[Digital Comics] Funny Books On Your Phones and Tablets! Check OP For Retailers

UltimateInferno

It appears it's another Marvel App exclusive ATM . Ive twatted at comixology to see if they can give an answer.

Blankzilla

BionicPenguin wrote:

Actually, I'm not so sure about that. Certainly, a lot of pirates will pirate no matter what, but convenience is a big part of it. I mean, in the gaming industry, Steam has made quite a lot of headway into Russia, a region publishers tend to avoid because of piracy. They've done this by making it easy to buy their products at reasonable prices. I see no reason the comic book industry can't do the same.

Well, Steam prices typically very much lower than any other game retailer. The annual sales are an exception of course because shit goes nuts.

Game piracy is still a very big deal and always will be regardless of how awesome Steam is, which it is, because free will always be less than whatever price they are asking.

and I said that comic prices should definitely go down, digitally. I actually bought Conan the Barbarian off of Dark Horse's store today and it was .50 less than the print copy. Not exactly the change I would look for but hey that is a step in the right direction.

Blankzilla

UltimateInferno wrote:

It appears it's another Marvel App exclusive ATM . Ive twatted at comixology to see if they can give an answer.

Ugh

that is so dumb

I would be fine with it if the Chrome app actually, y'know, worked.

but it is terrible in every single way and is getting HOT NEW RELEASES of books that came out two years ago.

If you're going to make something exclusive make sure it goddamn works.

HadjiQuest

I'm still blown away by how poorly Marvel has been at all this digital stuff when they've been the first to do a digital sub model years ago, the first to offer their books on CDs as PDFs way back when, and the first to offer digital codes for free in some of their biggest titles.

It's just nuts.

wirehead26

Wait so will all Marvel titles be available on comiXolgy by April still?

Blankzilla

Who knows, honestly!

Getting news about what comics will or will not be digital is hard as hell!

UltimateInferno

Hard to say, I think they only stated digital same day, but i'd wager all the titles tieing into AvX should be avail.

TexiKen

wirehead26 wrote:

Wait so will all Marvel titles be available on comiXolgy by April still?

That's what they said months ago, everything but MAX titles.

wirehead26

TexiKen wrote:

wirehead26 wrote:

Wait so will all Marvel titles be available on comiXolgy by April still?

That's what they said months ago, everything but MAX titles.

Well if they officially said it there shouldn't be too much to worry about.

Wait what MAX title will there be after Punisher ends? Deadpool only?

Blankzilla

TexiKen wrote:

wirehead26 wrote:

Wait so will all Marvel titles be available on comiXolgy by April still?

That's what they said months ago, everything but MAX titles.

When I recently read the article it just said "everything will be digital"

but apparently some titles are currently digital, but only available on the Marvel App. They never specified it would be on comiXology unless I missed a part of the interview.

and when I tweeted Ryan Penagos he said that SA was Marvel App only currently and that he couldn't say anything about it be brought to comiXology so who knows

wwtMask

ICv2 estimates digital sales were $25 million in 2011. http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/22104.html

Arivia

Blankzilla wrote:

TexiKen wrote:

wirehead26 wrote:

Wait so will all Marvel titles be available on comiXolgy by April still?

That's what they said months ago, everything but MAX titles.

When I recently read the article it just said "everything will be digital"

but apparently some titles are currently digital, but only available on the Marvel App. They never specified it would be on comiXology unless I missed a part of the interview.

and when I tweeted Ryan Penagos he said that SA was Marvel App only currently and that he couldn't say anything about it be brought to comiXology so who knows

Flipped past the AoA preview on CBR and that just says Marvel App for it too, which is just stupid.

HadjiQuest

Is there even web/pc access to the Marvel app?

Or is it still smartphone only? All I've got are my PC and my kindle, so this is rather shitty of them.

Caveman Paws

I'm just annoyed that Marvel comics never go down in price, well, Wolverine and the X-men #1-5 are all still full price.

Blankzilla

HadjiQuest wrote:

Is there even web/pc access to the Marvel app?

Or is it still smartphone only? All I've got are my PC and my kindle, so this is rather shitty of them.

There is a Chrome app

but it is terrible and stocked differently than the mobile app and doesn't even register searches half the time

Your kindle should be able to have a Marvel app though since it is Android, right?

HadjiQuest

Blankzilla wrote:

HadjiQuest wrote:

Is there even web/pc access to the Marvel app?

Or is it still smartphone only? All I've got are my PC and my kindle, so this is rather shitty of them.

There is a Chrome app

but it is terrible and stocked differently than the mobile app and doesn't even register searches half the time

Your kindle should be able to have a Marvel app though since it is Android, right?

Not unless it is on the Amazon marketplace. That's more or less the only easy way to get apps so far without rooting the device (which I am too lazy to do).

