When I sat down in the half-filled panel room for Beyond Borders: Global Comics in the Digital Age at New York Comic Con 2026, I noticed most of the people around me had exhibitor badges. When I asked them which exhibitor they were with, I learned they were all WEBTOON staff.
The panel was moderated by Allegra Frank, senior editor at The Atlantic, and featured Pogo, artist of Fog Land with interpreter Sonya Moore, ToniRenea, creator of Osora, cartoonist Mirka Andolfo, known for Sweet Paprika and Unnatural, and Susan Chang, senior managing producer at WEBTOON. Andolfo has no connection with WEBTOON to my knowledge, and neither does Frank, and yet, the metaphorical neon green cloud hanging over the panel was palpable as the discussion began.
Frank started by asking the creators about their biggest artistic influences. Andolfo cited the Italian comic W.I.T.C.H. and its mix of Eastern and Western influences. ToniRenea mentioned how Sailor Moon and Ranma 1/2 got her into comics, and Pogo mentioned the anime Slayers.
Chang then talked about vertical scroll as a format. “The vertical scroll format is special and unique because it’s a format that’s designed around the rhythm of storytelling. With vertical scroll, the reader has to engage, they have to scroll to learn more about the characters and the world, which allows creators to manipulate the pacing and timing and maximize emotional impact.”
Pogo’s webtoon Fog Land is being heavily marketed at NYCC, with a large booth display, costumed characters, prize giveaways and more. When I arrived at the convention center Friday morning, I saw trucks with Fog Land advertisements on their sides. Pogo said she was very grateful for the way her comic is being treated at NYCC, as the presentation switched to a slide showing photographs of an advertisement for Fog Land in Times Square. None of the other WEBTOON originals whose creators are present at the show have received anything near this level of marketing that I have seen.
Frank then asked Pogo about how the vertical scroll format affects Fog Land. Pogo mentioned the format borrows a lot from video, so she takes a lot of influence from that.
ToniRenea said, “It took me a long time to accept the vertical scroll, but you can fit a lot more speech balloons without covering the art and it flows a lot better. It’s a lot easier to show the passage of time with big gaps between panels.”
Frank asked Andolfo what she likes about the traditional format. “I like to play with the page turn and time,” Andolfo said.
“Interesting how these are all about playing with time,” Frank noticed.
Pogo’s biggest inspirations for Fog Land include the video games Grand Theft Auto and Hotline Miami. ToniRenea was inspired by how Ranma 1/2 bounces between genres, and Andolfo seconded that she was very inspired by Rumiko Takahashi’s sense of humor.
“We all grew up as fans and we’re all influenced by these things,” Chang said. She said that she sees in many webtoons the very expressive character acting and big shiny eyes borrowed from manga, while manhwa’s fast pacing and cliffhangers influence the pacing of Western webtoons as well.
“I mix all my influences in my storytelling and somehow it works,” said Adolfo.
When asked about influences, Pogo said that rather than being influenced by other stories, it’s more important to experience the world.
ToniRenea mentioned that she’s inspired by the unique art styles of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Sailor Moon, as well as Yu-Gi-Oh!, particularly Yu-Gi-Oh!’s simple outfits that can be drawn very quickly but still look cool.
Adolfo said that her work is “A fluid combination of everything I like as a person and a reader, so inspiration from other media is important.”
“When it comes to Korean webcomic style there are set rules,” Pogo said, “like where speech balloons go or where panels are placed in set ways, but the important thing is that readers can easily follow the story.”
“Because webtoons are such an accessible casual medium they’re read by and influencing so many people,” said Chang.
ToniRenea talked a bit about having the opportunity to visit Korea through WEBTOON’s creator recognition program and see webtoon-making studios in person. She thought it was really col how so many people work on so many comics, she said, and that it made her consider hiring her own assistants.
“I always thought this format was necessary as people move from paper to phone,” said Pogo, “and I still think it can evolve. I don’t think we’re at a boom yet.”
Frank agreed that the medium is still growing. Chang said that now it’s hard to tell if it’s manga influencing manhwa or even the other way around.
Adolfo said, “I think a lot about My Hero Academia in terms of visual language borrowing” and that as a manga version of classic American superheroes, the visual style of the manga is very unique.
ToniRenea, who got into comics by way of manga, was surprised at how colorful manhwa tends to be.
Pogo said she had an image of American comics style in her head, but at NYCC she got a chance to see how American cartoonists draw and was surprised it didn’t match the idea in her head. “With the internet everyone’s influenced by each other and it seems like everyone has their own style now.”
Frank asked the panelists, “How do you take inspiration from other work and make it feel like your own?”
Adolfo likes the use of silence and space in manga, as well as closeups on eyes and details. ToniRenea feels her influences are very subtle. “It’s mostly just taking the feeling and the way the story impacted you and trying to make readers feel a similar way, so I don’t think any of my influences are very visible in the story.”
In response to “What’s something you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?” Pogo said, “It’s a lonely thing, it’s a marathon you run alone and you start doubting yourself. It’s important not to lose your sense of self and you have to believe in yourself.”
The final question asked the panelists for comic recommendations. Chang recommended It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood, one of her “favorite comics ever.” Adolfo recommended Blacksad, and surprisingly it seemed like I was the only one in the audience who’d ever read it because no one reacted. ToniRenea recommended the WEBTOON Original Superfish. Pogo recommended the manhwa About Death.
At the conclusion of the panel, the Fog Land character actors hired by WEBTOON marched into the room and gathered around the panelists, cornering Pogo to the audience’s amusement. “Who’s your favorite character to draw, and why is it me?” asked The Tower.
“If this doesn’t help sell Fog Land,” said Frank, “I don’t know what will.”
The panel ended five minutes over time.
Stay tuned to K-Comics Beat for more news from NYCC ’26!
