ENHYPEN takes Dark Moon to Comic-Con and makes K-pop history
ENHYPEN appeared as official SDCC panelists on July 23, spotlighting HYBE's Dark Moon IP, vampire lore and its U.S. fandom.
First K-pop Artist to Attend San Diego Comic-Con Panel
The group ENHYPEN has taken the stage at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), the largest comic convention in the United States. At the event held on the 23rd (local time) at the San Diego Convention Center in California, ENHYPEN attended as official panelists, an unprecedented move for a K-pop artist. Given the nature of Comic-Con, which focuses on comics, graphic novels, and animation, this marks the first time a K-pop singer has appeared as a panelist.
This participation follows the success of 'Dark Moon,' an original story built upon ENHYPEN's universe by HYBE. The 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' IP, which has expanded into webtoons, animation, and web novels with a cumulative 200 million views, has confirmed significant demand in the US market.
Discussing Character Synchronicity Using 'Vampire' Concept
During the panel talk, the members of ENHYPEN mentioned their high synchronicity with the 'Dark Moon' characters. Jungwon stated, "Our personalities are reflected heavily in the 'Dark Moon' story, so I feel the characters are even more like us than we are ourselves."
Park Sung-hoon highlighted the strength of the vampire concept, saying, "Even when we transform into bats or show special abilities in music videos, fans naturally understand it as long as the 'vampire' setting is established, without needing lengthy explanations."
The venue was attended by film industry figures, including Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, as well as Peter Facinelli and Ashley Greene. The ENHYPEN members expressed their familiarity with vampire themes, noting that they grew up watching those films. Bak Tae Ho, head of HYBE's Next Entertainment Business Division, reported that local interest in 'Dark Moon' was confirmed through the Preview Night and the panel talk.
IP Expansion and Individual Member Activities
ENHYPEN is expanding its IP business beyond music into webtoons and animation utilizing 'Dark Moon.' Meanwhile, member NI KI has been selected as an ambassador for the ice cream brand Goldstar. Goldstar plans to conduct marketing through offline stores and SNS for approximately one year starting from late July, with NI KI leading the campaign.
ENHYPEN will make a comeback next month on the 21st with their 8th mini album, 'THE SIN : BLISS.'
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