I used to think of comics as something limited to printed paper. The iPhone has changed that mindset. Comics, a free app by comixology, lets you read dozens of free comics from the palm of your hand, with the option of buying a full-print version later. Some comics might cost something to view, but all the same, you might discover new comics you never heard of with their relatively comic-laden storefront.
First, what I liked: choose a comic and the app will download it for you easily, provided that you are using an always-connected phone or that you have Wifi. The comic book reader is simple to use. Graphics are great, and the layout of the app is fantastic. It lets you auto-rotate, zoom in, and more. The variety of comics available are great; I’m not a big comic book fan but I’ve found a lot of good stuff here. Also, having a printed copy and being able to preview digital copies of comics is a must-have for the big comics fan.
Here’s what I didn’t like as much, but what could be fixed easily: I don’t know how many pages are left in any particular comic, and perhaps that would be something useful to add. Also, it’s not easy to delete comics you’ve downloaded. The ability to delete them is hidden in a Settings screen. That’s not a big deal, though, but I’d think that right-swipe should delete it from the listed comics screen.
Overall, though, it’s a great app, and comixology did a great job with it. They should do this with books too. There’s a lot of potential for this app. :)
