Author Kojehyeong Interview
Meet the Trending Author
vol. 239
[Ancient Animal Tales]
Author Kojehyeong | NAVER WEBTOON
Tens of millions of years ago,
other creatures roamed this earth...
Full of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure,
their unseen stories now unfold!
The story of a dinosaur resembling human life
Interview with Author Kojehyeong of <Ancient Animal Tales>,
starts right now!
[INTRO]
Q. Author Kojehyeong! It's an immense honor to have you for this interview! Please briefly introduce yourself before we begin.
A. Hello, I'm Kojehyeong, currently serializing <Ancient Animal Tales> on NAVER WEBTOON. Nice to meet you!😁
[About Kojehyeong]
Q. I read a short interview you did 8 years ago. You had been consistently dreaming of becoming a comic artist since you were a student.
Now that you are a fully-fledged webtoon author serializing your work, I'm curious how it feels to be doing what you've always wanted.
A. To be able to earn money doing what I love!
I think it's the best job ever, and I'm quite satisfied with my work.
△ A panel in progress (Provided by the author 🥰)
Q. Are there any memorable episodes from when you were preparing for your debut?
A. When I came out on leave from the military, I first heard from an older brother (who I currently share a studio with)
that a new platform called 'Manhwakyung' was opening, and thanks to that, I was able to debut quickly.
I think if I hadn't known that fact back then, I probably wouldn't be where I am today.
Q. I was amazed looking at the drawings you uploaded on Instagram.
How many hours a day do you have to practice drawing to reach that level of skill?
A. First of all, thank you so much for the compliment.
Actually, I haven't been uploading to Instagram recently, but I post my drawings every week in a private cafe with other older author friends.
I usually practice for about 1 hour a day?
However, I mostly focus on practicing animals and backgrounds needed for my serialization, and I'm just embarrassed because I feel like I've been too lazy with studying human anatomy.
Q. If there's one thing aspiring webtoon creators must equip themselves with, what would you tell them it is?
A. Patience and your own unique weapon (A specialized genre or subject matter, or the ability to draw or plot a story), I believe.
Q. Please let us know if there are any comics you loved or works you still enjoy reading!
A. I'll leave out the extremely famous works for now.
Personally, Yu Ito's <Shut Hell>, Seihou Takizawa's <Roar of the Blue Sky>,
and lastly, Juzo Tokoro's <Dino Dino>—I've bought all their physical volumes and binge-read them about once a week.
Q. Do you have any media or music you frequently listen to while working?
A. Since I mainly listen to music and broadcasts to stay awake, it's either military songs or folk songs from the American Civil War era,
and for YouTube, I mostly watch Ralo and Syuka World.
Q. Is there a work you'd like to recommend to readers who love <Ancient Animal Tales>?
A. I can't help but mention Master Juzo Tokoro's <Dino Dino>, which I brought up earlier.
Beyond just ancient creatures, I think it's the absolute peak among comics themed around animals.
If Master Juzo Tokoro were to redraw <Dino Dino> and release around 20 volumes again,
on the condition that I quit being a comic artist, I love it enough that I could retire on the spot.
Also, in terms of the work's structure, since it is an omnibus,
I sometimes get inspired by comics with completely different genres and subjects.
I was quite inspired when brainstorming episodes while watching Seihou Takizawa's <Roar of the Blue Sky> that I mentioned earlier.
Because of that, I own all of Master Seihou Takizawa's works.
They are currently all out of print, making them hard to find, but if you're interested, I highly recommend tracking them down to read.
Q. Do you have any hobbies or favorite collections?
A. My hobbies are watching anime or reading comics, and getting a good night's sleep (over 12 hours).
I'd say collecting comic books is probably my main collection.
△ Sleep well 😴
Q. Before we dive into talking about the work in earnest, I'm curious about the studio where the work is created. Please introduce it!
A. The studio is structured where we all gather at the studio of older brother Lee Hyup, who is the illustrator for the <Toemarok> webtoon.
△ Studio view
The studio members include Lee Hyup, Sangrok, who serialized the <Leveling Up from Max Level> webtoon on KakaoPage and
is currently preparing to serialize a gambling basketball comic called <Gamble Basket> (working title) on NAVER,
Seunghun, who serialized <The Secret of the Wilson Family> on Manhwakyung with me and is now preparing to serialize a zombie comic called <Widower> on NAVER, and myself.
So there are a total of 4 fixed members, and sometimes other authors come over to hang out, work together, or go out for team dinners.
△ Highly recommended 👍
[About <Ancient Animal Tales>]
Q. It hasn't been long since the work started serialization, but there was a reason I really wanted to do this interview.
