Tag: Comics »

iOS devices are great for using as e-readers, iPads in particular. Besides being great for reading books and novels, they're also ideal for comic book reading. Whether you've been reading comics for decades, or just discovering the magic within for the first time, here's a look at four of our favorite apps for enjoying some of the best comics and graphic novels out there.

Comics
From Comixology, Comics offers a huge wealth of comic books. With a 30,000+ library of books, it's the comic equivalent of iTunes which is pretty awesome indeed. There's something for everyone's taste here, with Marvel and DC residing happily alongside Disney, The Walking Dead, Star Trek and even My Little Pony. It's simple to browse around and a web-based interface ensures purchases can be read anywhere.

Marvel Unlimited
For those keen to buy individual comic books, Marvel Comics has things covered. For others who signed up to a Marvel Unlimited subscription and had to be restricted to only browsing on a PC or Mac, this recent app is a huge help. It's not the finest of apps to navigate (although it works much better on the iPad), but the sheer wealth of comic books that can be read while on the move and for a fairly low annual fee, it's well worth a look. It's kept me entertained on many a journey, as helped by the read offline feature.

Comics Unlimited
Offering a little bit of everything, amongst a subscription service and a way to check out freebies, Comics Unlimited is a jack of all trades. Archie, CSI, Transformers, Dragon Age and Grimm Fairy Tales all happily reside together on this service and flexible subscription options make it all the more appealing. It's simple to browse too, with intuitive controls and an attractive layout.

VIZ Manga
We've focused a lot on Western comic books, but there are plenty of great apps for Manga fans too. VIZ Manga is one of the best, providing a similar experience to Comics but with a focus on Manga. Naruto, Bleack, Death Note, Dragon Ball and many more are available here, with monthly free previews ensuring it's easy to find something new to entice one in.

Hit game Temple Run now has a digital comic book, ready for you to grab for $0.99 on the App store. Ape Entertainment, the folks behind Pocket God Comics, among others, promise to answer the hard questions, like what is the temple? And what's up with those golden idols and scary monkey demons? The first two issues come with the app, and then each issue after that will run you a tiny $0.99 each.

In the first issue, follow Guy Dangerous as he and a band of adventurers go in search of a lost Incan city and the treasure it holds. But when Guy comes face to face with a mysterious golden idol, they may get more than they bargained for!

ComiXology announced today a free, new submission portal for comics self-publishers called comiXology Submit. The company, developer of one of the first and most successful comics reading/buying apps on the App store, hopes to help comic book creators make money from their self-published efforts via ComiXology's digital platform, which is already used by the likes of Marvel and DC. ComiXology has nearly 30,000 comics and graphic novels to choose from, with over 900 of those available for free

The service will begin as an invite-only beta, and will allow creators a way to sell their stuff via the comiXology platform. There'll be some sort of approval process, and once ready, comics will be uploaded to the comiXology portal, available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows 8 and the Web, with Guided View technology. This lets indie comics creators use the same panel to panel navigation system that the big guys use, and it will be applied to these self-published works entirely for free.

Initially starting out as invite-only/private beta, comiXology Submit will allow creators a free portal to easily access the comiXology platform. Submissions will go through an approval process and when approved comiXology will transform the uploaded work with their Guided View technology – for free. Then the work goes on sale worldwide with the creator and comiXology splitting the profits evenly.

“...having a way to let self-publishers participate ... is good for our customers, for comiXology and for comics,” said co-founder John D. Roberts in a press release. “Having the most diverse material possible serves comiXology’s mission. It’s great that we can now open our platform to self-publishers and deliver a whole new wave of creative works to our customers.”

CEO David Steinberger feels the same way, noting that the company has come a long way since it started in July of 2009 with just a "handful of comics," he said. "We are happy today, with the announcement of comiXology Submit, that we now have a turnkey system to service this incredibly vital part of the marketplace. ComiXology Submit, helps keep the promise to our customers of having the best and most diverse comic books and graphic novels available worldwide.”

If you're a comic book creator interested in self-publishing your work via the comiXology platform, head over to submit.comixology.com and add your contact information. The platform should become available to anyone in the near future who has one or more comics, graphic novels, a webcomic, and even short one-shot comics creators.

Emanata is a new comics app focused just on independent comic creators. They can publish their graphic stories for free, then get a portion of the sales proceeds. For the first month, artists take all of the revenue from sales (after Apple's 30% cut). After that, the artists will split revenues 50/50 with Emanata. The artists also retain all of the rights to their work, which lets them publish elsewhere.

