Maybe this could be the digital FAQ thread?
If you have a question about anything related to actually reading digital comics ask away. New Kindle and don't know how to read comics? Worried that you won't be able to read a comic on the bus? Don't know how to get your GIT DVDs onto your iPad?
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HERE IS THE EXCELLENT FAQ FROM mrgoodman:
Lemmee try for an actual FAQ:
I just got a new device and want to try out digital comics. What do I do?
Well, if you have a tablet, there are a number of apps that you can download that allow you to purchase and read digital comicbooks. However, by far the most successful is Comicsby ComiXology, which is the exclusive distributor of monthly DC digital comics. ComiXology has the greatest selection of comics, from companies like Marvel, DC, Archie, Image, Boom Studios, Dynamite, IDW, Oni, Top Cow and others. If your device is a laptop or PC, you can purchase and read digital comics from any Flash-enabled web browser athttp://www.comixology.com/ .
How much are digital comics?
The most frequent price point is $1.99. Brand new material is generally higher (usually the same price as the paper edition of the same comic). Many publishers, such as DC, drop the price of their digital editions approximately one month after the paper edition comes out. The major exception is Marvel comics, which releases many new comics digitally the same day as the paper editions and for the same price... and then leaves the price the same. However, Marvel does offer a growing supply of older comics for $1.99.
There are some comics from smaller publishers for 99 cents, and the bigger publishers frequently put select material on sale for 99 cents for a day or two. Marvel puts a dozen or two comics on sale for 99 cents on most Mondays and Fridays, for example.
There is also a selection of free comics available as well, so that you can discover new material. So you can go ahead and try new digital comics yourself anytime for no cost.
What device do I need to purchase and read digital comics?
Well, a PC or Mac will work if you have a Flash-enabled web browser and an internet connection. However, most people consider tablets to be a form factor better suited for enjoying digital comics. You can use an iPad or any Android powered tablet that runs Android 2.1 and up. Comics by ComiXology is also pre-installed on the Amazon Kindle Fire. Note that cheaper Android tablets may not have support for Google's Android Market built in, so you may have to jump through some hoops to install the program. Also, you'll want to try to get a device with a screen quality and resolution good enough to maximize your enjoyment of the art.
The Comics by ComiXology app also works on iPhones and Android phones. The app will automatically display the comics a panel or so at a time, like so:
What format are digital comics in?
Don't worry about it. With Comics by ComiXology and other authorized digital comics apps, you purchase your comic and read it in the same app. You don't have to worry about making backups of the comic- the purchase has been registered to your account, and you can delete and redownload the comic as often as you want. Thus, you can keep most of your comics in the "cloud" (on the computers of the company you buy your comics from) and don't have to worry about taking up all the storage space on your device.
As for Macs and PCs, you read the comics in your browser at http://www.comixology.com/ . The files are never actually downloaded to your device, so you have to be connected to the internet to read them.
If my comics are stored on ComiXology's servers, what if they go out of business?
Tough to say. Allegedly they've said they'd allow folks to download their comics files free of DRM if they were going out of business, but I haven't seen that quote and can't find it online. More likely somebody would purchase them or their assets and continue to support those purchases. The comics companies have high hopes for digital comics, and if a huge segment of the folks buying digital comics lost their collections, faith in digital comics would be shaken pretty badly. The publishers have strong incentive not to let that happen. (ComiXology is reportedly doing quite well, however.)
If I buy digital comics on a tablet, can I transfer them to my PC, or vice versa?
If you purchase a digital comic from ComiXology, you can read it on any platform ComiXology supports. It'll show up as part of your collection on every platform, and on your PC browser.
I notice a lot of publishers like DC and Dark Horse have their own apps, and some comics have their own apps (like Walking Dead or Scott Pilgrim). Should I use these apps or ComiXology?
Many of those apps are actually different ways of spotlighting content available on ComiXology. They're the same comics ComiXology sells, but the publisher wanted to highlight the material by giving them their own app. For example, ComiXology makes apps for Smurfs, Walking Dead, DC Comics, Image, Scott Pilgrim, Bone, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite, Zenescope, Green Hornet, Top Shelf, and The 99. If you purchase comics from any of these apps they also show up as purchased and readable in the regular ComiXology app and web site... and vice versa. It's just another way of getting the material noticed.