And I imagine the Marvel exclusive thing with B&N means that it will be awhile before they even consider putting their app on Amazon's app market.

wwtMask

If you're not all that concerned with actually owning the comics or keeping up with new releases, Marvel DCU is a really good deal. Even with the strange gaps in series and the fact that most new stuff won't show up for about 12 to 18 months, there are a lot of comics on the service, and a year's subscription only runs $60 (or less if you find a coupon online). No, it's interface isn't as good as Comixology's, and it's web only, and it isn't that friendly to tablet browsers, but for $5 a month you can read as many comics as you want from a library of 10k+ issues.

HadjiQuest

Infinity Trilogy are the Marvel Friday sale.

Is it worth reading War and Crusade?

wwtMask

I liked Infinity War a lot, but it may be due to nostalgia more than how good it actually is.

Blankzilla

So I emailed Marvel asking if there were any plans to either bring the Marvel app exclusive day and date titles to comiXology or to bring the Chrome app up to par with the iOS and Android apps. I honestly didn't expect any reply other than "WE ARE DOING OUR BEST" but lo and behold:

I can tell you only this: there are plans to bring a more
customer-friendly experience to purchasing single issue sales of Marvel
comics in the next 6 weeks. Please stay tuned to marvel.com, or you can
e-mail me, for the latest updates on this initiative.

6 weeks is right in time for the full day and date digital launch they are doing in April so I am pleased

herojoe

I really hope they fix that chrome app.

Diablo Fett

so, i bought a few comics on comiXology on my computer, but they aren't showing up on my Kindle

i'm kinda new to this whole digital comics thing, is this supposed to happen?

Maximum

They should show up if you're using the same user id.

Just make sure the password is the same for both your web and mobile accounts. I had the same issue recently where I changed my password on the web but not my tablet, it took me like a week to figure out why the new shit I bought wasn't showing up.

Their customer service is very responsive so shoot them an email, they'll get back to you pretty quick.

HadjiQuest

Marvel is going to make some huge "industry changing" digital announcement in a few weeks, and they're using SXSW's digital festival as the platform for it because they want it to stand out as they feel it's really forward thinking. They're all but saying that they've found a way to package digital copies with single issues, likely using a new and easier method.

wwtMask

That doesn't sound very industry changing at all.

HadjiQuest

wwtMask wrote: »

That doesn't sound very industry changing at all.

Well, they're implying that they're going to do it line-wide for free after AvX ends.

Also, there's a big Justice League sale this weekend. Mainly stories with the Legion of Doom/Injustice League. Tower of Babel, Year One, and parts of Morrison's JLA (New World Order, his issues of American Dreams, Rock of Ages, and World War III) are up there.

Also, Justice, Villains United, McDuffie's Injustice League arc, and a couple Silver Age stories are all up there as well.

BionicPenguin

For someone who hasn't read any of those except Villains United, which are worth getting?

HadjiQuest

BionicPenguin wrote: »

For someone who hasn't read any of those except Villains United, which are worth getting?

I'll be getting Tower of Babel and Year One, which everyone here says are great, but which I haven't personally read yet.

Morrison's JLA is fantastic, although his arcs with Prometheus, Starro, The Ultra Marine Corps and the JSA aren't part of the sale. And the World War III storyline that IS on sale follows pretty closely on elements from those arcs.

However, those first 15 issues are solid gold and definitely well worth a read.

BionicPenguin

Well, there goes $50. It's Steam sales all over again.

Hensler

I've seen a lot of people talking about reading comics on iPhones and other smart phones lately - usually when I think of digital comics, I'm assuming they're meant to be read on full-size screens like a desktop/laptop/tablet. So how well do they work on phones? I've got a Droid Bionic that's around the same size of an iPhone and it just seems like it would be too small of a screen for reading comics. I remember when Marvel tried releasing comics for PSP, and the system was pretty disappointing.

Wishpig

Hensler wrote: »

I've seen a lot of people talking about reading comics on iPhones and other smart phones lately - usually when I think of digital comics, I'm assuming they're meant to be read on full-size screens like a desktop/laptop/tablet. So how well do they work on phones? I've got a Droid Bionic that's around the same size of an iPhone and it just seems like it would be too small of a screen for reading comics. I remember when Marvel tried releasing comics for PSP, and the system was pretty disappointing.

I primarily read comics on either my computer or iphone these days (typically when I buy the physical thing, which is rarer and rarer, it's a TPB). I kinda like reading on the iphone, as the apps typically adjust panels very accurately. Granted I like reading on the big screen or outta a book more, but I certainly have no problem reading it on the iphone. If you're on the go a lot, or just want to be able to whip out your phone at a whim and read the next big issue, it's worth the $$$.

