WEBVTT

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WEBTOON Advanced
Tamiboo's Guide to Comedy Webtoons

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Hi, I'm Tamiboo, a Webtoon artist

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Have you ever wondered how comedy webtoons are created?

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Do you think those with a natural comedic sense

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create those stories spontaneously?

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Having a natural comedic sense is important

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But if you rely solely

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on spontaneous ideas and sense

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it’ll be hard to meet the deadlines we’ve promised

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Even comedy Webtoons has a structured

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writing process and principles

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to creating humor as well

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Just as having great ingredients alone

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doesn’t make a delicious dish

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without a recipe for it

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you need techniques to consistently

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turn ideas and material into manuscripts

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with reliable humor by the deadline

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In this session, I’ll share my 10 years of experience

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in comedy webtoons to explore

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the art of comedy Webtoon creation

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Are you ready to laugh together?

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Basic Principles of Comedy

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Before making a comedy Webtoon

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we need to understand the principles of humor

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The philosopher Immanuel Kant once said

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Laughter arises when an expected situation

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turns out to be nothing

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Think of those moments

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when you chuckled at a dad joke

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Unexpected outcomes

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or surprise

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are at the core of comedy

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For instance, imagine a Webtoon drawn

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with an action-style illustration that turns out to be absurd comedy

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Or a protagonist who looks like an MMA fighter

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but is actually a 7-year-old girl

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What if a peaceful kindergarten resembles a prison

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on a remote island straight out of a Hollywood movie?

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The comedy Webtoon Brilliant Action Kindergarten

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was created based on such unexpected twists

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Every episode involved constant thinking about

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how to subvert readers’ expectations

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This use of surprise

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isn’t limited to comedy

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In thrillers, a seemingly good character can turn out to be the villain

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In romance, a cold-hearted character

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might reveal an endearing clumsy side

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What makes comedy Webtoons unique

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is that this element of surprise is focused on eliciting laughter

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 So, how do we make the most of surprise in comedy?

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The key lies in leveraging stereotypes

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Stereotypes help readers quickly

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and easily understand a story

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That’s why you start with stereotypes

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It's okay to use familiar themes from daily life

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or well-known fairy tales and movies as inspiration

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Even clichés can be

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excellent materials for building a comedic Webtoon

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Let’s take a look at a work, 'I’m Pet'

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The timid protagonist works overtime even on their birthday

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Feeling drained from daily life, stops by a pet shop on her way home

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Oh, this is a healing story, you may think

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That's the expectation

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But upon entering the pet shop

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a strange-looking dog sitting with its legs crossed

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lost in solitude

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This dog walks on two legs, gives the protagonist

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a suggestive look, and even proposes they live together

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Here, stereotypes about pets and healing genres

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are broken, generating laughter

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But simply breaking stereotypes does not guarantee humor

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It could end up being unfamiliar and not funny at all

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Breaking one stereotype with another familiar stereotype works better

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In I’m Pet, the character Antonio, a dog

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walks on two legs and speaks like a human

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but his attitude and mannerisms towards the protagonist

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resemble those of a close male friend or a butler

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These are familiar stereotypes

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the close male friend or a butler

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Antonio combines traits of a loyal dog and a butler

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creating an entertaining character by focusing on

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their shared trait of loyalty

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like a butler or a male friend

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Famous movies have also inspired content and concepts

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For example, New World and Infernal Affairs

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explore a police officer infiltrating a crime syndicate

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and a gangster posing as a cop

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Drawing from this, New Cat World was created

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about a dog infiltrating the world of cats

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The stereotype of dogs and cats being different

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and not getting along was blended

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with a parody of a famous movie

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he protagonist, Shinse, a police officer disguised as a cat

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suffers from a collapsing sense of identity

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eventually becoming neither fully dog nor cat

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It's a hybrid

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a cat-dog, at this point

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Do you get the idea?

