Here is our iPad App Review of the new DC Comics App that was just released. This is a free application packed with features for any comic book lover out there. While the app is free, not all of the comics are free. I have to admit, I’ve never been a fan of comic books but this app enticed me to take a look. There were some nice things about it, and some odd things as well.
Category: Books
Price: Free
The Layout
Iconology, Inc. did a great job of making this fit the iPad. At the very top of the screen they have menu items for “Featured”, “New”, “Popular”, and “Free”. This is perfect for anyone that wants to find the dc comics of their choice quickly. Also, there is a “Browse” button which lets you browse by the following categories:
- Series
- Genre
- Creator
- Imprint
- Storylines/Arcs
When you select a specific comic there is a pop up window (see the screen shot) where you can buy, preview, buy in print, or view the full series. A ratings system is also included so you can see what others thought of this particular comic.
There are a ton of comics already in the application so there is no shortage of reading here. Most of the paid comics were priced at $1.99, and a lot of the free ones were black and white but there were color ones as well.
Reading A DC Comic
Before you can read a comic (other than the preview one that is included) a window pops up asking you to sign up for an account on ComiXology.com. It’s free to sign up and they claim that any dc comics you purchase will be available anywhere no matter what device you are using. So it’s kind of like your comics follow you around. While a great feature, I did not like that you couldn’t read one without signing up.
The comics do not open up as I would expect (like a book). They actually open up as a strip in the middle of the screen. You swipe to go to the next “page”. You can also zoom in the page but it still did not feel like I was reading an actual comic book. When I first went to read a comic, I imagined it would be something like a book from the iBook store.
The colors are great and graphics are spot on as most iPad apps are, so no issues there. Once I zoomed in, I felt more like I was reading an actual comic book page. When you flip to portrait mode, it’s as if you are actually reading a paper comic.
Final Thoughts
Digitized comic books have a huge promise and being able to purchase them right within the application is a pretty nice feature considering you can search and browse for exactly what you want. The only thing I would like to see changed is the sign-up requirement with Comixology. It’s a great service, I’m sure, but just having the option to use it or not would be nice. Other than that very minor thing, I think this takes comics to a new level just as magazines were taken to a new level with the Wired magazine app.
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I don't know if you've ever read a comic or not but this his how you read comics. If you want to change the layout turn the iPad to portrait. You get the perfect since of how a paper comic is to be read. Just look at the Marvel app and you will see that it is damn near perfect.
Yeah, I think when I first looked at the app it was in landscape and not portrait – I need to update my post because as I discovered, it does fill the screen nicely – and gives the feel of a real comic book. On the other point, I would still like the option of not having to sign up for the comixology service to read them.
Thank You I appreciate it!