Some media translate perfectly to digital form. Others take that a step further and are ideal for mobile. I always thought comics would eventually be among the latter. With high resolution screens, we can admire the artwork in a comic right from our smartphones. ComiXology brought that idea to life with its iPhone app. Now they have one for Android, and if you’re at all a fan of comic books it is an absolute must-have. I’ve had a hard time putting it down since picking it up yesterday.
The app itself works simply as you might imagine. After downloading it from the market and running it, you can search from among comiXology’s library, which includes more than 2,500 comics for purchase and 300 comics for free. I started milling around in the free section just to get a feel for it. But before long I was going through the paid section and doing my best to not spend an entire paycheck on various issues. The selection certainly leaves little to be desired.
Once you’ve downloaded a comic you can read it right in comiXology’s built-in reader. The controls on this are brilliant. It moves one panel at a time, which means you’re not tempted to look down the page or to the next one. There are also some easy transitions from certain panels to the next, which helps enhance the reading experience. Some of the larger panels, half page and full page, might be a bit tough to see, but you can pinch to zoom. Double tapping brings you back to the far view.
The best way to describe the comiXology reader is to liken it to watching a movie of stills — a video game cut scene, perhaps. There is no live animation, but there certainly appear to be transitions between frames. Again, this is not akin to the experience of reading a physical comic book, but I like it just the same.
I understand that some purists wouldn’t deign to view their comics in digital format. I know plenty of bibliophiles who feel similarly about e-books. There are definitely downsides to the digital experience, and I will always acknowledge those. For instance, if I buy a comiXology comic it’s kind of tough to share with a friend, whereas when I buy a physical comic it’s inevitable that I’ll lend it to someone.
You won’t find any Marvel comics in the store, which will certainly turn away some. Though I know from experience that it’s almost a draw for others. There are about 40 publishers in all, including DC and its imprints (yay Vertigo!). The comics appear to run from 99 cents to $1.99, so the price does seem to be right. You can get the app for free in the Market.
