Digital comics represent roughly 12 percent of the comic book industry's sales, a number that exists almost entirely due to one company: Comixology. The digital comic book seller has numerous mobile apps that bring a library of over 40,000 titles to tablets and smartphones. The free (and appropriately named) Comics for Android has undergone a redesign that makes the buying and reading experience a simple and inviting endeavor, and puts it on a par with its iOS counterpart with HD support and the long-desired Fit-to-Width mode. Comixology is missing quite a few older books and doesn't have Dark Horse Comics' catalog, but comic book fans with Android devices should download this app. Now.
Getting Started
Comixology's Comics, to put it in the most basic terms, is the iTunes of digital comics. You begin by creating an account. Purchased books are tied to your account, so you can access them from Comics' multi-platform mobile apps, as well as the Comixology website. In fact, the reading works cross-platform; when I open a Saga issue on a Nexus 7, Comics asked if I wanted to continue where I left off in the iPad app. Those who read on multiple devices will really appreciate that feature.
Even though Comixology's technology powers Marvel and DC's own separate digital comics marketplaces, Comics is the place to go if your tastes aren't tied to a particular publisher. Comics features books from a wide array of publishers both big and small: The Big Two are well-represented, as are smaller houses such as Antarctic Press, Archie, Devil's Due, Dynamite, IDW, Image, Top Shelf, Valiant, and many, many more. Dark Horse Comics, which is pushing its own non-Comixology app, is notably absent from the Comics marketplace, so you won't find Hellboy or the new Captain Midnight series, for example. It's a shame, really. It would be nice to have all the publishers under one roof. Plus, Dark Horse's app isn't nearly as good as Comixology's app.
Navigation and Availability
The redesigned home screen contains the "Featured" section which highlights sales and new digital releases (you can also view the most recent and most popular titles). Books are available for purchase via the Comixology website on the same day as the print hits brick-and-mortar stores in most cases.
Comics gives you numerous ways to browse books: you can do so by series, story arcs, ratings, publisher, genre, creators, and other criteria. The new interface (which has a sidebar containing important sections) makes navigation a breeze. It's a far better way to interact with the app than the previous build's drop-down box. You can, of course, search for titles or artists using Comics' built-in search function.
Purchases and Pricing
When you find a book that interests you, simply tap on an issue icon to see an issue synopsis, creator credits, pricing, rating, and sample pages (availability depending on comic) that you can try before buying. Building a collection is as simple as tapping books' price icons, and waiting for issue, collection, or graphic novel to download. Batman '66 downloaded in just a few seconds time over my office's Wi-Fi network. The potent combination of accessibility and ease of use means that comics-heads may have to show some restraint in order to not drain their wallets.
Pricing, however, may deter rampant spending. New digital comics are priced exactly the same as their paper-and-ink counterparts, which from a consumer's point of view is a tad ludicrous. Each issue of Marvel's new Superior Spider-Man series is priced at $3.99—the same as the physical issues. Plus, there are still several pre-'90s books that are missing in action. Where's Secret Wars II?
That said, there are a few freebie and $0.99 issues in Comics' catalog, but $2.99 to $3.99 pricing appears to be the norm (collections, naturally, command more cash). Comics lets you set up alerts so that you know when new issues of your favorite series are in the store—a very cool way to say on top of things.
Should you ever feel the need to pick up a paper-and ink-comic, clicking the Buy In Print option lets you find the nearest brick-and-mortar comics shop by keying in your zip code. Comixology has comics fans covered on many fronts.
The Reading Experience
Comics gives you several ways to read your titles. You can scroll through an issue page by page and digest the story in the same way as you would with a traditional comic. Or, you could use Comixology's patented Guided View technology. Activated by double-tapping a page, Guided View simulates the flow of reading a comic, by guiding you from blown-up panel to blown-up panel when you swipe from right to left. It's an incredibly useful feature, especially for comics fans reading on smaller screens such as the Galaxy Note II. It's also much better than the janky Panel Zoom feature found in Dark Horse Comics' app.
A handful of comics (such as Batman '66 and Wolverine: Japan's Most Wanted) are built with Guided View in mind. They are similar to motion comics, minus the more annoying aspects (voice work, forced panel movement). Batman '66, though a solid campy, throwback to the Adam West-era Caped Crusader, didn't take advantage of the Guided View technology in a manner that didn't feel gimmicky. It recalled old school 3D movies in which an explosion would gratuitously send a piece of metal hurling toward the audience. Wolverine: Japan's Most Wanted, however, used the technology to add dramatic weight by fading images in and out of darkness, or panning to objects located just off screen. The technology has potential to enable a new type of storytelling. I'm excited to see how creators leverage it.
Longtime Android Comics users will be happy to hear that the app now has two features that were previously iOS exclusives: HD resolution support and Fit to Width. The former is self-explanatory, but Fit to Width (a long-desired feature) resizes comics so that you can easily read pages when holding a device horizontally. Android users, the wait is finally over.
A Marvel-ous App
Smartphone and tablet-owning comics fans, whether new or returning, should download Comics for Android. The app adds convenience to the comic purchasing and reading process, but some catalog gaps may drive some to visit their local comic shop. But if you prefer reading All-New X-Men without worrying about mylar bags and backing boards, Comics for Android is the way to go.
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