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ComiXology vs Comic Zeal
July 10, 2024
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ComiXology has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology’s reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become one of iTunes top 10 grossing iPad apps in both 2011 and 2012. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from the top 75 publishers, and including independent creators as well, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan.
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Imagine holding your comic library in your hands; with Comic Zeal, you don't have to imagine. Your iPad is the perfect device for reading comics, but reading comics and manga isn't like reading books. You need a specialist app that can organize your comics by series, don't look through hundreds to find the one you want.
ComiXology vs Comic Zeal in our news:
2023. Amazon is merging Comixology into Kindle
Amazon has revealed plans to merge the Comixology and Kindle applications on iOS, Android and Fire OS starting December 4, 2023. Books previously purchased on Comixology will now automatically appear in your Kindle app library. While the enhanced Kindle app experience is currently accessible, users can still read their books in the Comixology app until the merger on December 4, 2023. To locate comics and manga in the Kindle app, users can simply utilize the 'Comics & Manga' filter, tailoring their library to display only these genres. Alternatively, the 'Books' filter allows users to view their library without comics, graphic novels and manga titles. Additionally, the option to hide individual comics, graphic novels and manga is available by long-pressing a title and selecting 'Hide Book,' with the hidden books accessible through the library filter menu by selecting 'Hidden.' Further details about the upcoming changes can be found here.
2022. ComiXology to get integrated into Amazon Kindle
ComiXology was acquired by Amazon eight years ago but continued to operate independently; however, that is about to change. Upcoming changes include a complete prohibition on downloading DRM-free comics and the ComiXology app itself will be integrated into the Kindle app. The ComiXology app will soon be retired and fully merged into the main Kindle app for Android and iOS. A FAQ page is available to assist users in transitioning to the Kindle app and accessing comics. Additionally, the Kindle app has been upgraded to display the panel-by-panel ‘Guided View’.
2016. Comixology launched Unlimited Comic Book Service
Comixology has introduced a new digital comic subscription service. For $5.99 per month, you can gain access to a range of comics and graphic novels. Numerous publishers are participating in this new venture, including Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite Entertainment, Kodansha Comics, Oni Press, Valiant Entertainment, Archie Comics, Fantagraphics Books, Humanoids, Action Lab Entertainment, Aspen Comics, Zenescope Entertainment and others. Marvel is notably missing from this new initiative, primarily because they operate their own service called Marvel Unlimited. DC is also not involved and has yet to create their own solution.
2014. ComiXology starts offering DRM-free backups of its digital comics
Digital comics platform comiXology, which was acquired by Amazon in April, will now allow users to download DRM-free copies of titles from participating publishers, enabling them to store and read them offline. After purchasing, eligible comics can be downloaded as PDF or CBZ (a compressed format for comic books) files. The caveat is that the major comic book publishers, Marvel and DC, are not making their titles available DRM-free. However, smaller publishers — including Image Comics, Dynamite Entertainment and MonkeyBrain Comics — are participating. Authors using comiXology’s self-publishing platform, comiXology Submit, also have the option to make their titles available DRM-free.
2014. Amazon acquires comic book ecosystem Comixology
Amazon has announced that it will acquire comiXology, a service that provides digital versions of comics from Marvel, DC and many other publishers. It functions similarly to iTunes or the Kindle Store, but for comic books. You purchase a comic through their online store, then read it either on the web or via the company’s iOS/Android apps. Currently, comiXology offers over 50,000 comics for sale. In 2013, the company introduced a self-publishing platform for comics that allows creators to upload and sell their own work—a strategy that aligns with Amazon’s own self-publishing initiatives for books. The news is confirmed by a statement from comiXology CEO David Steinberger, who notes that the company will maintain its brand, continuing as a subsidiary of Amazon.
2013. Comic Zeal 5.2 gets new engine and locking options
The new version Comic Zeal 5.2 features a lot of internal changes, including a big update to the code that shows you menus but there is only one really new feature and that is locking. Locking of Series in Comic Zeal and Pages and Notebooks in ThinkBook has been a very requested feature. The developer has implemented a very simple system that just stops these items from being opened in the app. You can use the options menu for a comic series, page or notebook to apply a lock to it. Then, whenever you want to open that item again you will have to enter a 4 digit passcode. The passcode is the same for all locked entries and you can set or change it through the application options menu. There is also a fairly lightweight system to reset the passcode which uses iTunes file sharing to import a particular file. When that's done the passcode will be reset.