Bullio

Wishpig wrote: »

Hensler wrote: »

I've seen a lot of people talking about reading comics on iPhones and other smart phones lately - usually when I think of digital comics, I'm assuming they're meant to be read on full-size screens like a desktop/laptop/tablet. So how well do they work on phones? I've got a Droid Bionic that's around the same size of an iPhone and it just seems like it would be too small of a screen for reading comics. I remember when Marvel tried releasing comics for PSP, and the system was pretty disappointing.

I primarily read comics on either my computer or iphone these days (typically when I buy the physical thing, which is rarer and rarer, it's a TPB). I kinda like reading on the iphone, as the apps typically adjust panels very accurately. Granted I like reading on the big screen or outta a book more, but I certainly have no problem reading it on the iphone. If you're on the go a lot, or just want to be able to whip out your phone at a whim and read the next big issue, it's worth the $$$.

To add, it works well on a small screen if you're using comixology's guided view which focuses on a single panel or section of a panel. There are options to view a full page, but reading straight from this view on a small screen is pretty much impossible. I have it set to open a new page and leave the page on a full page view so I can make sure I'm seeing all of the art (guided view seems to trim edges on occasion). But for actual reading, I like guided view more than physical books. I think it has to do with my always wanting something like it even when I was a young kid reading comics as I would too often get lost amidst all of the text.

If you want to test it out on your Bionic, grab the free Comixology app off of the market and download a few free comics.

Wishpig

Bullio wrote: »

To add, it works well on a small screen if you're using comixology's guided view which focuses on a single panel or section of a panel. There are options to view a full page, but reading straight from this view on a small screen is pretty much impossible. I have it set to open a new page and leave the page on a full page view so I can make sure I'm seeing all of the art (guided view seems to trim edges on occasion). But for actual reading, I like guided view more than physical books. I think it has to do with my always wanting something like it even when I was a young kid reading comics as I would too often get lost amidst all of the text.

If you want to test it out on your Bionic, grab the free Comixology app off of the market and download a few free comics.

Back when the iphone comic apps first made an appearance, the guided views often sucked. They would cut out noticeable amounts of the actual page. However, now 95% of the time, they actually work in the whole page, often times zooming out after focusing on the text. It works really well, and whoever is in charge of the layout and order of the guided view deserves some major cred.

initiatefailure

grabbed the comixology ap on my new phone to see what it was like and picked up the FCBD atomic Robo. It actually wasn't as hard to read as I expected. Certainly not the best but the way they handle panel by panel works pretty well and showing full splashes then zooming into smaller areas is a nice touch. Not sure I'd spend a lot of money on phone comics but it's not horrible like I thought it would be. I may pick up some sale stuff now and again.

wwtMask

Comixology's 3 day sale this week is on DC Hidden Gems: http://www.comixology.com/comics-collection/264?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=hiddengems

Quite a lot of good stuff here, including the full runs of the recent Power Girl and REBELS series, Jeff Parker's Mysterius tge Unfathomable, and Gail Simone's Welcome to Tranquility.

HadjiQuest

I finally got a Marvel book with a digital code.

The hoops you have to go through to actually get the book were kind of a pain (I registered a marvel.com account, couldn't even find where my book would be, found where it would be, wasn't there, had to go back and start over again).

Now, my real question is how do I link this with my comixology account so I rarely have to use Marvel's stuff?

UltimateInferno

email info@comixology.com and give them both account infos

wirehead26

wwtMask wrote: »

Comixology's 3 day sale this week is on DC Hidden Gems: http://www.comixology.com/comics-collection/264?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=hiddengems

Quite a lot of good stuff here, including the full runs of the recent Power Girl and REBELS series, Jeff Parker's Mysterius tge Unfathomable, and Gail Simone's Welcome to Tranquility.

Ooh they have all of Scott Snyder's Detective Comics run. That's a steal at only 10 bucks total.

Bullio

wirehead26 wrote: »

wwtMask wrote: »

Comixology's 3 day sale this week is on DC Hidden Gems: http://www.comixology.com/comics-collection/264?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=hiddengems

Quite a lot of good stuff here, including the full runs of the recent Power Girl and REBELS series, Jeff Parker's Mysterius tge Unfathomable, and Gail Simone's Welcome to Tranquility.

Ooh they have all of Scott Snyder's Detective Comics run. That's a steal at only 10 bucks total.

#881 isn't on the sale page, but it is available and on sale for 99 cents like the others.

HadjiQuest

So, uhh

For the last week I haven't been able to read any of the stuff I bought on comixology. It gives me a "you must purchase this comic to view it" error on everything.

Until now, I would just go to the old flash website, which worked fine, but it seems they've pulled the flash site down.

Edit: Weird. Logging out and back in seems to have fixed it for me.