Reviewed by:

• Understanding Korean Webtoon Culture: Transmedia Storytelling, Digital Platforms, and Genres by Dal Yong Jin
• Hojin Song

As the first monograph on South Korean (hereafter Korean) webtoons, Dal Yong Jin's new book, Understanding Korean Webtoon Culture: Transmedia Storytelling, Digital Platforms, and Genres, examines webtoons as a pivotal cultural product poised to shape the next generation of hallyu. Webtoons represent a novel youth culture that has evolved through integration of digital media, originating from print comics (manhwa). Distinguished from their printed counterparts, webtoons captivate audiences with their distinctive vertical format, vibrant color palettes, purposeful spacious layouts, and imaginative incorporation of sounds and visual effects. This book delves deep into "a critical understanding of webtoons as a transnational media phenomenon" (8), shedding light on their technological development, the political, economic, and sociocultural factors that underpin their significance, platformization, and their emergence as a transnational, transmedia storytelling phenomenon.

In its exploration of the evolution of webtoons, Understanding Korean Webtoon Culture divides their history into four chronological eras, effectively charting their development. The inception of webtoons can be traced back to the late 1990s, when they rapidly emerged as a prominent facet of youth culture. During the first generation, webtoons owed their growth to advancements in the internet and the establishment of websites. Transitioning into the early 2000s, major internet portals, such as Daum and Naver, began to offer their own dedicated webtoon pages. These platforms, during the second era, fostered distinct attributes that set webtoons apart from traditional manhwa. The third era was ushered in by the advent of mobile phone technology and government-driven investment, resulting in an expansive diversification of genres and themes with richer and more elaborate storylines. Consequently, webtoons evolved into primary source material for big-screen adaptations. In the most recent era, spanning from the mid- to late-2010s, webtoons entered a phase of convergence [End Page 686] with social media, expanding globally and solidifying their status as a significant cultural export.

The concept of platformization provides a framework to effectively examine the production of webtoons, especially in discussing the political economy of webtoon platforms and their role within the Korean cultural industries. Platformization refers to "a strategy used by cultural firms that focuses on the value of the digital platform ecosystem and seeks to facilitate and expand integration, orchestrate resources, compose services and encourage joint creation among relevant actors" (50). Of particular significance is the evolving relationship between webtoon platforms and the creators themselves, known as webtoonists, within the context of mega webtoon platforms. The structural dimension of platformization, exemplified by the substantial investments, integration efforts, and subsidization of webtoon operations by these mega platforms, raises concerns about the potential monopolization of a select few webtoon companies. This concentration, in turn, affects artists by funneling them towards a limited number of platforms, potentially stifling genre diversity. The platformization of the intellectual property aspect of webtoons can also have adverse effects, depriving artists of opportunities to secure more favorable terms for their work after the initial publication of their original webtoons.

Two important facets of the emerging digital culture inherent to webtoons are snack culture and binge reading. Snack culture refers to "the habit of quick consumption of information and cultural resources on mobile platforms" (81). Binge reading describes the practice of individuals immersing themselves in webtoon series for extended periods, forgoing the practice of patiently awaiting subsequent episodes. This trend gained traction in tandem with the freemium business model, where readers pay for webtoon episodes rather than awaiting their gradual release over time. Snack culture and binge consumption have exerted substantial influence, not only within the realm of webtoons but also across other cultural forms, such as film, dramas, and platform-based business models. This culture of impatience underscores the ways in which fans are leveraged and their leisure time is monopolized by webtoon platforms, mirroring analogous dynamics observed in other cultural industries, like gaming and OTT (over-thetop) platforms.

Webtoons have successfully entered the realm of transmedia storytelling in the context of big-screen culture. A notable example explored in Chapter 4...

审阅者：

• 了解韩国网络漫画文化：跨媒体叙事、数字平台和流派作者： Dal Yong Jin
• 宋浩真

作为第一本关于韩国（以下简称韩国）网络漫画的专着，Dal Yong Jin 的新书《理解韩国网络漫画文化：跨媒体讲故事、数字平台和流派》将网络漫画视为塑造下一代韩流的关键文化产品。网络漫画代表了一种新颖的青年文化，这种文化是通过数字媒体的整合而发展起来的，起源于印刷漫画（漫画）。与印刷版漫画不同，网络漫画以其独特的垂直格式、充满活力的调色板、有目的的宽敞布局以及声音和视觉效果的富有想象力的结合来吸引观众。本书深入探讨了“对网络漫画作为一种跨国媒体现象的批判性理解”（8），阐明了网络漫画的技术发展、支撑其重要性、平台化及其作为跨国媒体的出现的政治、经济和社会文化因素。跨媒体讲故事现象。

在探索网络漫画的演变过程中，《理解韩国网络漫画文化》将其历史分为四个按时间顺序排列的时代，有效地描绘了其发展。网络漫画的兴起可以追溯到 20 世纪 90 年代末，当时它们迅速成为青年文化的一个重要方面。在第一代，网络漫画的发展归功于互联网的进步和网站的建立。进入 2000 年代初期，Daum 和 Naver 等主要互联网门户网站开始提供自己的专用网络漫画页面。这些平台在第二个时代培育了网络漫画与传统漫画不同的独特属性。第三个时代是由移动电话技术的出现和政府驱动的投资带来的，导致类型和主题的广泛多样化以及更丰富和更复杂的故事情节。因此，网络漫画演变成大屏幕改编的主要来源材料。在最近的时代，即2010年代中后期，网络漫画进入了与社交媒体融合的阶段[完第686页]，在全球范围内扩张并巩固了其作为重要文化出口的地位。

平台化的概念提供了一个有效审视网络漫画制作的框架，特别是在讨论网络漫画平台的政治经济学及其在韩国文化产业中的作用时。平台化是指“文化企业采用的一种战略，重点关注数字平台生态系统的价值，寻求促进和扩大整合、协调资源、组合服务并鼓励相关参与者联合创造”（50）。特别重要的是，在大型网络漫画平台的背景下，网络漫画平台与创作者本身（称为网络漫画家）之间不断发展的关系。平台化的结构维度，以这些大型平台对网络漫画运营的大量投资、整合努力和补贴为例，引起了人们对少数网络漫画公司潜在垄断的担忧。这种集中反过来又影响了艺术家，将他们集中到有限的平台上，可能会扼杀流派的多样性。网络漫画知识产权方面的平台化也会产生不利影响，剥夺艺术家在原创网络漫画首次出版后为其作品争取更优惠条件的机会。

网络漫画固有的新兴数字文化的两个重要方面是零食文化和狂欢阅读。零食文化是指“在移动平台上快速消费信息文化资源的习惯”（81）。狂欢阅读描述了人们长时间沉浸在网络漫画系列中，放弃耐心等待后续剧集的做法。这种趋势与免费增值商业模式一起获得了关注，在这种模式中，读者为网络漫画剧集付费，而不是等待它们随着时间的推移逐渐发布。零食文化和狂欢消费不仅在网络漫画领域，而且在电影、戏剧和基于平台的商业模式等其他文化形式中都产生了巨大的影响。这种不耐烦的文化凸显了粉丝被网络漫画平台利用的方式以及他们的休闲时间被垄断的方式，反映了在游戏和OTT（OTT）平台等其他文化产业中观察到的类似动态。

网络漫画已成功进入大屏幕文化背景下的跨媒体叙事领域。第 4 章探讨了一个值得注意的例子......