Rachel Smythe’s Global WEBTOON Phenomenon Lore Olympus Wins 2023 Eisner Award for Best Webcomic
The award marks the series’ second consecutive win after taking home Best Webcomic in 2022; the back-to-back win also marks WEBTOON’s second Eisner Award
Lore Olympus boasts over 1.5 billion views and 6.3 million subscribers on WEBTOON, with multiple No. 1 New York Times bestselling print adaptations and an animated series in development
WEBTOON, the world’s largest digital comics platform, 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.
As the world’s largest platform for digital comics, WEBTOON has 85.6 million monthly active users globally, including 12.5 million users in the U.S. The company’s global IP and creator ecosystem has been the source of some of the most exciting projects in international entertainment. Webcomics from WEBTOON have inspired numerous hit on-screen adaptations, including global Netflix sensations Bloodhounds, See You in My 19th Life, All of Us Are Dead, Sweet Home and more. Other recent projects include collaborations with some of the biggest names in entertainment, including HYBE, Atlantic Records, Marvel, DC, and Archie Comics.
WEBTOON pioneered the distribution of webcomics and the innovative vertical scroll format, designed to be mobile-friendly and geared toward a new generation of digital-savvy creators and audiences. The company has transformed the comics industry over the last two decades by making it easy for creators to publish and share their stories and for audiences to discover and read them.
