Webtoon 'Lore Olympus' wins Harvey award for 2nd consecutive year

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Thu, November 30, 2023 | 00:20

Webtoon 'Lore Olympus' wins Harvey award for 2nd consecutive year

Posted : 2022-10-11 09:35

Updated : 2022-10-12 08:42

Naver Webtoon's digital comic, "Lore Olympus" / Courtesy of Naver Webtoon

By Dong Sun-hwa

"Lore Olympus," Naver Webtoon's romantic fantasy digital comic, won a Harvey award for the second year in a row, Saturday.

Created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe, "Lore Olympus" was named the Digital Book of the Year at this year's Harvey Awards, one of the most prestigious awards recognizing achievements in comic books. It was established in 1988 in honor of American writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman.

This is the first time that a digital comic has won in the category for two years straight.

The trophy for "Lore Olympus," the winner of the Digital Book of the Year award at this year's Harvey Awards / Courtesy of Naver Webtoon

"Thank you so much to everyone for all the support," Smythe tweeted, Saturday. "I feel so lucky to have received this award for the 2nd time."

A Naver Webtoon official said: "We are so glad to have teamed up with Smythe, who just made new history. Naver Webtoon, which has strived to broaden the horizons of webcomics through investments since 2014, will continue to work hard to enhance their value."

"Lore Olympus" is a fantasy webtoon set in the modern world, which follows Hades, the ancient Greek god of the dead and the king of the underworld, and Persephone, the goddess of spring who later becomes the queen of the underworld.

It was first uploaded in Naver Webtoon's "Canvas" section, where amateur artists can debut as professional webtoonists if their works draw positive reactions from viewers. As of today, there are approximately 820,000 amateur artists on the platform.

Since its 2018 debut, "Lore Olympus" has garnered more than 1.2 billion views, with many praising its unique drawing style and use of color. In July, it nabbed the Best Webcomic award at the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.

sunhwadong@koreatimes.co.kr