The global storytelling platform, WEBTOON, has become home to thousands of episodic webcomics, empowering diverse comic creators and offering them the tools and opportunities to build their creative careers and keep on creating. And over the years, I have interviewed several WEBTOON Original creators who have published with WEBTOON, led successive creative careers, and enamored millions of readers worldwide with their original stories. Most recently, I interviewed Peglo, the self-taught artist and comic creator behind not just one but two WEBTOON Original series that have individually reached millions of readers.
Responsible for the story and art, Peglo crafted the sweet slice-of-life romance, To The Stars and Back, which features the introverted, aloof Kang Dae and the extroverted, excitable Bo Seon as neighbors and love interests. Originally published on WEBTOON CANVAS, To The Stars and Back launched as an Original series in April 2022 and concluded in November 2024, accumulating 1.1+ million subscribers and 153.3M+ views. Less than a year later, To The Stars and Back: Volume One was published in September 2025 as Peglo’s debut graphic novel. And now, readers can anticipate To The Stars and Back: Volume Two to be published on May 26, 2026!
Peglo is also the artist and author of the hit supernatural romance, Superfish, featuring the charismatic, conceited witch Superfish and simple, sensible high schooler DJ as reluctant allies and love interests. With magic, malicious forces, and unapologetic flirting in play, Superfish is becoming a must-read among WEBTOON Originals. Launched in November 2025, Superfish has accumulated 400,000+ subscribers and 15.5M+ views, with many readers in the comments section identifying as TTSAB fans excited to support another project from Peglo.
As a Boys’ Love (or BL) romance frequently described as a cute, cozy read by readers, To The Stars and Back will appeal to fans of awkward but heartwarming exchanges and the opposites-attract trope. Superfish, on the other hand, will appeal to fans of magical antics and the forced-proximity trope. But both offer something special for readers everywhere. With two WEBTOON Originals under his belt and such a loyal fanbase, Peglo has proven to be a creative force and advocate for queer romance.
Peglo, for readers unfamiliar with your work, can you tell us about yourself, your Original webcomic series on WEBTOON, and what drew you to comics as a creative medium?
My name is Peglo. I’m a queer comic creator who likes to make BLs. I’m currently publishing a comic on WEBTOON called Superfish. And honestly, I’ve always loved comics since I was a little kid. Since I was 10 years old, I knew that I wanted to do comics as a career. I honestly never wanted to do anything else. This was it.
I love getting invested in a story and immersed in the art style, and that always inspired me to make my own. I would like to sit in the library as a kid and just read whatever comics were available. And I was like, I want to do that. I wanna inspire people the same way that I was inspired.
What would you say inspired your ongoing Supernatural series, Superfish, and your completed Slice-of-Life series, To The Stars and Back, and their individual characters?
[To The Stars and Back] actually started as this experimental comic on my Instagram back in 2020. I was in a bit of an art rut, and I decided to do something slice-of-life, totally different than what I normally do. At the time, I did a lot of things with drama, heavy lore, and spooky elements. So I felt like, what better way to get through this art rut than to try the opposite of what I normally do?
People really enjoyed it when I started posting it on Instagram, so I decided to make it a full series. Bo Seon and Kang Dae were mainly inspired by myself. At the time, I was going through a rough patch, artistically and personally. And [Bo Seon and Kang Dae] kind of acted as a way for me to deal with my own internal struggles through my characters. So a lot of their issues, struggles, and personality are similar to mine and what I was going through.
With Superfish, it happened a little differently. I actually had this dream about Superfish, but in my dream, he was more of the bad guy. I woke up and immediately started sketching him down and writing down everything else I remembered so I wouldn’t forget. And over the years, the story just kind of developed and grew.
I drew inspiration from different things, but one of the biggest inspirations for the Superfish series was actually Howl’s Moving Castle. I was like, what if there’s a similar energy to Howl’s Moving Castle, but make it more supernatural and gay? I took a lot of inspiration from Howl and Sophie’s dynamic and banter, especially in the original book, where they’re way more at each other’s throats. I liked that dynamic a lot, especially with how stubborn, smart, and headstrong Sophie is.
Which of your original characters do you resonate most with and why?
As much as I love all of my original characters, I would have to pick Kang Dae because there are a lot of parts of him that come from me. I also connect a lot with Bo Seon, but I connect most with Kang Dae, especially when I was writing him. It flowed really easily. A lot of his insecurities and struggles to connect with people and express himself really show where I was coming from, especially growing up and not really fitting in with other kids. He can be too blunt at times, and although I never said this directly in the webtoon, much of my audience knows this because I’ve said it before. Kang Dae is actually autistic, and so am I. When I was writing him, I was putting a lot of that into him, and the reason why I don’t mention it in the actual comic is that he doesn’t even know. Instead, there are lots of little hints you can pick up on if you are also on the autism spectrum.
As Boys’ Love webcomics, what tropes can new readers anticipate from your respective series?
Superfish has kind of enemies-to-lovers, but not really. [Superfish and DJ] are not the traditional sort of hardcore enemies, but they definitely don’t get along at first. There’s banter, flirting, forced proximity, and quite a bit of angst. I held back a lot with To The Stars and Back. I promised my audience that I was not gonna go crazy with the angst in To The Stars and Back. I promised to keep [TTSAB] cozy and light, but I didn’t promise any of that in Superfish, so there will be angst. Prepare yourselves.