One quasi-exception: Marvel Comics. Marvel comics are available from ComiXology, but sometimes there's slight differences in the material available from ComiXology and Marvel's own app (which uses ComiXology's technology). Purchases made in the Marvel app may or may not show up as purchased in the ComiXology app and vice versa (Marvel encourages people to use a special Marvel.com log-in for their app, rather than the standard ComiXology account).
A few publishers have apps that aren't affiliated with ComiXology. Archie and Peanuts have apps powered by iVerse, who also sell comics through an app called Comics+. Dark Horse has their own digital store they run themselves.
In theory, it doesn't make any difference where you purchases your digital comics. In practice ComiXology seems to have the brightest future at the moment. And if you make a lot of purchases from the same publisher, it may be prudent to purchase them from the publisher's own app. Publishers are unlikely to want to antagonize customers who are purchasing from their own branded apps. Recently IDW changed their branded app so that instead of being powered by iVerse it's now powered by ComiXology. All their customers purchases made the same transition to ComiXology automatically. This showed that digital purchases aren't necessarily tied to the well-being of a single digital store. Digital comics purchased directly from a major publisher are almost certain to be supported regardless of what happens to individual digital retailers.
What do ComiXology apps look like?
Like this:
What's this I hear about DC having an exclusive deal with the Amazon.com?
ComiXology is the exclusive digital store for DC's monthly comics, all of which are available digitally the same day as the paper editions go on sale. They also offer a growing selection of classic material. However, at present DC doesn't offer full length "graphic novels" on ComiXology (graphic novels being stories that are 90 pages or more, which may or may not have first appeared in serialized form in monthly comics). DC's graphic novels are for a limited time offered on digital exclusively from Amazon.com on their Amazon Kindle Fire tablet. However, almost all of this content is available digitally from ComiXology in the form of individual issues.
How can they charge as much for digital comics as paper comics? They should be way cheaper, since they don't have to print them. Why should I get digital when for the same price I can get a real comic that I can keep? Digital comics should be 99 cents!
Feel free to stay with paper comics. The publishers have no incentive to switch paper readers to digital, they merely see digital as a way to reach additional readers. Keep in mind though, that there are costs to creating and distributing digital comics. Google and Apple take a 30% cut of all comics sold through their software. Digital retailers like ComiXology also take a significant cut. Artists are paid royalties. And because comics are a relatively niche medium in much of the world (particularly the US), they don't sell enough copies to make up in volume what they lose from low profit margins.
Many people do feel that digital comics are "real comics" and that they even offer signficant advantages. They offer the same content as paper comics, but they can be purchased and delivered on a whim in seconds, without driving to a store or preordering months in advance. They take up no storage space and require no filing.
Why don't Marvel and DC sell their comics directly on their web sites, cutting out the middlemen like Apple and ComiXology, which would allow them to lower their prices?
Why do Marvel and DC sell their paper comics in stores, instead of selling them all by subscription by mail for less? Why do record companies sell most of their music through iTunes instead of selling directly on their own web sites? Bypassing the middleman puts the burden on the customer to hunt down the material and navigate a different purchasing experience for each supplier of content. The result is generally lower sales. Middlemen earn their cut by providing a centralized, quality shopping experience for customers. Selling directly allows you to keep a bigger slice of the pie... but you sell a lot less pies.
Dark Horse is experimenting with selling comics directly, mostly bypassing digital retailers like ComiXology (Google and Apple still get their cut). Time will tell if bypassing popular digital retailers hurts their sales enough to negate the greater cut of the sales they're getting.