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Pairing one stereotype with another

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unexpected one creates humor

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This is the essence of comedy

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Let's talk about making a comedy Webtoon

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following these rules of comedy

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How to Create a Comedy Webtoon

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When I create a comedy Webtoon

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the first thing I consider is

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the target audience

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Here's a comparison with food

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For older adults

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you might want to serve softer

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less spicy dishes

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for children, sweet yet nutritious options are preferable

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for those who enjoy drinking

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snacks that pair well with alcohol are ideal

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Similarly, deciding who you want to make laugh helps set clear guidelines

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for the material, concept, and storytelling approach

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The narrower the target audience, the better

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For instance, when I created The Vampire Student

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my goal was to make my third-grade son laugh

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For I’m Pet, the target audience was single women

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in their early 30s like Kwon Ah-im the character

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During serialization, I had numerous conversations

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with a producer in this age group to refine the story

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As for Brilliant Action Kindergarten

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my target audience was men over 40

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who had loved action manga like

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Fist of the North Star in their youth and had

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experience raising young children

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In essence, I created it for people like myself

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Occasionally, when I ask aspiring Webtoon creators

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about their target audience, and they answer

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Everyone in all age groups

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While it’s natural to want your work

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to appeal to a broad range of readers

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setting too broad a target often results

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in a story that resonates with no one

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Narrowly defined targets allows you

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to anticipate reader reactions to some extent

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When working on a long-term series

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here are times when the story’s direction may be lost

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In such cases, it’s helpful to recall

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your target audience

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This work targets third-grade elementary school children

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 so it shouldn’t become too serious or heavy

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That's the direction of the story

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For The Vampire Student

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I wanted to make elementary school boys laugh out loud

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but my friends said it was too childish for them to read

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which didn’t bother me

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because it wasn’t aimed at adults anyway

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But when my son said

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Dad, my friends are saying The Vampire Student

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is getting too serious and not fun anymore

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I would break into a cold sweat

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and rewrite the draft entirely to make it suitable

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for elementary school tastes

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Who's your target audience?

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Once you’ve decided who your target audience is

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the next step is finding ideas

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Cooking starts with deciding on a menu

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and checking if you have the right ingredients

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Sometimes, you decide based on what’s available in the fridge

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like finding eggs and

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deciding to make steamed eggs

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Finding ideas is like opening the fridge

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Just as you need a variety of ingredients

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stocked to start cooking

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you should develop a habit of

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stocking up ideas for your work

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This requires a habit of taking notes

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I always note down ideas as they come to mind

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even if unrelated to my current project

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despite the fact that it has

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nothing to do with my work now

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In the past, I used a notebook

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but now I use my smartphone and note apps

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Ideas that come during showers

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get scribbled on foggy mirrors

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Those that pop up while driving are recorded

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as voice memos on the dashcam

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to be written down later

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However, most of these ideas

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turn out to be useless upon review

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If I can get two or three decent ones

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out of a hundred, I feel lucky

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That's still worth it

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Ideas must always be noted and recorded

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Then, from the pile of random ideas

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I sort out and organize the useful ones

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For comedy Webtoons, I classify

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ideas based on the type of humor

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That’s right

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There are different types of comedy

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My classification includes relatable comedy, parody

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wordplay or dad jokes

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comedy from contradiction, and slapstick

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This is just my way of categorizing them

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so no pressure here

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Relatable comedy is based on observing daily life

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and recreating it in detail

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often used in slice-of-life Webtoon

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Detailing relatable daily life

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is a great technique to evoke laughter

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Parody comedy involves taking well-known stories, movies

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TV shows, or comics and repurposing them humorously

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This makes comedy by repurposing something

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The episode-based comic strips

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that appeared in newspapers are an example

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For example, in Brilliant Action Kindergarten

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I parodied Romeo and Juliet

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and Dragon Ball for some scenes

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Wordplay comedy involves adding

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small puns in dialogues or sound effects

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It may not elicit big laughs

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but serves as a spice between major comedy moments

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creating an overall humorous tone for the work

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So it's a very nice spice

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Contradiction relies on mismatched situations

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to induce laughter

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and is one of my most used techniques

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In the past

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I did something differently

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I would include a straight character

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to point out the contradiction

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and have them react to it

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But nowadays, I no longer do this