With Emanata, users can browse all types of free comics as well as purchase premium stories within the app to directly support the artists they like. The app’s new built-in news feed makes it even easier to follow specific creators and keep up with their latest work. The reader can also use in-app social tools to share memorable works with friends via email, social networks, and on the Web.

“Tablet devices are the natural platform to showcase great art and storytelling. We want to provide a dedicated place where the independent artists can find new audiences, and for the connoisseur of comic books to discover something unexpected and edgy,” said George Chen, CEO of Emanata.

Great to see comics continue to embrace new technology, and this free universal app delivers seven original graphic novel stories, including one by Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons.

The Madefire app, which delivers a fully-immersive, episodic comics reading experience, is now optimized for the brilliant 4-inch Retina display on iPhone 5 and supports Facebook single sign-on in iOS 6. The app is also available for iPhones 3GS, 4, 4S, and for 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch.

If you are among the ever-growing number of digital comic and graphic novel enthusiasts, there’s a new free magazine on Newsstand called INIFNITY that's worth checking out. Designed for the iPad, it has the look and feel of any glossy digital bi-monthly without an overload of interactive features. There’s Twitter integration and audio commentary, but the magazine maintains an old-school feel with its attention focused on comic books and related genres.

The new iPad offering is actually a reinvention of a small comic fanzine that bears the same name which popped onto the scene in the 1980s. During its run it had a knack for finding stars on the rise, and the new iteration plans to do the same while also offering news and interviews with today’s big players.

The launch issue has tons of news and mini reviews, quotes from famous grapic novelists like Art Speiglman of Maus fame and features an interview PJ Holden about his commando-themed comics being banned by Apple, along with a preview of his latest, Murderdrome. There is also a one-on-one with David Lloyd on his graphic novel Kickback, a look at the art of Simon Russell and capsule reviews for several iOS titles.

Ape Entertainment, purveyor of fine digital and print comic books, is at it again. This time, they're bringing runaway success of endless runner game Temple Run to the comic book format. It will be released both as a print book, available in comic book shops, and a digital download as its own separate app.

“Temple Run is by far one of my favorite adventure games on the App Store,” said David Hedgecock, CEO of Ape Entertainment. “The thrilling gameplay plays into our plans very nicely for an extraordinary storyline that we know fans will enjoy.”

Ape Entertainment may be better known as the publisher of the highly successful Pocket God comics as well as a Cut the Rope comic. They announced a licensing agreement with Imangi Studios, the developers of hit game Temple Run, which spawned an endless supply of clones with similar swipe and tilt mechanics.

“The Temple Run game left a lot to the imagination, with more questions than answers," said Keith Shepherd, CEO of Imangi Studios and a heck of a nice guy. "We look forward to exploring the world of Temple Run and the adventures of Guy Dangerous in more detail with Ape Entertainment and the comic series."

Source: Ape Entertainment
Via: Touch Arcade

No doom and gloom for the pygmies this time around. At least, not on a global scale. The Pocket God Comics app is getting an update (or rather just got one by the time this ends up being readable) including the 16th issue and a fairly major tweaking to the store’s interface.

In this latest episode, the girls need to fix their raft with a laser. Sure, that makes perfect sense. The catch is they can only get one by catching a laser shark. Oddly that makes a little more sense. And, of course, mayhem and hilarity shall ensue as the pygmies attempt to bag a very large, toothy, and heavily armed fish. The app itself (pictured above) should also be much more navigable. New issues, featured releases, Top Titles and more will be right up there on the main page for all to see and access. It’s looking pretty slick all things considered.

By the time people start reading this, the update should be live. Assuming there are some folks out there who don’t own the app yet, it’s also available for the incredibly low (and obnoxiously expected) price of $0.99.

zuuka Comics have teamed up with Don Bluth Studios to bring the Dragon's Lair comic book series to iOS. Originally published in its entirety in 2006, this comic series follows the adventures of the game's protagonist, Dirk the Daring, as he tries to rescue the beautiful Princess Daphne from the dragon Singe. Apparently he didn't appreciate Dirk invading his lair last time.

This comic tries to bring all the humor of the game in a format that doesn't involve trying to move a joystick in the right direction, in the hopes that was the correct one. The series includes the issue #1 cover art and a bonus story drawn by Don Bluth himself, with the rest of the art drawn by Fabio Laguna, and issues written by Andy Mangels, Ryan Foley, and Jimmy PS Hayes. The app is universal and free to download, with the first issue for free. Each of the following 5 issues are available as in-app purchases for $1.99 each.