If you want to purchase comics, you now need to go through comixology.com and then download them to the iOS app via the app’s “In Cloud” tab. Comixology’s new “In Cloud” tab.
• • • Note (7/7/17): I’ve written an updated version of this post. While Comixology’s come to become the dominant force for digital comics, is convenient, and has a nice enough app, it does have some.
![Comixology app for mac mac Comixology app for mac mac](https://assets.pcmag.com/media/images/482620-archive-unwanted-comics.jpg)
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For one, comic companies and creators seem to have rushed into handing things over to a digital near-monopoly after years of complaining about the physical monopoly distributor for comic shops, Diamond. For another, while Comixology is finally offering DRM-free purchases, only some smaller companies have taken them up on such so far. Amazon’s of Comixology and its might also be an annoyance. Thus, I thought I’d post a few Comixology alternatives I’ve used for reading comics. Again, these are legal alternatives—so you won’t find Usenet or torrents here. I’ll also update this post as needed to reflect new developments (again, see Comixology’s major changes in April 2014). Image Comics’ website made a big splash in 2013 when they announced that they’ll be selling. So far, it seems to have been fairly well received, and it also means one can fully own all those issues of “The Walking Dead.” Buying through Image’s website also means fewer middlemen skimming a high amount of money off of sales. For instance, Comixology takes 50% of all sales made through its app or website.
Image selling comics through their own site thus means more money will go to the creators. It also avoids censorship concerns, such as Apple’s rejection of an Image title (“Sex Criminals”) from Comixology’s iOS app. While Comixology’s in-app purchase changes should lessen censorship concerns, censorship threats are nonexistent when Image is selling the comics on their own site. Dynamite Comics website Dynamite Comics are available from Comixology’s website, but they’re now also available through a digital store on its own. Thrillbent Mark Waid’s website also offers. While not as large a selection as Image’s, there’s still some choices available here.
DriveThruComics.com is a site that specializes in DRM-free, smaller-press and independent books; no DC, Marvel, or Archie material here. The highest profile titles on Drive Thru Comics are “2000 AD” (the long-running British magazine featuring Judge Dredd) and Top Cow’s books (Witchblade, etc.). The books here are offered largely as DRM-free PDFs, watermarked with the purchaser’s name. Nook Store (Barnes and Noble) Barnes and Noble’s offers everything in EPUB format, including its comics. While wrapped in DRM, the comics still at least come in an actual non-proprietary file format.
The Nook app comes in versions for iOS and Android; development on Mac and Windows versions has ceased. Comics offered include same-day digital offerings for DC Comics and Archie Comics. There’s also digital trade paperbacks from DC, Marvel, Archie, IDW, and some other publishers.
Manga and some comic strip compilations (Pearls Before Swine, Get Fuzzy) also have digital versions offered. Some Marvel trade paperbacks are offered, but single-issue comics are only available through Comixology or Marvel’s own (Comixology-based) apps. Apple (iTunes) Apple itself offers some comics through the iTunes store or the iBooks app available on iOS devices. They’re also offered on Macs with the release of OS X 10.9 “Mavericks.” For single issues, Marvel’s as usual a no-show, but DC Comics offers its entire line as same-day digital offerings. Marvel and DC both offer various trade paperbacks on iTunes. Image also has some titles, particularly “The Walking Dead,” as single issues or trade paperbacks.
Kobo Since the closing of Borders a few years ago, doesn’t have a very strong presence here in the US. Kobo’s app is still often included by smaller tablet/ebook reader manufacturers, however. Kobo also has a strong presence outside the US, especially in places Amazon or Barnes and Noble have a reduced or no presence. Kobo’s approach is to offer comics in either a proprietary format (similar to Comixology) or in an EPUB format (like Nook), though largely the former. The ebook descriptions will openly list what format it’s in, whether there’s DRM (which all its ebooks have, save some self-publishers), and what platforms it may be read on.