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Readers highlight such moments in the comments

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Sometimes, I even plan contradictions

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to engage readers in the comments

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Slapstick uses exaggerated

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facial expressions or actions for humor

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I often use character costumes, hairstyles

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and accessories for comedic effect

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like muscular characters in kindergarten uniform

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suspicious tails covering private areas

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or a wolf cut hairstyle on a lion

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All these are examples of slapstick

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In Brilliant Action Kindergarten

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I used slapstick comedy by depicting

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a character’s face, inspired by

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a child’s first attempt at makeup, to resemble the Joker

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Classifying comedy types

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is a crucial work

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as they determine the intensity of laughter

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helping decide which type to use

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as the main dish and which as seasoning

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For example, in Brilliant Action Kindergarten

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with an average of 40 panels per episode

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I needed to use the right type of comedy

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to induce the right amount of laughter each episode

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Contradiction was used for major laughs

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while slapstick, parody, and wordplay

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were added as spices

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for moderate and subtle humor

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Just as ordering sundae soup at a Korean restaurant

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comes with side dishes

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a comedy webtoon should balance

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main laughs, the main dish

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and small giggles, the side dishes

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This categorization reflects my personal method

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Even among comedy Webtoon creators

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each has their unique main and side dishes

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How should our sundae soup be different

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to attract more customers among so many restaurants?

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Just like this

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you need your own style of comedy

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To do this, understanding your strengths

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in comedic techniques and the type of humor you aim

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to deliver is essential

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Once you’ve set your target audience

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and determined the idea and concept

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the next step is creating the story

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Start with a main storyline

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and build smaller episodes around it

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For Brilliant Action Kindergarten

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the main story is enduring intense kindergarten training

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to become stronger elementary school students

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From the first episode to the finale

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this remains consistent

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This main storyline determines

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the smaller arcs, or the episodes

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In an episode

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there is another main storyline

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and its smaller arcs

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that are equivalent to events

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The beginning of the main storyline

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represents the head

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and the tail becomes

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the ending

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Usually people brainstorm for a new story

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starting with the head of the main storyline

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If I can’t envision the ending, or the tail

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I don’t start creating

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Without a clear destination

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I will lose my way

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Once the head and tail are clear

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maintaining a consistent tone

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and concept throughout multiple episodes becomes easier

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Once the story is somewhat developed

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the next step is character development

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Sometimes the order switches

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where characters are created first

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and the story is built around them

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If the story is the train tracks

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then characters are the train running on them

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Typically, tracks come first

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but sometimes the train is designed first

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and tracks are laid to fit it

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In any genre, including comedy Webtoon

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characters are crucial

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Readers often recognize

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a work by its character

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The character is the subject of the story

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or even the story itself

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And it's even the work itself

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 Now, let’s delve into creating characters for comedy Webtoons

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The first principle is simplicity

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Characters should be intuitive and easy to understand

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so that adding unpredictability later

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enhances the impact

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Using familiar images or real-life inspirations

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allows readers to grasp characters

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without excessive explanation

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Intuitive visual design also helps

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in quick communication with the readers

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For Brilliant Action Kindergarten

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characters were designed based on fighters

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action stars, and athletes

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to evoke a strong, intimidating image

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upon their first appearance

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A character’s debut in a work

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is like a first handshake with the audience

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so the appearance alone

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should convey their traits

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and draw readers into the story

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This is an important point

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Two, growing intrigue

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The second principle is growing intrigue

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If a character reveals everything at once

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their charm quickly fades

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As the story progresses, gradually reveal

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the character’s hidden charms

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to keep readers intrigued and engaged

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This principle is even more crucial for long-form work

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Just like in dating

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you are drawn to someone who reveals

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new sides over time

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Characters should also unveil

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more charm as the story develops

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For example, a tough-looking child

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might actually love flowers and nature

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with their sensitive trait

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A seemingly creepy character of a dog

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might be a loyal and dependable

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companion to its owner

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Characters that become more captivating

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with each episode play a vital role

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in immersing readers in the story

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Three, likability

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The third principle is likability

