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ComiXology removes in-app purchases for iOS app after Amazon purchase
The digital comic book retailer ComiXology has been a massively profitable addition to the iOS landscape, but after a number of run-ins with Apple on content, the company is changing things up. On Saturday, April 26, ComiXology quietly announced some major changes to its iOS and Android apps. Android users were given a brand new in-app purchases interface with an improved cart system, but iOS users found an important feature had been removed; in-app purchases. From now on ComiXology readers using iOS devices will have to buy their digital comic issues via the company's website and then sync the titles to their device, completely bypassing the iOS marketplace. This method of purchases is significantly less direct from consumers, but it allows ComiXology to get around Apple's "morals" issues which have caused content to be blocked from sale in the iOS store in the past. There's just one issue; that option was always available to iOS ComiXology users, which means iOS users now have a more complicated process of buying their titles than before. For iPad or iPhone readers, there's really no good news here. Some creators, like Chris Roberson of Moneybrain Comics are thrilled with the changes. No longer allowing in-app purchases via iOS frees up the 30% cut that Apple made on sales made through their devices. In Roberson's eyes this means more money to go back to creators. I have always recommended people make their @Comixology purchases through the site and not the app, since creators get more money that way. - Chris Roberson (@chris_roberson) April 26, 2014 Now, readers will be spending the same amount on their @Comixology purchases, but the creators will be getting a bigger cut across the board - Chris Roberson (@chris_roberson) April 26, 2014 You'll notice he prefers that all users, not specifically iOS users, buy through the website. All in-app purchases through Android and Apple are subject to the same 30% cut of the profits, the money is just sent to different corporate overloads. So why did ComiXology kill in-app purchases for iOS devices, but expand its Android store with a new cart and other features? Perhaps it's this little fella. ComiXology was recently purchased by Amazon, and Amazon's Kindle Fire uses the Android platform. By making it harder to buy comics via the iPad, they've just managed to quietly prop up the Kindle Fire as the easiest option for comic readers thinking about which tablet is right for them. Of course this is simply conjecture on our part, but if there's anything we've learned from Captain America books it's that everything happens for a reason. Also, don't trust Nazis. To ease the transition for possibly sore readers, ComiXology is giving everyone who has ever made a purchase through the app a $5 credit as a thank you for sticking with them. As of right now, only the main ComiXology app for iOS has had in-app purchases removed; the ComiXology powered iOS apps for Marvel, DC, IDW, and Image are still allowing customers to buy books on their devices. ComiXology remains the best comic book reader and marketplace available for iOS users. Will these changes to ComiXology drive you to another digital comic retailer? Let us know in the comments. In the meantime here's ComiXology own quick guide for adding a link to their webstore on your iOS home screen. It's at least something.
Halftone 2 is the easy way to turn your photos into professional looking comics
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow, obviously, but with Halftone 2 the power to make a comic that answers that question for yourself is found on your iOS device. By pairing an impressive array of page layout and speech bubble templates with your own personal photos, Halftone 2 will have you producing sharp-looking comic pages in no time. For Halftone 2's US$1.99 asking price you get a lot to work with. You start out by loading your photos into one of the app's 33 prepared page layouts. Once you have your images in place, it's time to add dialog by placing speech bubbles and thought boxes on your images. There are 33 different kinds of bubbles to choose from: thought boxes to arrows to puffy clouds. Users can pick from any font that's currently on their phone for text, along with various sliders for changing the color and size of your dialog. If you've seen it in a comic book, it's probably at your disposal. Once you've placed your dialog, you can adjust the size and alignment of each bubble with simple finger swipes. Beyond the simple, yet powerful, templates you get 83 sound effect stamps from Comicraft -- think the 60's Batman show -- allowing you to add Bang!, Wahoo!, and Pow!'s to your stories. Halftone 2 currently features only one in-app purchase, and it's all thanks to the popularity of these stamps. For an extra $1.99, the app serves up an additional 51 graphic sound effects for your stamping pleasure. The provided tools take about ten minutes of playing around with to really get a solid grasp on, especially if you're stuck using an iPhone rather than iPad. Once you're in the groove, playtime is only limited by your imagination or the limits of your photo