Disney Inks Webtoon Deal as Amazing Spider-Man Leads Push to Vertical Comics

You’ve heard of The Force, but now there’s The Scroll. DisneyDIS

just signed a multiyear deal with vertical scroll app WebtoonWBTN

to reformat Star Wars, Marvel, and 20th Century titles as virtual comics. Boasting 155M monthly users, the deal taps into Webtoon’s Gen Z audience and sent its stock surging over 80% this week.

• Targeting about 100 titles, the partnership will repurpose Disney’s existing catalogue and produce all-new originals — beginning with Spider-Man, Avengers, and Alien.
• Disney’s innovation head called the deal “one of the biggest we have ever done,” but guarded financials — noting the firms will create content using traditional (non-AI) methods.

What’s next: While the deal proved popular with investors,WBTN

still sits far below last year’s IPO price. A series of disappointing earnings sent the stock to a ~70% discount, amid category hurdles like declining reader engagement and rampant piracy. That said, the Mouse House arrangement could bring fresh sales, as Q3’s $390M guidance perches above the $347.9M posted last year. The crossover looks cinematic, and it’s time to find out whether Spider‑Man can spin that guidance into gold.