The journey <Ancient Animal Tales> took until its official serialization on NAVER was quite dramatic.
From <SAURUS>, which can be considered the beginning of this work, to the current <Ancient Animal Tales>,
could you introduce the process it went through?
A. Actually, aiming for a quick debut without going to college, I was conceptualizing my debut work since winter break of my third year in high school.
Following the advice of those around me that I needed my own unique weapon, specialized subject matter, or genre,
I uploaded <SAURUS> to NAVER Challenge Comics, featuring dinosaurs—a subject I love—as the main characters.
Looking at it now, it's a completely disastrous quality that I'm truly embarrassed by, but at the time, I took it on feeling like it was an experience.
Then I thought I needed to enlist in the military quickly, and during my service, I heard from Seunghun that
'a platform called Manhwakyung is preparing to launch.'
After that, I prepared and submitted a manuscript from the military, and surprisingly, by signing a contract with Manhwakyung, I was able to debut much faster than I thought.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my infinite gratitude once again to Seunghun for giving me the information, and
to my company commander and battalion commander who allowed me to work on my manuscript during late-night study hours.
Thanks to them, I was able to make it this far. I am always thankful.
And after completing my debut work <Winter Game> on Manhwakyung, I remade <SAURUS>, which was on NAVER Best Challenge,
and serialized it under the title <Universe>.
However, when Manhwakyung ended its service during the serialization, I reinforced the lacking parts again and submitted it to the NAVER contest,
and as a result, I was safely able to serialize it on NAVER WEBTOON.
△ You can currently read 'Winter Game' on NAVER!
Q. It's a webtoon world where so many works appear and disappear that you could describe it as an avalanche.
Among them, dinosaurs are an uncommon subject matter, and the quality with which you realize this subject is also astonishing. Is there a reason you chose dinosaurs as a subject?
A. There was no grand reason to begin with. Just because I like them. That's the biggest reason.
And as for the quality of the comic, just as everyone who serializes sees their skills trend upwards as they gain years of experience,
I just think my quality went up because I gained some know-how from serializing.
Q. Not only the main character T. rex, but various dinosaurs appear in the work.
How did you conduct research on the appearing dinosaurs(?)?
A. In the past, I asked Author Galoa a few times, and recently, I mostly refer to the internet and books.
Q. Were there parts where you had to slightly alter the historical/scientific accuracy for the flow of the story?
A. Since it's not an academic journal, in that regard, some exaggerated depictions for the sake of the comic
are included to a certain extent, so I intentionally change some parts.
For example, depicting sweat when they panic, the thudding footsteps when running around, roars which aren't confirmed yet, or
Mosasaurs moving to some extent on land like modern seals or killer whales. Things like that.
Personally, I think it's 'Comic fun and progression > Accuracy'.
Still, I try to emphasize accuracy as much as possible. Because no matter how unrealistic a war movie or action comic is,
unless it's pure fantasy, if there are too many parts that clash with reality, the immersion in the work itself breaks all the same.
So, I also have the idea of perhaps posting a section on my author home or SNS explaining the parts related to accuracy that were omitted or
changed for each episode once the episode ends.
Once my buffer manuscripts pile up and stabilize, giving that a try might be another joy.
Q. It feels like watching the biography of a certain dinosaur, but in reality, it feels like a deeply human story.
If you were to personify the main characters 'Zeke' and 'Nova', how would you introduce them?
A. Zeke had many dreams and high expectations for the future,
but growing older without ever having enjoyed success or happiness,
I conceptualized him as a middle-aged/elderly man who is exhausted and broken by life, having lost hope.
△ The encounter with Nova that shakes up Zeke's life
In contrast, I conceptualized Nova as a young boy who, despite facing numerous hardships, doesn't yield
and still harbors his characteristic innocence and hope.
△ Our small but solid Nova ❣️
Q. The volleyball 'Wilson' appearing in the movie 'Cast Away' becomes the driving force that helps the protagonist endure.
However, the 'Wilson' appearing in this work torments Zeke with cruel words.
On the other hand, the appearance of Nova, who learned hope from his dad, stands at the opposite end of 'Wilson' and makes Zeke live on.
Were there intended roles when you first conceptualized the characters?
A. Since the subject matter is 'dinosaurs, ancient creatures', not humans, in order to make the readers immerse themselves,
I thought it needed to be a relationship and story that could be viewed even more simply and intuitively,
so I structured all the episodes with relationships and stories that wouldn't feel strange even if you swapped them with humans.