In any event, publishers are unlikely to lower their prices enough to undermine the direct market for paper comics, where they make most of their money. Digital is just a sliver of the market right now, and most people don't own the tablet computers that provide the best experience for reading digital comics. Dramatically dropping the price of newly published comics in digital form would outrage comic shop owners and paper comics loyalists who'd be paying much more for the same material. There's no proof it would lead to a dramatic increase in digital revenues which would make up for the lower margins. The publishers do already have frequent 99 cent sales however, to serve the most price-sensitive segment of the market. The sales are very successful, but the highest selling digital comics from major publishers are their pricier new releases.
I just got a new device and want to try out digital comics. What do I do?
Well, if you have a tablet, there are a number of apps that you can download that allow you to purchase and read digital comicbooks. However, by far the most successful is Comicsby ComiXology, which is the exclusive distributor of monthly DC digital comics. ComiXology has the greatest selection of comics, from companies like Marvel, DC, Archie, Image, Boom Studios, Dynamite, IDW, Oni, Top Cow and others. If your device is a laptop or PC, you can purchase and read digital comics from any Flash-enabled web browser athttp://www.comixology.com/ .
How much are digital comics?
The most frequent price point is $1.99. Brand new material is generally higher (usually the same price as the paper edition of the same comic). Many publishers, such as DC, drop the price of their digital editions approximately one month after the paper edition comes out. The major exception is Marvel comics, which releases many new comics digitally the same day as the paper editions and for the same price... and then leaves the price the same. However, Marvel does offer a growing supply of older comics for $1.99.
There are some comics from smaller publishers for 99 cents, and the bigger publishers frequently put select material on sale for 99 cents for a day or two. Marvel puts a dozen or two comics on sale for 99 cents on most Mondays and Fridays, for example.
There is also a selection of free comics available as well, so that you can discover new material. So you can go ahead and try new digital comics yourself anytime for no cost.
What device do I need to purchase and read digital comics?
Well, a PC or Mac will work if you have a Flash-enabled web browser and an internet connection. However, most people consider tablets to be a form factor better suited for enjoying digital comics. You can use an iPad or any Android powered tablet that runs Android 2.1 and up. Comics by ComiXology is also pre-installed on the Amazon Kindle Fire. Note that cheaper Android tablets may not have support for Google's Android Market built in, so you may have to jump through some hoops to install the program. Also, you'll want to try to get a device with a screen quality and resolution good enough to maximize your enjoyment of the art.
The Comics by ComiXology app also works on iPhones and Android phones. The app will automatically display the comics a panel or so at a time, like so:
What format are digital comics in?
Don't worry about it. With Comics by ComiXology and other authorized digital comics apps, you purchase your comic and read it in the same app. You don't have to worry about making backups of the comic- the purchase has been registered to your account, and you can delete and redownload the comic as often as you want. Thus, you can keep most of your comics in the "cloud" (on the computers of the company you buy your comics from) and don't have to worry about taking up all the storage space on your device.
As for Macs and PCs, you read the comics in your browser at http://www.comixology.com/ . The files are never actually downloaded to your device, so you have to be connected to the internet to read them.
If my comics are stored on ComiXology's servers, what if they go out of business?
Tough to say. Allegedly they've said they'd allow folks to download their comics files free of DRM if they were going out of business, but I haven't seen that quote and can't find it online. More likely somebody would purchase them or their assets and continue to support those purchases. The comics companies have high hopes for digital comics, and if a huge segment of the folks buying digital comics lost their collections, faith in digital comics would be shaken pretty badly. The publishers have strong incentive not to let that happen. (ComiXology is reportedly doing quite well, however.)
If I buy digital comics on a tablet, can I transfer them to my PC, or vice versa?
If you purchase a digital comic from ComiXology, you can read it on any platform ComiXology supports. It'll show up as part of your collection on every platform, and on your PC browser.
I notice a lot of publishers like DC and Dark Horse have their own apps, and some comics have their own apps (like Walking Dead or Scott Pilgrim). Should I use these apps or ComiXology?
Many of those apps are actually different ways of spotlighting content available on ComiXology. They're the same comics ComiXology sells, but the publisher wanted to highlight the material by giving them their own app. For example, ComiXology makes apps for Smurfs, Walking Dead, DC Comics, Image, Scott Pilgrim, Bone, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite, Zenescope, Green Hornet, Top Shelf, and The 99. If you purchase comics from any of these apps they also show up as purchased and readable in the regular ComiXology app and web site... and vice versa. It's just another way of getting the material noticed.
