Naver said Monday three of its web comics had been nominated in the Eisner Awards’ best web comics category, amid the South Korean internet giant’s foray into overseas markets.

According to Naver Webtoon, its web comics “Lavender Jack” by Dan Schkade, “Let’s Play” by Mongie and “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe have been nominated for the Best Webcomic for 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award. 

Other nominees in the category include “The Contradictions” by Sophie Yanow and “Tiger, Tiger” by Petra Erika Nordlund. The winner will be announced on July 19 during an awards ceremony at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

Since its inception in 1998, the Will Eisner Comic Awards have been considered the comic industry’s equivalent of the Oscars or the National Book Awards. Among its award recipients is Marvel Comics creator Stan Lee.

Since entering the US market in 2014, Naver Webtoon has carved out a user base among digital-savvy young people. According to Naver, its digital comic services had about 55 million monthly active users as of March.

(jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)