collection. And you're not just limited to single page issues... Thankfully Halftone also allows for the building of multiple page comics, which can be exported out of the app as documents, pdfs and even .CBZ files for reading in Simple Comics. The app also includes a "anaglyph color modification" option that allows you to transfer your comics to 3d, provided you've got the red/blue glass needed to see the effect. With Halftone 2 you can write a short comic book about your cat's disapproval of your home decorating. Or you can write a love letter to someone special. What you choose to do with Halftone 2 is up to you. Halftone 2 is the sort of app I'd love to leave a six year old alone with for a few hours, just to see what came out of their brain. The only thing holding the app back from being perfect for kids is the inability to take pictures directly in the app. Switching back and forth between camera and app eventually takes away some of the thrill of building comics on the fly. However, if you've already got a lot of photos on your device, you're ready to roll. As I've been writing this review, Halftone has been updated multiple times. That is frustrating for me as a reviewer, but great for you as a user. Developer Juicy Bits has gone out of its way to make Halftone 2 as user-friendly as possible, down to including video tutorials to answer fan questions. This dedication to building the best user experience possible shows through in every aspect of the app. If you've ever wanted to write a comic but don't have the artistic skills, Halftone 2 is going to open a wonderful door to your creativity. It's certainly worth $1.99, and every hour of your life you pour into it writing your stories.
New Assassin's Creed graphic novel set in 19th century India
Announced earlier today, Assassin's Creed: Brahman is the newest graphic novel series in Ubisoft's two-dimensional expansion of its video game universe, following in the footsteps of Assassin's Creed: The Fall and Assassin's Creed: The Chain. Written by Brenden Fletcher (Wednesday Comics) with artwork by Cameron Stewart (Catwoman, Batman & Robin) and Karl Kerschl (Adventures of Superman), Assassin's Creed: Brahman takes place in nineteenth century India, which means that the series' staple of killing evil British people will proudly continue. The story follows Arbaaz Mir, a new assassin who works to bring down a "lifelong foe" that totally jacked up his land and kinsmen. We're no psychics, but we've got a sneaking suspicion that some dudes are totally going to get stabbed by some wrist-knives before this thing wraps up.%Gallery-194228%
Comixology adds options for subscriptions and bundles (update: Web app only)
Comixology is, as we've discussed here before, basically the premiere app for comic books on Apple's iPad. And now, the app (well, the web app at least) is adding one more feature to its already long list. Starting today, you can subscribe to your favorite comics right inside the app's web store, which means that instead of going in every week to buy the comics you want, you can tap one button, and you'll automatically pick up a comic when it arrives. That's pretty handy if you buy a lot of comics -- it's like having your own personal comic book store pulling issues as you need them. The company has also added support for buying comics in bundles, which means those deals we occasionally see come out of Comixology's offices will probably be a lot better (it's much easier to buy a bunch of comics at a time for cheap, rather than a ton of issues individually on sale). This also means that the company can bundle up storylines and back issues, so finding what you want to read and purchasing it all in one go should be a piece of cake. Update: Bundles and subscriptions are only available on the web app, we're told. But you can definitely buy comics on the web, and then browse them on your iPad.
Rogue joins the gallery of guest stars in the Deadpool game
Cable, Wolverine, Psylocke, and Domino were already announced as making appearances in the upcoming Deadpool game by High Moon Studios (due out on June 28), and now you can add one more X-(wo)man to that list. Rogue is joining the team, and as you can see above, she's brought a new look with her.%Gallery-191728%
Nexon launching free-to-play Ghost in the Shell FPS in first half of 2014
Nexon has announced that it will release an online PC FPS called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex in the first half of 2014, in partnership with Kodansha Ltd., the comic book publisher behind the long-running Ghost in the Shell series.Stand Alone Complex will be based on the Japanese animated series of the same name and will offer up a cooperative battle mode, as well as other ways to battle with and against cyborgs. Considering the game is coming from Nexon (the maker of games like Maple Story, Combat Arms, and Dragon Nest), it probably comes as no surprise to learn the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex will be free-to-play and supported by microtransactions.We've got almost a year to wait for this one, but Nexon also points out that it is only the first of a few different games it will be making with Kodansha as part of a deal announced in December 2012.