I initially conceptualized Wilson just as a pile of bones, but following Seunghun's advice,
he was reborn as a being projecting 'Zeke's' inner anxiety and negative emotions. Looking back now, it was a stroke of genius.
I always love you, Seunghun~
△ Zeke's greatest fear, 'Wilson'
Q. The artwork for the dinosaurs is excellent, but I believe the stable panel composition and direction are also crucial elements adding to the immersion.
I imagine it takes quite a lot of effort to work on a single episode while maintaining this level of quality.
Could you let us know what process you usually go through and how much time it takes to work on one episode?
A. Before serialization, it usually took about 8~9 days to make one episode, but from episode 12 onwards, I'm finishing the deadline within 6~7 days.
Storyboard - 1st editing (I finish sound effects, focus lines, and typesetting in advance here) - Sketching - Inking
- Coloring (When my assistant brother fills in the base colors on the masked parts and sends it over, I add the patterns and shading) - Finalizing. I work in this order.
It usually takes 3 days for the storyboard and sketch, 2 days for inking, and 1 day for coloring.
This makes a 6-day deadline; if it drags on a bit or if there's a lot of volume, it's a 7-day deadline.
Recently, I consumed some buffer manuscripts due to reserve forces training and continuous serialization, but
my goal by August is to gradually move from a 6~7 day deadline to a 5~6 day deadline, and recover 5 buffer manuscripts.
Q. Is the story mapped out until the conclusion for <Ancient Animal Tales>?
A. Because I have to go through a review of the story up to the conclusion before serializing on NAVER,
I do have a rough outline mapped out for how the episodes will start and end, but
as the serialization progresses, it may be revised, supplemented, or added to.
For me too, once the currently materialized episodes finish, I'll take a hiatus,
materialize the episodes for the next season during that period, return, and serialize continuously like this.
If I were to draw all the conceptualized episodes, it would probably exceed 300 chapters a bit.
Q. It's still early in the serialization, but it's a work I'd love to see expand into physical volumes, various merch, and even animations.
Among the content that could be reproduced based on <Ancient Animal Tales>, is there a format you're anticipating the most?
A. This is an expectation entirely fueled by my self-interest, but I love Trigger animations so much that
I would have no other wish if Trigger were to animate <Ancient Animal Tales> with the color palette and quality of <Delicious in Dungeon>.
Q. There's a lot of story left ahead, will there be new dinosaurs appearing?
Could you give us a little hint if there's an upcoming dinosaur(?) that will make dinosaur maniacs' hearts flutter?
A. Because of the mammoth on the cover, I think you might know that this comic doesn't end with Zeke and Nova's episode,
and that characters from various eras will appear, but
to give you one spoiler in advance, there is also an episode for our twisted hero, the Spinosaurus.
As an extra, there will also be an episode where a Dodo bird makes a cameo(?).
Q. How far has <Ancient Animal Tales> progressed towards the conclusion you've planned?
A. The first episode hasn't even ended, so we haven't even reached 5% of the planned story.
[Outro]
Q. I think it's a work with many reasons to watch and many reasons to recommend.
In that sense, for the readers who haven't encountered <Ancient Animal Tales> yet, please brag about this work just once!
A. I can't really think of a brag, but if you're interested, I recommend you give it a read.
Q. When you become a veteran author, is there a subject or genre you definitely want to draw?
A. As much as I like dinosaurs, I love war-related works, Westerns, and survival stories,
so later on, I definitely want to try a war comic set during the World Wars, a Western-style shonen manga set in a post-apocalyptic era,
an action comic based on the Backrooms and SCP, and once again, a survival story themed around dinosaurs.
Q. You've worked so hard answering this long interview.
You must have received many affectionate comments and questions from fans captivated by your story; are there any that stand out in your memory?
A. Surprisingly, I feel a small sense of joy and fulfillment watching people catch the subtle direction or flow
I weakly intended in the comments.
I haven't really received any specific questions, but I once saw a post analyzing the creatures appearing in my comic,
and I remember being amazed because they wrote content at such an expert level.
As expected, the 'real' ones catch everything even without explanations.
Q. Lastly, if you have any words for the readers who have loved <Ancient Animal Tales>, please feel free to share them.
A. I feel the strength and reward to serialize because so many people love and support my lacking work.
Thank you always, and I love you. I will run hard until the conclusion without disappointing the readers.
Furthermore, whenever the other brothers I share the studio with launch their works, I'll post it on my author home, so I hope you enjoy their works as well.
Thank you!
It's still early in the serialization, so there's plenty of reason to join the author on this long race!!
Thank you for being with us for this long interview 🥰
