NEW YORK, NY – WEBTOON Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company unveiled an ambitious new slate of reformatted comic series and original webcomics at New York Comic Con (NYCC) 2025, held from October 9-12. The announcement deepens their strategic partnership, aiming to transform iconic stories from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and 20th Century Studios into mobile-friendly, vertical-scroll formats for a global audience.
The collaboration not only expands the existing library of adapted titles but also introduces a new digital comics platform and includes Disney’s planned acquisition of a 2% equity interest in WEBTOON Entertainment, signaling a significant commitment to the burgeoning digital comics market.
Broadening the Digital Canvas: New Reformatted Titles Revealed
Fans can anticipate a diverse “next wave” of beloved series joining the WEBTOON platform, providing a fresh vertical-scroll experience for classic narratives. These additions build upon previously launched reformatted titles such as Amazing Spider-Man (2022-present), Avengers (2012), Star Wars (2015), Alien (2021), and Disney As Old As Time: A Twisted Tale.
The newly announced reformatted series include:
- Astonishing X-Men (2004)
- The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl
- Stitch Samurai: The Complete Collection
- Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White & Red
- Star Wars: Lost Stars
These titles aim to captivate both long-time fans and new readers by delivering beloved stories in a format optimized for mobile devices.
Original Webcomic Series and Expanded Universes
Beyond reformatting existing comics, the partnership is also fostering the creation of brand-new original webcomic series based on Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and 20th Century Studios properties. These original narratives are designed to introduce fresh adventures and expand the universes of fan-favorite characters.
Among the original series teased at NYCC 2025 are:
- Arendelle Chronicles: A Frozen spin-off exploring the kingdom through the eyes of royal guards, merchants, and forest inhabitants before Elsa’s reign.
- Star Command: The Early Years: An origin story featuring a young Buzz Lightyear, drawing on Toy Story‘s classic style, depicting his academy life and early galactic threats.
- A Disney Villains Team-Up Comic: Promised to be a darker, edgier take, allowing iconic villains to collaborate in new, unexpected ways.
These original webcomics represent a strategic move to offer deeper dives into established worlds and characters, catering to a mobile-native generation.
A Unified Digital Comics Platform and Disney’s Investment
A significant development stemming from this collaboration is the planned creation of an all-new digital comics platform. This platform is set to integrate over 35,000 comics from Disney’s extensive portfolio, including Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and 20th Century Studios, into a single subscription service. The service will support both the vertical-scroll format popularized by WEBTOON and traditional comic book layouts.
As part of the broader Disney+ Perks program, Disney+ subscribers will gain exclusive access to a curated selection of comic titles within this new app at no additional charge, enhancing the value proposition for existing subscribers and drawing new users into the digital comics ecosystem. This initiative expands upon Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s current digital comics service, by incorporating a wider array of Disney content and select WEBTOON Original stories.
The partnership underscores a larger trend of digital innovation in the comics industry, driven by the increasing demand for accessible digital content and WEBTOON’s expansive global user base, with approximately 85.6 million monthly users worldwide, 75% of whom are under 34 years old. Disney’s planned 2% equity stake in WEBTOON Entertainment further solidifies this alliance, reflecting strong investor confidence and a long-term vision for the companies’ joint future in digital storytelling.
The Future of Storytelling: Engaging New Audiences
Both WEBTOON and Disney emphasize that the collaboration aims to revolutionize how fans engage with their favorite stories and characters. By combining Disney’s legendary storytelling prowess with WEBTOON’s expertise in mobile-friendly, vertical-scroll comics, the partnership seeks to introduce iconic franchises to a new generation of mobile-native fans and provide existing fans with novel ways to experience beloved series.
This multi-year collaboration, initially announced in August 2025, is poised to create a seamless ecosystem that connects comics, movies, and streaming, leveraging the strengths of both entertainment giants to expand their intellectual properties across diverse media and reach wider demographics. The announcement at NYCC 2025 highlights a pivotal moment for digital comics, promising a wealth of new content and innovative reading experiences for fans worldwide.
