Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Manga, Yen Press | Tagged: bts, HYBE, kpop, new york comic con, NYCC

BTS, Enyphen & Tomorrow X Together KPop Comics at New York Comic Con

The licensed KPop comic from BTS and their studios Hybe, 7Fates: Chako is coming to New York Comic Con with Ize and Yen Press.

Back in 2022, the BTS webtoon comic hit 15 million views in two days. The licensed webcomic from KPop band BTS and their studios Hybe, 7Fates: Chako broke all of Webtoon's records so far, making it the highest viewed title ever launched by Webtoon. With 1.6 million subscribers, 7Fates: Chako is described as "a dynamic story following seven young men, each inspired by a member of BTS, bound by fate. After growing up together and going through a series of trials and tribulations, they must become a unified group of seven to unlock their destiny." Other Hybe titles Enhypen's Dark Moon: The Blood Altar took second place and Tomorrow X Together: The Star Seekers ranked third, with all three garnering over 70 million views in a single month.

Webtoon's Hybe collaboration is part of the company's Super Casting initiative, a group of global partnerships that bring other entertainment companies to Webtoon, to extend existing IP and entertainment franchises to new platforms, fans, and formats such as web novels and webcomics. And now they are coming to print for New York Comic Con.

Ize Press, a Korean comics imprint of manga giant Yen Press, will be putting all three into print in October, November and December. As well as publishing the webtoon comics, they will include pull-out posters, covers with special effects, and exclusive bonus content. With copies available early at NYCC, as well as a panel "Making Fans the Fans of Our Content With Music and Narratives".

Making Fans the Fans of Our Content with MUSIC & NARRATIVES
Fri, Oct 13, 2023 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Room 406.3

HYBE tells a story that anyone living in the contemporary times can empathize with and enjoy, through music. And content and fans are what's most important to HYBE in this journey. HYBE has become what it is today by putting the above two values as its top priorities and working with artists to connect with fans in various ways with music as our medium.

HYBE has always strived to answer the following question: How can we ensure the fans enjoy unlimited, immersive fun, and how can we expand the range of their experiences? To that end, how should we communicate with our fans, and deliver the stories our artists want to tell more effectively? In other words, how can we combine music with boundless enjoyment and imagination captured by our content for fans to enjoy?

Each of HYBE's artists has their own unique brand and message to offer. Music is their medium to spread that message and the brand, but it also acts as a channel for storytelling that can resonate with listeners of all ages. HYBE does not aim to simply tell the "real" stories of the labels' artists or their albums; rather, we have started to imbue our albums and songs with "stories" and lores, establishing them as IPs in their own right–independent from the artists' music IP–that fans can enjoy, through an experience that allows for greater satisfaction and deeper immersion by providing sophisticated messages and comprehensive narratives connected to the artist, album, and music.

A case in point is The Most Beautiful Moment in Life by BTS, well-known to its fans. HYBE strategically constructed a story around the album by placing narrative elements throughout its tracks, music videos, related books, and web content. Fans, who took notice of this, began actively looking out for links between BTS's music and the story, a treasure hunt which they soon began to take joy in. This is how HYBE Original Story came to be. HYBE Original Story will go beyond established boundaries and be implemented in a wide variety of content, including webtoons, web novels, animations, audiobooks, drama series, movies and more, so that the fans can have an endless amount of fun and experience, and become more deeply immersed in the message we seek to convey through our music and artists.

Fans will still get to enjoy artists' brands and their music's messages across various touch points. In addition to this, Original Story will serve as another stream of narrative that bridges the artists' brand with their music, broadening its appeal and potential as a story-based IP by crossing genres and formats beyond the language of music. We hope the fans will look forward to future content that HYBE has to offer, which will include a diverse range of artists, musical genres, and stories inextricably linked to them, and continue to accompany us in our journey of expanding the fan experience and enjoyment.

As his last professional work before his untimely passing in 2022, the artist of the popular Solo Leveling comic Dubu illustrated the cover of the print edition of 7FATES: CHAKHO, Vol. 1

7FATES: CHAKHO

Created by HYBE With BTS

A collaboration with BTS, the dynamic story follows seven young men bound by fate. After growing up together through a series of trials and tribulations, they must become a unified group of seven to unlock their destiny. 7FATES: CHAKHO is an urban fantasy story set in the near future, inspired by the Chakhogapsa tiger hunters of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. The story portrays confrontations between humans and the Beom tribe in a corrupt world.  7FATES: CHAKHO will be released in October 2023.

THE STAR SEEKERS

Created by HYBE With TOMORROW X TOGETHER

THE STAR SEEKERS follows a group of young men in a pop band who live in a world where magic is part of everyday reality. The group awakens one day to discover they possess dormant magical abilities. This fantastic tale features imaginary creatures, magic, and a fun look at the world of entertainment. The Star Seekers will be released in November 2023.

DARK MOON series

Created by HYBE With ENHYPEN

Mixing urban fantasy and teen romance, the story follows the confrontation, confusion, and chemistry between a group of vampires, a pack of werewolves, and a mysterious girl with a secret. The tale of DARK MOON is told in the form of a series of stories, starting with DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR. Combining a heroine with incredible abilities, youthful friendships, and a powerful secret, DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR brings new levity and energy to teen romance. Dark Moon will be released in December 2023.

.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!