Although many of us still relish the weekly trip to the comic store to pick up our comics, sometimes that isn’t always feasible, especially in Ireland where comic shops are almost exclusively found in the city. If you’re searching for comics in a small town, or even one of the bigger ones, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
I happen to be geographically unfortunate enough to live in one of these towns and, although I prefer the feeling and experience of reading a physical comic, I don’t have much choice. For the past few months, I’ve been downloading comics to read via several apps that I use and in today’s Back Issues I’m going to recommend the best ones for your nerdy needs.
Marvel Unlimited (Android, iOS) – approx. €9
As you may know, I’m a diehard Marvel fan. I love a good independent comic and the occasional DC, but Marvel is the home of my all-time favourite characters. If, like me, you drool at the thought of accessing 17,000 Marvel titles then you need to invest in Marvel Unlimited pronto. I can’t recommend it enough. For just $9.99 a month (€8.78), you have access to thousands of both back issues and newest releases alike.
It is a very good investment if you’re someone who reads a lot of comics. You will get the use out of this and then some. It’s a service that’s probably worth the monthly payment and the price of the tablet or phone you’re reading it on to be honest.
Comic Zeal (iOS) – €4.99
If you want a good service to read your comics on but don’t want to bother with an accompanying shop, then Comic Zeal is a great option to go for. It works on both the iPhone and the iPad and loads comics instantly. If you’ve already got a collection of digital comics then you can also read them on Comic Zeal as it opens PDF, CBZ and CBR formats.
It also has a nice parental lock feature in case you have any kiddies who want to read through your library; this is very helpful for hiding away titles like Sex Criminals. It’s €4.99 but if you want an iOS comic reader that offers plenty of customisation options and super fast, borderless reading, this is a great option.
ComicCat (Android) – €3.35
A very slick little app, all it takes is a quick tap to scan all of your comics and have them arranged neatly in the virtual bookshelf; basically this means that it doesn’t matter whether your comics are on device storage, an SD card, the cloud or wherever.
It’s a very reliable app with little battery drain, and it comes with lifelong free updates which brings in new exciting features and usability improvements.
It also features password protection, zoom and position lock with a right to left and left to right reading order which is perfect for manga fans. As well as this, it features an image enhancer that auto adjusts brightness, contrast and saturation of comic pages. This works great on old comic scans as it removes paleness and makes the pages more vibrant.
And to top it off? 24/7 customer support. Not bad for three quid!
ComicRack (Android, iOS) – Free
An impressive comic reader, ComicRack has way more than just the bare basics covered for you here. It features multiple read modes and customisations and supports CBR and CBZ formats and, along with the desktop version of the reader, it supports PDF, DJVU and other formats. You can also sync your collection, reading lists and other content between your desktop and app which lets you organise and read on the go. It’s very personable and totally flexible – not bad for free!
With fast navigating, auto-rotation with full screen reading and manga mode, this is the app you’re looking for for crisp comic reading.
ComiXology – Free
There’s no point leaving this app out as it’s probably the most popular digital comic platform going right now. It features a huge range of content from major publishers like Marvel, Image and DC, which readers can purchase and then read from the ComiXology site. The mobile reader itself is really incredible with a really excellent ‘Guided View’ mode which is great for reading on smaller screens like smart phones rather than tablets.
The only downside with this service is that you can’t import your existing comics collection or make in-app purchases on iOS which I know for some people can be a deal breaker. One of the major perks it offers that other apps fall down on is that books are available for purchase on the same day that print issues hit shelves. For me, that’s what makes ComiXology stand out. That, and the fact that all of my comics from all different titles are together in the one place.
If you’re still not convinced that digital is the way forward, bear in mind that when you download a digital app that is connected with a store, there are plenty of opportunities to download free previews and comics of titles that you may otherwise miss out on. This is something you don’t get in-store.
In saying that, however, no matter how easy digital is, if I lived near a comic store I would still go there for my pull list as reading comics is so much more than just enjoying the story and the characters and the art, it’s about the comics culture and interacting and debating with other fans about what you’ve read. It’s about picking up your pull list and spending an hour at the same row of comics just browsing through titles. So although I’m a fan of digital comic readers, I won’t be giving up physical copies any time soon.
Note:
Other great apps include the free iOS service Chunky, DC Comics app and Image Comics’ app.
What app do you use to read and buy comics? Let us know in the comments!