One quasi-exception: Marvel Comics. Marvel comics are available from ComiXology, but sometimes there's slight differences in the material available from ComiXology and Marvel's own app (which uses ComiXology's technology). Purchases made in the Marvel app may or may not show up as purchased in the ComiXology app and vice versa (Marvel encourages people to use a special Marvel.com log-in for their app, rather than the standard ComiXology account).
A few publishers have apps that aren't affiliated with ComiXology. Archie and Peanuts have apps powered by iVerse, who also sell comics through an app called Comics+. Dark Horse has their own digital store they run themselves.
In theory, it doesn't make any difference where you purchases your digital comics. In practice ComiXology seems to have the brightest future at the moment. And if you make a lot of purchases from the same publisher, it may be prudent to purchase them from the publisher's own app. Publishers are unlikely to want to antagonize customers who are purchasing from their own branded apps. Recently IDW changed their branded app so that instead of being powered by iVerse it's now powered by ComiXology. All their customers purchases made the same transition to ComiXology automatically. This showed that digital purchases aren't necessarily tied to the well-being of a single digital store. Digital comics purchased directly from a major publisher are almost certain to be supported regardless of what happens to individual digital retailers.
What do ComiXology apps look like?
Like this:
What's this I hear about DC having an exclusive deal with the Amazon.com?
ComiXology is the exclusive digital store for DC's monthly comics, all of which are available digitally the same day as the paper editions go on sale. They also offer a growing selection of classic material. However, at present DC doesn't offer full length "graphic novels" on ComiXology (graphic novels being stories that are 90 pages or more, which may or may not have first appeared in serialized form in monthly comics). DC's graphic novels are for a limited time offered on digital exclusively from Amazon.com on their Amazon Kindle Fire tablet. However, almost all of this content is available digitally from ComiXology in the form of individual issues.
How can they charge as much for digital comics as paper comics? They should be way cheaper, since they don't have to print them. Why should I get digital when for the same price I can get a real comic that I can keep? Digital comics should be 99 cents!
Feel free to stay with paper comics. The publishers have no incentive to switch paper readers to digital, they merely see digital as a way to reach additional readers. Keep in mind though, that there are costs to creating and distributing digital comics. Google and Apple take a 30% cut of all comics sold through their software. Digital retailers like ComiXology also take a significant cut. Artists are paid royalties. And because comics are a relatively niche medium in much of the world (particularly the US), they don't sell enough copies to make up in volume what they lose from low profit margins.
Many people do feel that digital comics are "real comics" and that they even offer signficant advantages. They offer the same content as paper comics, but they can be purchased and delivered on a whim in seconds, without driving to a store or preordering months in advance. They take up no storage space and require no filing.
Why don't Marvel and DC sell their comics directly on their web sites, cutting out the middlemen like Apple and ComiXology, which would allow them to lower their prices?
Why do Marvel and DC sell their paper comics in stores, instead of selling them all by subscription by mail for less? Why do record companies sell most of their music through iTunes instead of selling directly on their own web sites? Bypassing the middleman puts the burden on the customer to hunt down the material and navigate a different purchasing experience for each supplier of content. The result is generally lower sales. Middlemen earn their cut by providing a centralized, quality shopping experience for customers. Selling directly allows you to keep a bigger slice of the pie... but you sell a lot less pies.
Dark Horse is experimenting with selling comics directly, mostly bypassing digital retailers like ComiXology (Google and Apple still get their cut). Time will tell if bypassing popular digital retailers hurts their sales enough to negate the greater cut of the sales they're getting.