Marvel Heroes admits that yes, it does have a story
It would be a mistake to assume that just because Marvel Heroes is taking the form of a Diablo-style action game it's lacking any substantial lore. In fact, Gazillion chief writer Brian Michael Bendis claims in a new dev diary that the writers have a truly epic tale in place: "This is the kind of story so large that we probably couldn't do it in the comic books without it taking 75 issues." The story kicks off with Doctor Doom as the primary antagonist. Doom has captured a powerful artifact and is in the process of freeing villains from a massive prison. The writing team says that players will learn more about Doom's sinister plan as the game progresses. One of the key tools that the team is using to tell the story is a series of motion comics to give what the devs call an "authentic Marvel experience." These cutscenes are illustrated by the folks at Marvel and voiced by actors who have played the characters in the past. The studio claims that over 9,000 lines of dialogue, including witty banter, will launch with the game. Check out the story of Marvel Heroes after the jump!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The story of City of Heroes that wasn't
I started playing City of Heroes for one reason and one reason alone: I love superheroes. Yes, the game entranced me afterward, and there were a lot of things to like aside from the superhero aspect, but I came first and foremost expecting a game of superheroes. And while I've occasionally taken issue with the way the game tries to model superheroes, that doesn't extend to the game's lore in the slightest. Lore is an important part of what makes superheroes work, after all. That sense of a bigger world, that sequence of big events that rewrite the world as a whole every so often, the cadence of enemies rising and falling. There's a certain feel to superhero universes, one that City of Heroes had to replicate without shamelessly copying another world -- and the team at Paragon Studios succeeded in doing just that. Unfortunately, we're never going to see all of the revelations in the game that could have stretched on for many more years, but the recent lore AMA answered a lot of lingering questions about the game's universe and backstory. So as we enter our final month, yeah, I'd like to look at that.
Injustice: Gods Among Us comic book currently underway
Ed Boon has announced that NetherRealm Studios' take on the DC universe, Injustice: Gods Among Us, is "for sure" getting its own comic series sometime in the future, according to Polygon."We're working on an Injustice comic book to carry the story and tell the events that came before the game," Boon said at the EB Expo in Sydney, Australia. "Obviously the extreme version is it would spawn a lot more things, but I know for sure we are making an Injustice comic." Boon hopes that DC fans will accept the new Injustice universe as they have the Arkham Asylum/City canon.You guys remember back in the 90s, when they made a Street Fighter movie starring Jean Claude Van Damme and then later made Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game? Well, this is like that, but here's hoping that Comic Books: The Video Game: The Comic Book works out a lot better.
Sony shuts down PSP Comic Store after October 30th, leaves most of us in the lurch for now
PSP Comic Store, we hardly knew ye. No really, we hardly knew ye -- which is probably why Sony is warning PSP owners that its comic book portal is shutting down after October 30th. Come Hallowe'en, we'll lose the option to download the necessary app or buy additional titles. Any currently owned comics will be available to download again until mid-January, but readers will be on their own to preserve existing libraries after that. Outside of Japan, that creates significant problems for literary PlayStation fans: while PS Vita owners in Sony's home country will get a Manga store and reader in October, there's no equivalent crutch for other countries (or any PSP owners) at this stage. The console maker is non-committal and says there's nothing it can discuss "at the moment," which to us is a hint that we shouldn't plan our reading hours around a PSP or PS Vita in the near future. [Thanks, Sooraj]
Storyboard: Lessons from what roleplaying resembles most
When you get right down to it, roleplaying isn't really like a movie or a novel in which you determine the story. It's not even all that much like a video game in which you write the story; those tend to be structured better. No, roleplaying is most like making your own serial comic book. Think about it. You have a number of charcters with superhuman abilities getting into conflicts on a regular basis. Sometimes those characters pan out into a satisfying story arc, but other times characters show up and then vanish, either because they were awful or because the author didn't know what to do with them. There's a real risk of running on into boredom, and there are a lot of times when characters get kludged into other storylines for cross-promotional purposes. Regular readers will probably guess that I don't think of this as a bad thing. I like comics a lot, after all. And it means that we can take some interesting lessons from the long lifespan of comics because when you realize you're making a big collaborative comic, you earn the right to use some tricks of the trade.
