With Amazon ruining everything good about Comixology, what are some alternatives when it comes to reading your digital comics?
Amazon bought Comixology way back in 2014, but for the most part, they left it well enough alone. Which was good. It’s one of the biggest digital comic providers and it also did it well. It had built in functions that catered specifically to comic books/graphic novels which made reading easy and painless for the consumer. Of note, a panel by panel function so you didn’t have to pinch and zoom in to read your comics. If you wanted to do that though, that functionality was enabled as well.
Not anymore. Like every other digital application ever made, you wake up one morning to find that your favorite app, or website, or e-reader, or whatever has updated. Updated for reasons no one ever really understands. But, updated regardless, forcing you to relearn how to do…everything. The same can now be said for Comixology. Amazon recently released a new update of the digital comics app which renders it pretty much pointless. The new update doesn’t display a double page spread properly and gone are the panel by pane reading, and the pinch and/or zoom functions. Making the only reason that Comixology exists-in order to read comics digitally-pointless.
I’m not saying Amazon won’t hear the outrage and eventually fix it, but I am saying it’s always nice to have options. So, here’s a few just in case all of your eggs were in Amazon’s basket:
DC Universe Infinite
This would be DC comics online source for all their digital comics. DC Universe Infinite offers 25,000+ comics and they have a 7-day-free-trial. After that you can subscribe for $74.99 a year or for $7.99 a month. https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com.
Marvel Unlimited
Marvel Unlimited is-you guessed it-Marvel’s source for online digital comics. Marvel boasts over 30,000 comics in their digital archives. They also offer a free 7-day-trial, afterwards you’re looking at subscription fees of 69.99/year or 9.99/month. The only caveat here is that if you’re looking for the latest releases you’ll have to wait a bit. Marvel Unlimited adds new releases 3 months after they’ve hit the shelf of your local comic shop. https://www.marvel.com/unlimited
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is your online source for everything anime or manga. The cool thing about Crunchyroll is it can be a source of reading and watching. Not only do they have manga comics to read online, but you can watch shows on the app as well. Crunchyroll is also free…for the casual fan. But, if you’re really wanting to dive in they offer subscription tiers at different price points so you can pick which works best for you. https://www.crunchyroll.com
Shoen Jump
Shoen Jump is another great source for popular manga. The great part about Shoen Jump? Their subscription service is only 1.99 a month. No joke! They also offer a 7-day-free trial period but why do that?! It’s literally $2. https://www.viz.com/shonenjump
The Library
Seriously. Often your local library’s website has several ways to check out comics and graphic novels for free to read on your tablet or e-reader. I can’t vouch for the software but if you have a tablet that’s smart enough it may not be an issue. Libraries partner up with websites such as Hoopla, Overdrive, and Libby to provide comics via your local library. So this may be an good option for you as well.
These alternative sources for digital comics are a few that can get you started in…another…direction. But really, Comixology-before it’s disastrous update-really was top of the heap when it came to digital comics. And I mean…ALL your comics. DC, Marvel, manga, Boom Studios, IDW, etc. you could house them all at Comixology. Let’s hope Amazon gets a handle on things sooner than later. I would be remiss if I didn’t say the obvious thing either: you can still get comics the old fashioned way. You remember the kind: they’ve got pages and staples and sometimes have a certain smell. Yep, they’re still available at your local comic shop, in bookstores, local retailers, online. With those, even Amazon can’t mess up the format.