CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE
B. Some Pertinent Ideas
3. Webtoon Application
Webtoon is another kind of visual entertainment which is increasingly popular among the young generation. Presented as a comic strip, the majority of the visual components in a webtoon series are intermingled with vocal text. Webtoons have several aspects that distinguish them from traditional comics, such as a more open layout, vibrant visuals, and vertical reading ways that continue to the conclusion of anything. The name "webtoon" originates from South Korea, where it first appeared in 2003. According to Lim and Ha in Ji (2016), a webtoon is a combination of two terms, namely "website" and "cartoon," and it refers to comics that are published on the internet and adapted for computer displays.
However, Ji (2016) also explained why the term "webtoon" is used more than "webcomic" because there are some differences in the meaning of webcomic from other countries. For example in webcomics from America and Europe, comic
artists tend to maintain the traditional comic style by opening the next page to see the continuation of the comic on the page. In other words, the comic is a traditional type of comic whose distribution is expanded which is reproduced on screen with colorful digital images. In Japan, which is known to have its own comic style, namely manga, webcomic itself does not have a big influence because conventional comics with paper are still the most loved market there.
According to Djiwandono (2018), Webtoon has the potential to influence how young people read and print ideas. Webtoon is a Korean term for web comics that combines the words "web" and "cartoon." Initially, several various words were used to refer to the digital comics that were published on Korean websites. Webmic (a combination of "web" and "comics"), for example, was quickly supplanted by Webtoon (a combination of "web" and "cartoon"; Song Yosep 123). In the year 2000, Ch'ollian's Korean online portal launched a new site for internet comics called
"Webtoon," although most of the comics on the site followed traditional print forms, with page layouts fashioned after printed pages. Webtoon was also used to refer to flash animation for a short time, however that connotation disappeared quickly (Pak Sohwan 128).
According to eka (2019) webtoon is a popular Korean art which spreads very quickly among the younger generation because it is easily accessible, provides many genres, webtoon publication is also fast and makes readers feel curious. This is great for the learner to get the main thing in the webtoon story and become a multitasking tool.
Webtoon became the standard term for comics that are created and consumed on the internet in Korea. Among many differences between print and web comics, the most significant is the Webtoons vertical layout. Before vertical layout Webtoons, comics’ creators who published their works on internet portal site such as N4 and Comics Today (K’miksu t’sudei) in 1999-2000 created horizontal pages that were designed to fit landscape layout of a page of conventional comics’ format at the time (Pak Inha 69-70). Once the vertical layout appeared, it was quickly adopted by many artists and now dominates Webtoon format. Sim Sunghyon's Pape and Papos Memories, serialized on a group blog page on Daum, a Korean website, in 2002, was the first Korean web comic to employ this few forms (Pak Inha 68). It had a vertical layout, and readers could read it by using the mouse's scroll wheel.
Sunjong manwha (A romance comic), created by well-known Webtoon artist Kang P'ul and serialized on the Daum platform the next year, 2003, was the comic that sparked the popularity of this vertical layout style.Teaching reading narrative text using Webtoon Comic is really helpful for the students because Webtoon Comic consists of colorful pictures, great stories, and digital media which will be very important for the students. Since webtoon comic can be an interesting thing to attract students in learning English. Because the stories that they convey accompanied by verbal expressions and realistic colorful illustrations can easily be understood by teenagers. Among the various media, comic is chosen considering many advantages offered by it. According to Rokhayani, Ririn, & Utari (2014) that, comic help students to deal with spoken and even informal language. Moreover, they prevent students from sounding bookish as many of them are only exposed to
written, formal language. Using Webtoon comics as a media for teaching students’
reading ability might be very pleasing and interesting for students, the pictures which are provided able to give students clues and a spark of interest which can help students to read much more easily. Comics have a higher level of engagement or reader participation, and a greater emphasis is placed on pacing out the narrative to create a sense of “being there”. Comic can be one of many media to teach reading easily. Comics are an art form using a series of static images in a fixed sequence.
Using Webtoon Comic as a means for teaching students’ reading ability can be very pleasing and interesting for students. By using Webtoon Comic students will be more interested and more active in learning. They will feel something new and different from what they usually get in their class.