Banijay Kids and Family is about to start a new chapter in its publishing business by turning adventure toon Totally Spies! into a series of digital comics.

In a deal with Editions Dupuis, Banijay will launch a webtoon for kids ages six and up on the Belgian publisher’s ONO platform later this year. It stars the same three teenaged spies from the classic 2D-animated series, which ran for a total of six seasons from 2001 to 2013. They move to a different city and face a fresh crop of villains in the webtoon, which is designed to pave the way for an animated series reboot that Gulli and Discovery Kids LatAm will premiere in 2024.

The French-language comics will drop on a weekly basis on ONO, and other language rights are available.

Digital comics are a new and more modern way for kids to read, keeping Banijay on top of evolving entertainment trends touching its audience, said the company’s new business and strategic alliances director Annick Bizet in a release.

The format is also specifically made for smartphone consumption, an important growth opportunity as device ownership among kids continues to age down. A June 2022 report from Allied Market Research says the value of the global webtoon market will increase from US$3.7 billion in 2021 to US$56.1 billion by 2030 as the media form expands beyond the Asian regions where it originated.

Digital publisher WEBTOON is certainly experiencing success in this space. The company has 1.5 million-plus comics on its online platform, which caters to a global user base of more than 80 million active readers. Last May, WEBTOON tapped Surge Licensing to serve as its exclusive North American licensing agent and build consumer products programs around its popular titles.