StoriesToon glossary
Relay comic: can readers continue a published comic story?
A relay comic is a published comic that another creator can continue. On eligible published works, continuation and relay options let a second creator pick up the story or take it in a new direction while the original stays available.
What is a relay comic?
A relay comic is a published comic that another creator can continue. The continuation becomes a separate branch while the original work stays available, so the story gains a new path without replacing the first one.
One clarification first, because most questions mix the two roles: readers continue reading a comic, but they do not create the continuation. Continuing a published story is a creator-side option that the original author controls. So "can readers continue a published comic story?" resolves to: yes, when the work is eligible and its creator has enabled continuation — and the continuation is written by a creator, not by a reader.
- Relay comic
- A relay comic is a published comic that another creator can continue, creating a separate branch while the original remains available.
- Continuation
- A continuation is the act of a story carrying past its published end. Every relay comic is a continuation, but a continuation written by the original creator is not a relay.
- Branching comic
- A branching comic is one whose story develops along more than one possible path, so readers can follow a different future from the same origin.
Relay comic vs. continuation vs. branching comic
The three terms describe the same shelf from three different angles: relay describes who took the pen, continuation describes the act of the story moving past its published end, and branching describes the shape the story takes when it splits.
| Term | What it describes | Who creates it | Does the original change? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relay comic | The creator relationship — a second creator takes the pen | A second creator, on an eligible published work | No. The original stays available. |
| Continuation | The story act — the plot carries past the published end | A second creator, on an eligible published work | No. |
| Branching comic | The story structure — one story develops more than one path | A creator working from a fork point | No. |
| Fan sequel (not a platform continuation option) | An unofficial work made outside the platform's continuation settings | A reader, independently | No, but it is also not part of the relay pool. |
The distinction that matters most in practice is the last column. A relay does not overwrite anything. The original keeps its own pages, its own reading order and its own place in the gallery, and the new branch is a separate entry that links back to it.
How does a relay comic work?
A relay starts with an eligible published work, not with a blank project. The second creator chooses a direction, builds the continuation as its own work, and keeps the relationship to the original visible so readers can find both.
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01
Find an eligible public comic
The work must be published and must have continuation or relay options available. A public comic without those options enabled is not a relay candidate.
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02
Choose a direction
Continue the existing plot, or branch from a moment where the story could have gone differently. Both are continuations; only the second one creates a fork.
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03
Keep both versions discoverable
The original stays available while the new branch gives readers another path. A branch that hides the original is not a relay — it is a replacement.
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04
Review before publishing
Check characters, dialogue, names, cultural details, page order and visual continuity. A continuation inherits the original's cast, so drift is visible immediately to anyone who read the first work.
Which published comics can be continued?
Only works whose creator has enabled continuation. Continuation is a publishing setting on the individual work, not a property of the gallery, so two public comics sitting side by side can behave differently.
There is also a mode boundary worth knowing. Under the current product rules, eligible Photo Comic works can be published to the public gallery, while Story Import projects remain private. That means an imported novel or manuscript should not be described as part of the public relay pool — a Story Import project is a private working file, not a published work with a gallery page.
The practical reading: a comic becomes a relay candidate when it is both published and enabled for continuation. Everything else about the work — genre, length, art style — is irrelevant to eligibility.
See it working
A public StoriesToon example, Post Quake Daily Life, currently shows three relay branches — two first-level continuations and one second-level continuation. The second level is the part worth noticing: a continuation can itself be continued, which is what makes this a relay rather than a single fork.
Crimson Vow is an ongoing StoriesToon comic published on WEBTOON Canvas, and the official case page links a 102-page character-consistency case. The public WEBTOON Canvas listing currently shows eight episodes. Both numbers are dated snapshots rather than final totals — the series is ongoing and will continue past them.
Branch counts and episode counts are the kind of figure that changes without notice, so treat any number quoted here as the state of a public page on a particular date, not as a permanent property of the work.
Relay comic questions
Can readers continue a published comic story?
Readers continue reading a comic; they do not create the continuation. Continuing a published story is a creator-side option that the original author controls. It becomes available when the work is eligible and its creator has enabled continuation or relay options.
What is a relay comic?
A relay comic is a published comic that another creator can continue. The continuation becomes a separate branch while the original work stays available, so the story gains a new path without replacing the first one.
Does a branch replace the original comic?
No. A continuation is a separate branch. The original work remains available, and the continuation links back to it.
Is every public comic open for continuation?
No. Continuation depends on the publishing settings of the individual work and on current product rules. A public comic is not automatically a relay comic.
Can a Story Import project enter the public relay pool?
Not under the current product rules. Story Import projects remain private, while eligible Photo Comic works can be published to the public gallery.
How many continuations can one published comic have?
More than one, and they can stack. A public StoriesToon example currently shows three relay branches — two first-level continuations and one second-level continuation.
Is a relay comic the same as a continuation?
No. Continuation describes the act of the story carrying past its published end; a relay comic describes the creator relationship behind it. A relay comic is always a continuation, but a continuation by the same creator is not a relay.
How should I review a generated continuation?
Review the pages, dialogue, names, cultural details and page order before saving, exporting or publishing. Generated results can vary, so each page is checked rather than assumed.