Marvel comics has finally come to Android. This is a good thing. What’s not a good thing is that the digital storefronts growing on the web, iOS, and Android are becoming quite fragmented.
Before last September, Android didn’t have a big name on the digital comics front. ComiXology released a beta of their app which that didn’t included Marvel books. It does, however, include DC Comics, BOOM!, Top Cop, Vertigo, etc.
Today, Graphic.ly announced their Android app that includes Marvel Comics, BOOM!, Archie, and “more than 150 publishers currently available on Graphicly’s other applications”. I haven’t been able to find a definitive list, but I assume it’s Top Cow and the others. Missing from Graphic.ly’s list is DC Comics.
Their press release stated the purchases will be transferable to the web and iOS apps. I wonder what happens when you buy a book on Marvel’s Chrome store; does that become viewable on Android? What if you buy on Graphic.ly’s Android app; does that become viewable on Marvel’s Chrome store? I doubt it - only because Marvel’s Chrome store has so far ignored most of my iOS purchases.
To the hesitant paper reader thinking about making the jump to digital, this mess just got a whole lot more confusing. If you have an Android device and want Marvel books, you need to go Graphic.ly. If you want DC books, you need to go ComiXology.
I’ve heard that Marvel charges a hefty up-front cost in order for you to sell their books digitally, but I wonder where DC falls into the Android space. They’re entire web viewer interface is supplied by ComiXology, so I doubt they’ll be headed near Graphic.ly anytime soon. Marvel went their own route for the web viewer with horrific results. However, not being tied to ComiXology on the web means that you can now read their books on Graphic.ly’s Android app.
What does this mean for the future of Marvel & DC’s books? To me, it looks like it’s going to be Graphic.ly or ComiXology from here on out. iVerse is doing God-knows-what with Diamond Digital and Longbox looks all but dead. Graphic.ly has been making such strong partnerships with Google that I’m sure they wouldn’t mind being snapped up by Google. I’m not saying that’s happening, but it sure doesn’t hurt their business favoring Google so much. Why not utilize One Pass once that becomes a viable option, too?
I’m not even sure Graphic.ly really cares about iOS as much as they do Android and the web. Their iOS app pales in comparison to ComiXology in all aspects. Some books even show up as costing $1.49 - their web store cost. That price isn’t an option in any Apple In-App purchasing; when you click on that price, the pop-up shows $1.99. A bug that should have been fixed ages ago.
We’re still in the early stages of digital comics and it’s becoming obvious that we’ve found the Big 2 storefronts. I just wish users could make their own choice.