iPhone AR "talking" comic book cover surprisingly cheesy
In case you haven't had your daily allotment of cheese yet today, feast your eyes on the video below. It showcases a talking comic book cover for issue #1 of Valiant Entertainment's X-O Manowar comic, using an iPhone and augmented reality to bring the character's mouth to life. BoingBoing brought the cover to our attention. You basically scan a QR code on the cover of the comic (finally, a use for QR codes), tap a few buttons, and a mouth appears on the iPhone's screen. Place the iPhone onto the marked outline on the comic's cover, and the mouth becomes animated in a bad Clutch Cargo way. The character has a vaguely Terminator-like voice, although he's allegedly the "last of the Visigoths" and we all know from the Capital One ads that they don't sound like that. Amiright? Anyway, enjoy the short video, and let us know if you think that this is a unique marketing gimmick or if we're going to see a lot more comic book animation in the future. [via Gizmodo]
Comixology hits 65 million downloads, lands exclusive Marvel digital deal
We've posted about Comixology's domination of comic book content on iOS before -- it's certainly not the only app that lets you read and even buy comic books, but it's by far the most popular, and keeps getting even more so. The company has just announced that it's reached 65 million downloads across the platform as a whole, which is just a huge amount of content delivered. And Comixology keeps locking down plans to deliver even more -- their latest deal is with Marvel, and allows Comixology to exclusively release Marvel's single issues digitally through the app. That means every single issue English comic that Marvel puts out is available digitally only through Comixology. This is just one of a few such deals Comixology has worked out to deliver both exclusive and non-exclusive content right through their system. The company has made deals with most of the main comics producers already, so that almost any comic you want is now available in their database, directly via in-app purchase. There's clearly a market here -- you'd think that maybe Apple would have gone after comic books with iBooks by now, or maybe incorporating them as periodicals in Newsstand. But no. At this point, Comixology is cornering the market on digital comics, and it seems to be paying off handsomely for them.
Comics iPad app gets Retina-friendly update, 'POW!' bubbles now much POWier
ComiXology is usually keeping up with the latest-and-greatest, and it's doing so yet again by rapidly updating its Comics app to meet the new iPad's Retina-sized needs. In addition to the CMX-HD comic books coming to the 2048 x 1536 screen, the updated application also includes novel social sharing features via Twitter, Zuck's network and email. Among other bits worth noting are a handful of nondescript bug fixes as well as stability improvements. Best of all, the refresh won't cost you a dime and it's available now in the App Store, linked just below for your convenience.
Marvel announces augmented reality app, exclusive digital comics at SXSW
Not content with simply doling out free digital comics to fans who favor the tangible page, Marvel is now giving readers a new reason to reach for their tablets: augmented reality. Android and iOS devices will be able to look beyond the page using Marvel AR, an Aurasma-powered app slated to launch alongside Avengers vs. X-Men #1 this April. When pointed at a compatible comic, the app will server up creator commentary videos, extra art and interactive 3D models of Earth's greatest heroes.Don't worry, your standard Marvel Comics app isn't being replaced -- in fact, it's getting a new line of sequential funnybooks called Marvel Infinite Comics. "Writers and artists now have a whole host of new tools at their disposal to redefine the comic book medium," Marvel Comics Editor in Chief Axel Alonso said at SXSW this week, "Current tablets and smartphones, along with comiXology's Guided View technology, allow us to develop new, full length stories for a different medium that are very much truly comics -- but experienced by readers in a way no other major company has ever executed." The digital-exclusive series kicks off with Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Infinite, which incidentally, will be free to folks who pick up the similarly named physical book. Ready for the revolution ReEvolution? Check out the links below for Marvel's official announcement and CNET's hands-on video.
Marvel Comics greets true believers with free digital copy for select print titles
With great purchasing power apparently comes great affordability for Marvel Comics fans. Starting this June, folks who purchase any Marvel super hero comic priced at $3.99 will also get a free digital copy for Android or iOS. