aNewDomain — You stayed up way too late last night finishing an insanely awesome comic, and today you just don’t have time to hit your favorite comic store to grab the next issue in the series. Don’t worry — there’s an app that can help. It’s called comiXology for Android and it’s free on the Google Play store.
ComiXology is simple-to-use and boasts an extensive library of more than 75,000 comics and graphic novels. Here’s a closer look at the app.
Great Features
ComiXology has a huge selection and features many same-day releases, so it truly is comparable to stopping by your favorite comic store. Of course, owning the physical copy of a comic is ideal, but with comiXology you can get same-day access without taking a special trip to the store. It also gives you access to exclusive titles that aren’t available anywhere else.
The library offers access to just about anything from uber-popular DC and Marvel superheroes and villains to traditional favorites like “V For Vendetta” or “Watchmen.” You can find comics from less mainstream publishers like Indeez and Image and even foreign language titles.
I love having the availability of so much variety all in one place. In general, apps that focus on DC or Marvel comics only offer characters from their own brand, while comiXology offers avid readers access to zombie slayers or anti-heroes or mutant love affairs from any publisher and any genre.
Super Settings
The comiXology app is customizable, specifically by letting the user add a password confirmation before purchase. This is handy and adjustable — you can make the app request your password only at specific times, like every half hour, or not at all.
The app automatically syncs across all platforms, making multi-use locations seamless. All the settings remain the same, too, because of its cloud-based platform, which is a nice touch.
Between the free comics (usually the first volume) and generous sales, the in-app purchasing cart is easy to access. Likewise, adding comics to your cart is a breeze, though deleting is slightly more tedious. But overall, the features are well-implemented.
The handy Wish List lets you add comics for later reading or purchase, and the comiXology Guided View option lets the reader scan and zoom in and out of panels for art close-ups and easy navigation.
One Beefy Comics Library
The library has titles from Marvel, including the hit “Avengers” series as well as “Iron Man,” “Captain America,” “Thor,” “Wolverine” and the ever-sarcastic troll “Deadpool.” DC Comics offers titles from the beloved “Batman” and “Superman” series, as well as “Green Lantern,” “Watchmen” and “Sandman.”
Image Comics leads with “The Walking Dead,” the epic love story “Saga” (one of my favorites right now) and “Spawn.” There are many, many others, of course. Find IDW’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” or Disney’s own comic renditions of “Toy Story” and “The Lion King.”
Fan favorites of other non-superhero comics are also available, such as “Dilbert,” “The Simpsons,” “Adventure Time” and “Red Sonja.”
If There’s a Catch …
In comiXology, comics and rapid releases abound. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t let you actually download the comic to your computer or mobile device. Once you pay for a comic, you can only access it through the comiXology app or the website. This can be troublesome, as comiXology hasn’t been without software glitches. But, since Amazon’s purchase of comiXology last year, its software seems increasingly solid.
ComiXology also recently announced a renewed and expanded relationship to distribute Marvel’s digital comics, including the continuation of Marvel’s single issue digital comic books, exclusively on comiXology. New and notable — this exclusive deal will now be expanded to Amazon Kindle readers for the first time ever. ComiXology is also available for Apple iOS.
For aNewDomain, I’m Cassandra Chin.
Ed: The original version of this review ran on aNewDomain’s BreakingModern. Read it here.
All Screenshots: Cassandra Chin
Featured image: Timeline Cover — Comic Books by Sam Howzit via Flickr
