Are you a lover of colorfully modern fairy tales with BL elements? Or are you looking for a horror story that will send a string of chills down your spine? Today, I am pleased to introduce a WEBTOON creator who has created two series that will individually entice horror and fairy tale fans alike.
Webcomic creator and cosplayer Marty LeGrow, otherwise known online as Punko published the horror icon and WEBTOON Originals comic Stagtown in March 2021. For two years, the story of Stagtown progressed and readers became more engrossed in its main cast of characters investigating the strange happenings in their town. Protagonist Frankie Parker acts as the brains. Meanwhile, her friends Felix and Jeremy act as the brawn and heart of their inquisitive trio, winning many fans’ affection and respect.
According to comic reviewers and the comment section, Stagtown is a shining example of what horror in comics has the potential to be. It showcases creativity, character development, unique narrative, elements of mystery, eerie imagery, and a keen eye for what makes horror truly horrifying. Like classic homages to horror, the comic Stagtown establishes suspense that leaves readers wanting more with every chapter. If you love horror and have time to kill, I highly recommend reading Stagtown.
In June 2023, Stagtown came to an end, and Punko took the opportunity to announce to her many fans that WEBTOON Originals had picked up another CANVAS series from her called Cinderella Boy, which would take place in a universe separate from Stagtown and feature an entirely new cast of colorful characters, including a quirky new main protagonist named Chase Hollow. Offering colorful and comedic elements, Cinderella Boy is a unique concoction, with a fun reflection of fairy tales, that can easily appeal to fans of other fairy tale-based comics like Cursed Princess Club. If you love fairy tales like me, you will love Cinderella Boy and its reinvention of classic tales.
Two years after the official end of Stagtown and the announcement of Cinderella Boy, in January 2025, fans were thrilled to learn that Stagtown would return and be adapted into a live-action horror film by LuckyChap Entertainment and Wattpad WEBTOON Studios. Filmmaker and VFX arist Benjamin Brewer will write and direct the film rendering of Stagtown, which will follow Frankie, Jeremy, and Felix as they discover increasingly horrifying elements of their town. With this, Stagtown joins the growing list of to-be-adapted WEBTOON webcomics and I was provided the privilege of interviewing Punko. Keep reading to learn more about Punko, her comics, and her creative process.
Can you tell us about yourself and your past and current projects?
I’m a comics creator living in Pennsylvania and have a degree in comics from Savannah College of Art and Design! My very first book series was Bizenghast, published by TOKYOPOP, and most recently I started to write and draw Cinderella Boy for WEBTOON!
What led you to become a comic creator?
I’ve always loved storytelling and the various creative elements that go into being a comic artist, from costume design to storyboarding to pacing! I love it because it combines so many different disciplines into one project.
As a comic creator, how would you describe your creative process?
Pretty methodical…I have certain days of the week set aside for scripting, then laying out each new episode, and then working on the actual art before passing it off to my colorist. But when I’m thinking about new storylines, things get very erratic. During those times, you can find me walking the streets in the middle of the night, hiking on a trail at midday, or staring into the drinks fridge at the local convenience store while having an idea.
How do you balance creative projects?
Mostly by avoiding having TV or streaming services, and having a blocker app on my phone that limits access to social media and time-killing apps like TikTok to just two hours a day. It really frees up a lot of time!
Who or what would you argue inspired your storytelling style?
Definitely the works of Jim Henson, Brian Froud, Junji Ito, Rumiko Takahashi, Kenji Tsuruta, and other favorite artists and creators from when I was a kid! Especially Jim Henson and his work on Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and other films like that. I also loved the MYST games as a kid and really developed a love for worldbuilding from playing those.
What would you suggest to any aspiring comic creators?
Becoming a successful creator is not about being the best artist or writer ever…it’s about being as good as you can be now and finding your niche of readers who appreciate your work. Then working very hard to make that pay off!
How do you spend your free time outside of creating comics?
Working out with a personal trainer and going to metal concerts and weird shows with friends.
What originally led you to use WEBTOON as a platform to publish your comics?
I won an Honorable Mention in a storytelling contest years ago on WEBTOON and decided to expand that story on their Canvas side. After that, I won Silver in another of their contests, and from that, they noticed the story I was doing on Canvas and picked it up for Originals publication.
What was your experience using WEBTOON CANVAS first and then maneuvering to WEBTOON ORIGINALS?
It’s been a weird adaptation from monthly letters from comic readers to weekly comment sections online, as well as the ups and downs of posting in an app format instead of print. But there are a lot of benefits to being able to hear directly from people as they read your story, and get their feedback on the plot, etc.
How has working directly with WEBTOON affected you as a creator?
I definitely learned to take time for myself more often to keep from overworking, and I’ve been better at letting something go and posting it without stressing that it isn’t absolutely perfect. Turns out readers would rather see “Done and Now”, instead of “Perfect and Never”.
How would you describe your relationship with your audience? For example, does your audience play a role in what happens next in your story?
I try not to let the readers dictate where the story goes by their comments because they don’t know the whole story or see the ending like I do. But if something is bothering them, I will go back and try to fix it and repost it for them (it’s nice to be on an app and not print, where you can make changes like that!). And it’s important to keep track of what your readership thinks about certain things…if they seem to feel a minor plotline is dragging, I may wrap it up a bit quicker than I would have.
We are actually running a fun bit of hiatus content now, in the form of a dating-sim style of 8 episodes, where readers directly control the actions in the story as it progresses via weekly polls, and that’s been really fun! They always surprise me with what they choose to do in the story!
With Stagtown set to be adapted into a live-action film, do you anticipate playing a large role in the adaptation process?
I’ve had a meeting with the director and Ben has been absolutely fantastic, really wants to get the backstory and input on the series in order to inform the movie scripts. He’s very much a writer and creator himself who understands the value of consulting the original creator in order to shape the final adaptation, and I think I’ll have a fair amount of input to give on the scripts. But really, the whole project has so many phenomenal people working on it that I feel like whatever level of involvement I have, it’s in really good hands.
Do you foresee the plot changing to adjust to the big screen?
Naturally, when you change formats so drastically, there will be changes. You can’t condense two years and a hundred episodes into one single movie without having to make a lot of adjustments. But that’s just the nature of the beast and I actually really like doing that sort of thing. I take it as a challenge to see what can be preserved from the original material, and what can be improved on thanks to the different format.
With Stagtown written as a Horror series and Cinderella Boy written as a Comedy Romance, do you notice any crossover between characters? Do you have separate writing routines for writing different genres?
I definitely collab more on the comedy series, because I have friends who have done comedy with me in the past, and having them give their input on jokes and material is invaluable. Stagtown was more of a singular focus project, while Cinderella Boy definitely has more input and feedback from friends and colleagues. And I like to think that Stagown was horror with a tiny bit of comedy in it, while Cinderella Boy is comedy with a tiny bit of (very G-rated) horror in it, especially around the finale. Not enough to be family-unfriendly, but just enough that readers of Stagtown see it peeking through and excitedly point it out.
Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
Chase Hollow, Like, and Follow.
Just a friendly reminder that Stagtown wrapped up in June 2023 and is available to binge via WEBTOON. Cinderella Boy is currently on hiatus for the foreseeable future, so it is arguably the perfect time to read its first season! And if you want to support Punko further and gain access to sneak peeks, bonus content, and more, consider signing up for her Patreon for as little as one dollar a month!