In any event, publishers are unlikely to lower their prices enough to undermine the direct market for paper comics, where they make most of their money. Digital is just a sliver of the market right now, and most people don't own the tablet computers that provide the best experience for reading digital comics. Dramatically dropping the price of newly published comics in digital form would outrage comic shop owners and paper comics loyalists who'd be paying much more for the same material. There's no proof it would lead to a dramatic increase in digital revenues which would make up for the lower margins. The publishers do already have frequent 99 cent sales however, to serve the most price-sensitive segment of the market. The sales are very successful, but the highest selling digital comics from major publishers are their pricier new releases.
What is Marvel DCU?
In addition to selling individual digital comics, Marvel Comics and Archie Comics both offer digital subscription services. These services allow you to read an unlimited number of comics from sizable digital libraries for a monthly or annual fee, but you only have access to the comics while you subscribe to the service. Archie's service is called Archie Digital and costs $10 a month, or $50 a year. Marvel's service is called Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited (Marvel DCU) and costs $10 a month or $60 a year. Marvel's selection of material is by no means complete, but they do have over 10,000 comics mostly from the 1960s or the last 12 years or so. Around 25 comics are added each week. The selection of comics published in the last 18 months or so is spotty, in order not to undermine sales of individual issues or trade paperbacks.
Marvel DCU was designed to be accessed on a PC or Macintosh using a Flash-enabled web browser. It therefore is not directly accessible on an iPad. It can be accessed on a Flash enabled tablet like the Amazon Kindle Fire, but it was not designed with these devices in mind, and the experience is not optimal. Those with devices that do not support Flash can access the service through workarounds. For example, iPad users can access the service using an app called iSwifter, or by using an app like Splashtop that allows users to view and control their Flash-enabled computer remotedly from the iPad. Regardless of what device you use, you must have an internet connection to access Marvel DCU.
***update*** Marvel has now made this service available through the ipad/iphone with the Marvel Ulimited App. Find in the Apple App store, download it and test it out.
Now that Adobe has announced they are discontinuing development of Flash for mobile platforms, it is unknown whether these subscription services will be redesigned for future generations of tablet devices using different technology, or whether the publishers will let them languish and focus on selling individual issues. At present the services are a strong value for those interested in reading a lot of content online.
In addition to selling individual digital comics, Marvel Comics and Archie Comics both offer digital subscription services. These services allow you to read an unlimited number of comics from sizable digital libraries for a monthly or annual fee, but you only have access to the comics while you subscribe to the service. Archie's service is called Archie Digital and costs $10 a month, or $50 a year. Marvel's service is called Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited (Marvel DCU) and costs $10 a month or $60 a year. Marvel's selection of material is by no means complete, but they do have over 10,000 comics mostly from the 1960s or the last 12 years or so. Around 25 comics are added each week. The selection of comics published in the last 18 months or so is spotty, in order not to undermine sales of individual issues or trade paperbacks.
Marvel DCU was designed to be accessed on a PC or Macintosh using a Flash-enabled web browser. It therefore is not directly accessible on an iPad. It can be accessed on a Flash enabled tablet like the Amazon Kindle Fire, but it was not designed with these devices in mind, and the experience is not optimal. Those with devices that do not support Flash can access the service through workarounds. For example, iPad users can access the service using an app called iSwifter, or by using an app like Splashtop that allows users to view and control their Flash-enabled computer remotedly from the iPad. Regardless of what device you use, you must have an internet connection to access Marvel DCU.
***update*** Marvel has now made this service available through the ipad/iphone with the Marvel Ulimited App. Find in the Apple App store, download it and test it out.
Now that Adobe has announced they are discontinuing development of Flash for mobile platforms, it is unknown whether these subscription services will be redesigned for future generations of tablet devices using different technology, or whether the publishers will let them languish and focus on selling individual issues. At present the services are a strong value for those interested in reading a lot of content online.
- Goodman
EDIT: 5YL (April 10 2013)
EDIT: 5YL (April 10 2013)
Apple Banned Comics/How can I read a banned book on my iPad/iphone?:
Go to a computer (not an apple mobile device) and go to the Comixology website. Log in and purchase your filthy comic. Then go to the App on the mobile device you want to use. Go to the purchases section and find your comic there. Download it and read it. Be sure to lock the door first so your mom won't catch you.
