Re: iPad for comics
 

^ Yeah, I'm pretty sure a buck an issue is the most I'll ever pay for a comic, digital or print, for the rest of my life. I'll pay $1.50 to $2 an issue for a nicely collected TPB/HC though. Getting an iPad for my birthday, looking forward to checking out comics on it.

Re: iPad for comics
 

I've been paying the day one prices for the new 52 comics I've been reading, but they've been getting costly. May have to wait for sales at this point.

Re: iPad for comics
 

As an aside, I've been eying the Marvel Digital Unlimited sub... and wondering if the Kindle Fire will support it. I've also seen people recommend an app like Splashtop Remote on an ipad to view a browser on your computer so that the Marvel Digital sub would work (sounds complex, but really that's all I want)... anyone try that?

There's a lot of Marvel stuff that I'd like to read, but I don't necessarily need to own, but I would love to read it on my tablet instead of a computer screen.

I also didn't realize that earlier this year, Marvel signed a deal with Starbucks to allow free access to their comics from Starbucks wifi...

Re: iPad for comics
 

I use Splashtop. Haven't thought about using it to read comics, though. Guess it would work.

Re: iPad for comics
 

It does work. It's not ideal... you have to pretty much set the comics sub to go panel by panel, since you can't easily rotate the screen, plus you're dependent on a desktop, but it's usable to access the sub (haven't bought the sub yet, only bought splashtop and looked at the free preview issues).

Re: iPad for comics
 

Count me as one who has downloaded free comics but not purchased any. I think once you set a market, it's hard to break behavior. For me, apps are 99c or free, and comics on the phone seem like apps. Paying $4 because that's the same price as the floppy doesn't make sense.

Re: iPad for comics
 

not sure what you mean by that last bit there. Are you saying that you can read marvel comics for free in a Starbucks location or they offer free wifi. Starbucks has offered free wifi for iPhone/iPad users for a while now.

Re: iPad for comics
 

You can access Marvel Digital Unlimited from Starbucks wifi. I haven't done it myself:

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/0...ics-starbucks/

Forgot to update this thread, but the Kindle Fire does support the Marvel Digital Unlimited subscription if you put it to single page view. Unfortunately, the form factor of the Kindle is a little too small to read everything without zooming the text, especially on two page spreads, but it's workable. I would love it if they did a non Flash version for the ipad, but I'm sure Comixology would hate it. Also, the DC "exclusives" on the Fire are pretty good deals.

Back to Comixology, I bit on the Hickman Fantastic Four 99 cents sale, as that's cheaper than getting the graphic novels and I have no space left anyway. Spent almost 20 bucks, but the Best Buy deal on itunes cards helped. I've found that I'm a sucker for 99 cent sales if it's something I've never read and am halfway interested in, or if it's something that's good enough that I want to re-read it. I'm sure a bunch of those FF comics are even in the unlimited subscription, but I've heard enough good things about Hickman's run that i went for it anyway.

Re: iPad for comics
 

That Marvel digital unlimited only works on....


"Currently, MDCU subscriptions are accessible on any computer or laptop (PC or Mac). *We are working on ways to integrate the MDCU subscription service on a variety of mobile platforms. *Please check marvel.com for future updates regarding the MDCU.''


oh well.

Re: iPad for comics
 

It does work on the Kindle Fire, though. Just not the Ipad because of Flash.

Re: iPad for comics
 

Last year's birthday gift was going to be an iPad 2, but I asked her to wait for the next version. She ordered me a 3 today.

School me on the basics please. Which apps should I get? Where are the freebies? Etc.

Re: iPad for comics
 

Comixology app: This is where Marvel, DC, Image, etc. put their digital comics. They have some freebies in the app, and there are often sales, but the day and date stuff is usually normal price. There are branded apps (Marvel and DC have their own app) that are restricted to that brand's content, but overall the comixology app has them all. Note that while you can redownload your purchases, you cannot back individual files up.

Comiczeal: this is not free, and it may seem pricey for an app, but it's a good way to read and organize your cbz/cbr files. Easy to sync up your collections via itunes, even via wireless sync. I had been using ComicReader Mobi, but that had been banned a while back by Apple and it never returned, so when this app went on sale I finally jumped. Note that there is no way to buy content via this app, but you can import, say, your pdf files from the DVD collections, etc.

Other comic companies have their own apps and sell their own content: Dark Horse, Kodansha, Yen Press, Viz, and I'm sure there are others.

Re: iPad for comics
 

Is text difficult to read in full page mode on the iPad? I ask because the iPad is 9.7" diagonal but an actual comic book is about 12" diagonal, so a digital comic is quite a bit smaller. I know you can view panel by panel, but I would prefer full page mode since I prefer the experience to be closer to an actual comic book.

Re: iPad for comics
 

With standard, vertically-oriented pages, not at all (in my opinion, at least).

Double-page spreads are illegible with that orientation, though, so you'll need to turn your iPad 90 degrees to be able to read those.

Get the DoubleFeature app! The issues are $0.99 a piece, the talent behind them is fantastic, and it's the best digital comics experience there is at present. Unlike the overwhelming majority of digital comics that are...well, the same as print comics, only digital, DoubleFeature has optional creator commentary, you can remove the colors, inks, and/or word bubbles (generally multiple options per page), plus there's often bonus material in the back... It'll spoil you and make you wonder why everyone isn't doing things that way.

