LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) March 18, 2016 -- LINE Webtoon, the popular digital comic publisher pioneering the development and distribution of comics worldwide, today announced the launch of Helios : Femina, the first original comic series from digital superstar Michelle Phan. As a passion project that has been brewing since she was eleven, the launch of Helios : Femina finally allows Phan to add Comic Creator to her impressive resume, further expanding her digital empire into the realm of comics. Helios : Femina will be a 26-chapter story—with the first 3 chapters available now— delving into a near-future world of oppression, where the elemental powers of healing in the hands of one young heroine may save humanity.
Helios : Femina is set in the not too distant future, where alien technology has destroyed the landscape and the citizens of the world now bow to a singular government. Elemental magic and ancient alchemy have been unearthed and rediscovered. With no knowledge of her birthright, Rhea, a young songstress of divine origin slowly awakens her true powers, subsequently releasing the seal on her guardian, BeBo. As a master alchemist and her sworn protector, BeBo must convince her to let him guide her toward her destiny, embarking on perhaps one of the greatest odysseys of all time.
“Helios : Femina has been a project many years in the making for me. I actually first came up with the concept when I was a kid, so I’m really excited to finally share the first chapters of my creation.” says Phan. “It’s going to be amazing to be able to interact with readers with every chapter of Rhea’s story.”
“We’re really proud of our wide appeal to female comic readers, and we couldn’t do that without partners like Michelle creating such digital native, quality content that fans are excited to read,” said JunKoo Kim, Founder and Head of LINE Webtoon. “Michelle’s creativity and passion for comics resulted in a unique, compelling story that we are excited to share as an addition to the LINE Webtoon today.”
Today’s launch of Helios : Femina follows LINE Webtoon’s recent announcements of collaborations with Beth Behrs and Discover success story Kaitlyn Narvaza, further proving LINE Webtoon’s dedication to working with female creators and making it possible for creators without traditional comic backgrounds to successfully share their work with an audience of avid comic readers.
In support of Helios : Femina, Phan will also be a panelist at LINE Webtoon’s SXSW debut as part of its panel event titled “Women in Digital Comics” where she will join Beth Behrs (Dents), Kaitlyn Narvaza (Where Tangents Meet, Sirens Lament), Susanna Nousiainen (ShootAround), and Sandra Diaz (Supersonic Girl) for a conversation with LINE Webtoon Head of Content Tom Akel about their new titles, what it’s like developing comics in the current climate, and how they’re reaching their audiences through broad digital distribution.
Fans can submit questions for Michelle in the comments section of Helios : Femina or by using the hashtag #WebtoonSXSW on social media. Fans can then watch the panel live at 1:30pm ET on the SXSW channel on Twitch at twitch.tv/sxswgaming.
Fans can access the first three chapters of Phan’s comic here. New chapters will available be on LINE Webtoon every Sunday beginning March 27. To download the official LINE Webtoon app, visit the Apple App Store and Google Play.
About LINE Webtoon:
LINE Webtoon is a popular digital comic service available on smartphones, tablets and web browsers, launched by NAVER, Korea’s top search portal. Pioneering distribution and consumption of digital comics worldwide, LINE Webtoon is taking the comic experience to the next level by providing readers with daily curated content from around the globe, and giving creators an intuitive platform designed to help them easily publish and publicize their own original content.
http://www.webtoons.com
About NAVER:
NAVER Corporation is Korea’s premier Internet company, operating the nation’s top search portal 'NAVER.’ NAVER was launched in June 1999 and has since stood at the forefront of the growth of Korea’s search service. NAVER has introduced many innovative search services over the years, such as ‘Comprehensive Search’ and ‘Knowledge iN.’ NAVER offers innovative mobile services for the global market, including the mobile messenger LINE through LINE Corporation, NAVER’s subsidiary. NAVER launched the Webtoon service in June 2004 in Korea and has pioneered distribution and consumption of webtoons, also known as digital comics. The service receives more than 6 million hits per day from unique visitors and has accumulated more than 30 billion chapters’ reads. NAVER launched the LINE Webtoon service worldwide on July 2, 2014.
http://www.navercorp.com/en
About Michelle Phan:
Michelle Phan is a digital pioneer, who trail-blazed her way in the world of fashion and beauty on YouTube. With a growing global community of over 8 million, Michelle’s videos have been viewed more than 1 billion times, making her one of the most watched talents in the digital space. She is an award-winning content creator, and was recently honored with the first-ever Streamy ICON award, and the 2015 People’s Voice Webby Award for Best How-To and DIY Channel. Michelle has also been on Forbes 2015 30 Under 30 list in the category of Art and Style and Inc’s 30 Under 30 Coolest Entrepreneurs of 2015. Michelle produces, directs, stars in and edits all of her own work, and has released over 300 videos since 2007.
http://michellephan.com/
Nikki Liberatore, DKC, +1 (212) 981-5168, [email protected]
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