WEBTOON Turns Six Hit Webcomics Into Short Vertical Dramas, Launching August 17

WEBTOON is turning six of its most-read webcomics into short dramas — vertical, short-form video series designed for phone viewing — and all six launch on August 17.

The titles draw from comics that have already found massive audiences. "Maybe Meant to Be," a romance webcomic with over 650 million global views, leads the slate. It is joined by "Dirty Deeds" (187 million views), "Love Bites" (146 million views, adapted from the Wattpad webnovel "Bite Me"), "Rules for Dating Trash" (140 million views), "I'll Marry Your Brother" (73 million views), and "Swolemates," a comedy webcomic with over 60 million views. All viewing figures are reported by Variety, published August 17, 2026. (Variety)

Short dramas — sometimes called microdramas — are episodic video series made for vertical screens, typically running a few minutes per episode. The format has surged across streaming platforms in Asia and beyond, and WEBTOON, the comics platform owned by Webtoon Entertainment, is now adapting its own IP into that format rather than licensing it out. The launch was first reported by Mashable on August 14. (Mashable)

For readers unfamiliar with WEBTOON, the platform hosts thousands of user-created and professionally produced comics read primarily on phones, scrolling vertically panel by panel. Several of its titles have already been adapted into long-form television series, including Netflix's "Sweet Home" and "All of Us Are Dead." These six new short dramas take a different route: compressed episodes built for quick, vertical viewing rather than hour-long television.

The slate spans romance and comedy. "Maybe Meant to Be" and "Dirty Deeds" bring the biggest existing audiences. "Love Bites" carries an extra layer of adaptation history — it began as a Wattpad webnovel called "Bite Me" before becoming a webcomic, and is now becoming a short drama. "Swolemates" is the lone comedy title among five romance-driven projects.

What makes the slate notable is the numbers behind it. Combined, these six webcomics have drawn over 1.2 billion global views. WEBTOON is betting that readers who scrolled through the comics will watch the stories they already know in a new format — and that the vertical short-drama audience, which has grown largely through original microdrama productions, will follow familiar titles into the space.

All six WEBTOON Short Dramas are available from August 17.