The other comics apps I use are Marvel, Comixology, and Archie. Marvel and Archie I mostly use because they have a bunch of free stuff. Marvel puts out 3 issues for free every Tuesday, mixed in with whatever other free stuff they happen to be offering. Comixology has a lot of stuff for free too, but there's so much that it's kind of overwhelming.

Re: iPad for comics
 

And what happens if it's a 2-page spread? The horror! The horror!!!!!

Re: iPad for comics
 

It is not difficult at all. Of course, it does depend on the resolution of the scans if you're using them, but I've never run into a problem with full size. There are sometimes problems when you put it in landscape for two page spreads, but even then it's mostly ok.

I would also think the extra resolution of the ipad (3rd gen) will help.

Re: iPad for comics
 

I do have a lot of pirated scans of older comics from the 80s and early 90s. That is my favorite era since that is when I grew up so it will always be special to me. A lot of older pirated scans are pretty low res though, and I doubt if Comixology ever gets a good backlog of older comics.

Re: iPad for comics
 

Thanks for the tips all. My iPad has shipped. :banana:

Re: iPad for comics
 

I use CloudReader on my iPad 2 and it may not have all of the bells and whistles of the pay apps, like a pretty UI but it's easy to add comics to it via iTunes, it's free and has worked flawlessly. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a free .cbr/.cbz reader.

Re: iPad for comics
 

Wow. The Comixology app has a lot more free comic books than I thought. There must be thousands of them. Modern stuff and probable fluff that I've never heard of, but lots of classics from the 90s, 80s, 70s, and even older too.

I never thought I'd seriously consider going digital, but I am now.

Re: iPad for comics
 

Just remember, you won't own the files. You're at the will of these apps servers.

Re: iPad for comics
 

Explain as if I'm a 4 year old please.

I thought it was downloading the issues to my iPad. Aren't those files useable while offline or able to be transferred/backed-up?

Re: iPad for comics
 

http://ifanboy.com/articles/is-a-dig...-yours-to-own/

They can still lock a file even if you've paid for/downloaded it. That case of Ultimate Thor #2 is the only example I know of where this has happened, though. It could be a case of Marvel vs. DC too, but when an oddball version of Justice League #1 was accidentally released early, DC didn't pull or lock the handful of copies that were purchased.

I've always loved the way comics look on my iPad, and that's just doubled or triple with the introduction of the retina display, but the price point just isn't appealing yet. I'll cheerfully pay $0.99 for an issue of DoubleFeature Comics, and I've put my money where my mouth is by picking up every single issue. I've bought a few cheap back issues ($0.99 - $1.99) through Comixology and related apps. The idea of paying $3.99 for a digital comic book seems pretty crazy to me when the physical copy is the exact same price...when the physical version is cheaper after a subscription discount, even, and it's paying for printing costs, the costs of shipping all that stuff however many hundreds/thousands of miles, all the overhead at the nearby comic shop, etc., etc., etc....plus now publishers are experimenting with including free digital copies with the printed issue.

$3.99 for a license to read a comic I don't even "own" is absurd, especially since I buy 8-12 floppies a week. If the digital versions were pricey but included some bells and whistles that print couldn't deliver (like DoubleFeature does), then maybe that'd compensate a bit. I used to be 100% print-or-die, but considering that I borderline-never re-read any single issues (I do re-read TPBs, though) that are taking up more and more space as time goes on, digital makes a lot more sense. Until those prices come down to Earth, though, I'm going to stick with print.

The price of digital collections from the big two are laugh-out-loud funny, especially compared to the steep discounts on the same thing in print from Amazon, but that's a whole other argument. Some smaller shops are doing this the right way, though, like how cheap those super-awesome Atomic Robo collections are (100+ page collections for as low as $2.99!!!!).

At least now just about everything is being released digitally. Marvel/DC have lost out on a few digital sales from me when I'd try to buy something I'd forgotten/overlooked at the local comic shop but didn't have it available on my iPad.

Re: iPad for comics
 

Thanks Adam.

Yeah, my thoughts are similar. I think most comic fans are collectors, and a big part of the appeal of collecting is in owning the physical product. I can see myself getting away from needing that tactile space-hungry feel, and "switching" to digital files; but I need to be able to transfer them between devices and be confident that things I pay for are mine forever, not dependent on another company's policies, servers, whims, and future.

Also, even in my physical collecting of comics I'm a patient bargain-shopper, and rarely pay more than a buck a book. Digital comics should be much cheaper than $3/4.

Re: iPad for comics
 

I agree about the price, but at the same time I find myself barely re-reading single issues, similar to what you said Adam. Storage is also an issue, so if I want to re-read some Fables, I'll have to pull out the box, locate the issues for the particular arc, blah blah blah. It's to the point where getting them month to month is good only for being able to read the story "immediately" (and maaaybe making money off of them if you have full runs, or early Walking Deads), since trades are easily accessible and sometimes feature extra content. At least with the iPad I can zoom in, and access back issues with ease. But those damn prices...