As a comic creator, how would you describe your creative routine and work-life balance? Do you have a favorite go-to snack when working on comics?
Honestly, I just draw all the time. It’s actually hard to find a balance between personal life and work. There’s not really a lot of spare time. It’s something I struggle with, and I tend to overwork myself. But I really do try my best to take a break when I need it.
I’m very lucky because my partner also has a WEBTOON Original series [known as Change Your Story], so we have a lot of work dates, and it is really fun to talk about our stories together and show what we’re working on. And for snacks, I usually go for good old chips, to be honest. And a lot of energy drinks.
What advice would you give to aspiring comic creators?
If you’re just doing comics as a hobby, just have fun with it and do whatever makes you happy. There are no rules to it. But if they’re hoping to do this as a career, make sure the story you choose is one that you love because the road to making comics can be very stressful and overwhelming. And it will test your sanity a lot. So if it’s not something you’re super passionate about, then it will be hard to push through and keep going during art blocks. But also, remember to take breaks, never work yourself to burnout.
Plus, plan your stories before you start. And I don’t mean you have to write everything down, and then it’s locked in forever. Plan the general arcs and have an ending. Even if you end up changing some things along the way, it’s a good idea to have a clear direction because it’s so easy to veer off in random directions, or to forget a plot point and never close it, or to write your characters into a dead end. So plan your stories. It just makes it so much easier and clearer for the audience as well.
Before it launched as an Original series with WEBTOON, To The Stars and Back was published via WEBTOON CANVAS. From a self-published series to an Original series with WEBTOON, how would you argue TTSAB evolved from its original concept?
One of the most obvious changes was that my art style evolved a lot from the CANVAS version to the Originals version. I improved my skills, and storywise, To The Stars and Back was more of a funny slice-of-life on CANVAS. When I transitioned over into an Originals series, I wanted it to be more of a fluffy, cozy romance. It was always a romance, but it was a little bit goofier in the CANVAS version. In the Originals series, I wanted it to lean more into that cozy side and dabble in some more serious topics, but I didn’t want it to be angsty. That was for Superfish.
I just wanted it to be an easy read, and I obviously talk about a lot of issues with the characters in To The Stars and Back, like bullying and child abuse. I know those are super heavy topics, but I really didn’t want it to be too heavy. So instead of focusing on what happened, I wanted to focus on the aftermath of healing instead. I really wanted the characters to have more depth in that way.
What was your experience transitioning from a CANVAS creator to an Original creator with WEBTOON? How has working directly with WEBTOON affected you as a creator?
It’s been amazing for my career. Here in Australia, which is where I live, there isn’t really an avenue to become a comic creator. It’s not really like a job that is common here, so I knew from like very early on that I had to either move to Japan or live in the U.S.
But when I found out about WEBTOON and how you could get the opportunity to become an Originals creator, I kind of locked in. And it’s fantastic because I get to work remotely in Australia and still have the reach to audiences all around the world. It’s really launched my dream career of being a comic creator, and I’m really happy about that. I wouldn’t have made it this far without WEBTOON, so I’m really happy.
With TTSAB: Volume One available for purchase and TTSAB: Volume Two releasing in late May, how does it feel to have physical copies of your series on bookstore shelves?
It’s actually insane. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it feels to hold the physical book in your hands. It’s sometimes hard to tell how much work and effort you’ve put into something when it’s on the screen and in the digital realm. So when I can touch and hold a physical copy, it really puts it into perspective just how much I put into that project. I just feel really proud of myself.
And, of course, seeing people buy copies is absolutely surreal as well. I didn’t know my book would be in bookstores here. Australia doesn’t really get stuff, so I wasn’t expecting it to make it this far.
I just went into the city one day to the big bookstore to get something nice for myself. I went to the manga section, next to the graphic novel section, and I turned my head to see a row of To The Stars and Back. My knees went weak, and I started texting my partner, Renya.
I was so excited and so overwhelmed. I probably looked like a crazy person in the bookstore, just hyperventilating over some books. But that was always my dream of walking into a bookstore and seeing it on a bookshelf. So, seeing that, I felt so honored. I don’t even know how else to describe that feeling.
Given that TTSAB is categorized as a Slice of Life and Superfish as a Supernatural series, have you used different storytelling methods based on their respective genres? Have you noted any crossover between series?
Absolutely. I had to approach both of these series very differently. The storytelling is very different for a slice-of-life and a supernatural series. But despite that, they have actually overlapped in some ways. When I did To The Stars and Back, I had never made a slice-of-life series before, so something I learned while making it was to pull back and let things in the story breathe. It taught me restraint.
With To The Stars and Back, it was focusing on the little things, and with Superfish, it is the big, dramatic, over-the-top story. I’m allowing myself to go big since that’s the point of the plot, but I still bring that element of restraint. I let my characters sit and be in the moment, whether that be spending time together or just developing on their own.
Is there anything you would like to add, or say to your fans?
Not everyone’s progress looks the same. Just because your journey doesn’t look the same as someone else’s doesn’t mean that yours doesn’t have value. Don’t give up.
Keep writing. Keep drawing. Keep being inspired. The world needs all kinds of creativity.
Remember that Peglo’s To The Stars and Back is completed and available to read on the official WEBTOON app, and Superfish will update every Monday!