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Comedy webtoon protagonists should be likable

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because readers want to laugh

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along with characters they enjoy

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If the character is unlikable

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even the funniest situations

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can feel uncomfortable

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Ensure the audience sympathizes with

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and roots for the character

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Quirky, outlandish behavior is acceptable

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but if it leads to dislike

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readers will drift away

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Design characters so readers feel

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so that readers like them

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Four, imperfection

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Comedy webtoon characters don’t need to be perfect

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Flaws and shortcomings

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often evoke

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humor and relatability

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Just as a lived-in house feels more comfortable

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than a pristine and perfect, yet plastic model home

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Imperfections create a sense of ease

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as in this case

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A sense of ease

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prepares readers to laugh

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Even silly appearances or slapstick elements

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can contribute to this effect

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For example, I’m Pet

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uses intentionally messy artwork

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to create a relaxed reading experience

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It's not because I am bad at drawing

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I can tell you that

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It's all calculated imperfection

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To make a more multidimensional character

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based on the four principles, here's a tip for you

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Try defining aspects not covered in the story,

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such as their background, personality, preferences, or motto

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Even if not explicitly shown

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these details help create characters

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that feel alive and move naturally in the story

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some very multidimensional characters

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These multidimensional characters

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do their own work

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Imagine running into

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a longtime friend on the street, without expecting it

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How is it?

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You can easily picture their reactions, expressions

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and words, things like that

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This is what a multidimensional character is

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A great way to test this

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character development

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is through a character interview

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Ask any questions

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It can be structured

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or very spontaneous questions

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If answers flow naturally

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it’s proof the character is well-developed

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Once, I created

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a very rebellious character

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who outright refused the interview

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saying, no way I'm doing this

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I could picture that scene in my head

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In that moment, I felt assured

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that I had crafted them well

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Of course, that didn't feel nice

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The lion Kim Myung-soo was a case

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where the character came first

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Initially, I posted short comics featuring this character on Instagram

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and received positive reactions, leading to a 30-episode series

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The protagonist, Kim Myung-soo

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was inspired by my rebellious teenage son

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preferring burgers and ramen over raw meat

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enjoying the show Infinite Challenges

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and being so timid

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that it can't kill a fly

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yet deeply loving his human father

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whom he resembles

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That's the character of this lion

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His human father, also a protagonist

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was created as a clumsy and immature parent

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who feels guilty for raising Myung-soo

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like a spoiled human son

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So he decides to make him a true lion

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by sending Myung-soo to a carnivore training academy

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Timid and weak Myung-soo resents his father

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and struggles with the training

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That's how the story was developed

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Sometimes, the process of creating characters

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naturally generates a story

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Simply defining the relationship

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and thoughts between the human father and the lion son

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was enough to outline the narrative

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Making a character multidimensional

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is directly tied to crafting the overall story

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Always keep that in mind

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Today, we explored how to create comedy Webtoons

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While the process of brainstorming jokes

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and drafting scripts to make others laugh

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might not always feel enjoyable all the time

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remember that the fun of wanting

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to make others laugh

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is our great driving force behind

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comedy Webtoon creation

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I hope my humble experience provides

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even a small hint for your creative journey

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This concludes the lecture

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Enjoy creating

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Thank you

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Summary
Basic Principles of Comedy
Core Element
Surprise

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Tips for Enhancing Surprise
Utilize stereotypes
Break stereotypes with other stereotypes
Borrow ideas and themes from famous works

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Starting Stories Using Stereotypes
Use daily life themes
Use famous works
Use clichés

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How to Create Comedy Webtoons
Story Planning
Relatable Comedy: Relatable everyday observations
Parody: Parody widely known works

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Wordplay: Puns in dialogue or sound effects
Contradiction: Mismatched situations
Slapstick: Exaggerated facial expressions or actions

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Character Design Principles
Easy to understand
Grow more intriguing
Likable
Have flaws

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Comedy Webtoon
Tips for Multidimensional Characters
Set details not addressed in the story

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Use a character interview to test if the character is well-rounded
A multidimensional character is closely tied to the overall story