressions. I also love adventure because I enjoy seeing readers theorycraft. My Discord is chaotic, but in the best way.
I love writing flashbacks, too—they let me reveal hidden sides of characters later on. That balance between intense action and emotional storytelling is what keeps readers invested.
PUNKO: I envy his action work! My characters always look stiff. I just want to draw stick figures telling jokes sometimes.
The Power of the WEBTOON Format
COMIC WATCH: What about the WEBTOON format appeals to you? Any constraints?
PUNKO: I started in print twenty years ago and thought that was the best. But scrolling format changed my mind. Especially for horror and comedy, where timing is everything—scrolling lets you control reveals and jump scares.
When Stagtown was adapted into print, I realized how much of my pacing relied on scrolling. It didn’t translate perfectly. The page turn spoils scares that were originally hidden. Webtoons let you control what the reader sees and when.
BRISTOL: I agree. Scroll format is superior. The gutter space lets you control pacing—just like pauses in film dialogue. You can build tension before a reveal. You can’t replicate that in paginated comics.
PUNKO: Exactly—it’s all about timing.
On Adaptations and Fan Theories
ANIME CORNER: Congratulations—you both have adaptations in the works! How does that feel?
BRISTOL: I don’t have an anime adaptation yet [laughs], but Studio LICO made four amazing trailers for Ordeal. An anime is definitely the dream.
PUNKO: Stagtown is being developed into a film by Margot Robbie’s production company. It’s surreal. I told the director I want a cameo as a cranky woman at a convenience store in slippers. He said okay! [laughs] But most importantly, I just want the adaptation to capture the heart of the series so longtime readers feel it honors the story they lov
The Joy of Theorycrafting
K-COMICS BEAT: You both mentioned fan theories—do you plant hints on purpose?
BRISTOL: Absolutely. Ordeal starts at the end, so fans constantly speculate about how things connect. The main character, Che, gets a mysterious eye in the future, and fans are obsessed with figuring out how. I tease them—give clues—but never too much. The key is not changing your plan just because fans guess it. That’s where some shows went wrong—Game of Thrones, for example.
PUNKO: Yes! Let fans guess. It’s part of the fun. My readers are always theorizing—even over jokes. I’ve planted connections across series years apart. Cinderella Boy characters appear in Stagtown before that series even started. I love giving longtime fans those Easter eggs.
Closing Thoughts
Through laughter, deadlines, and endless scrolling, both artists prove that creating webtoons is as much about storytelling as it is about stamina and community. Whether it’s Punko’s precision timing or Bristol’s cinematic fight scenes, both creators continue to push what’s possible in the vertical format—and fans are more than happy to scroll along for the ride.
Stay tuned to K-Comics Beat for more coverage from NYCC 2025.
 and Punko (Stagtown and Cinderella Boy) to discuss their WEBTOON works.){kind=link}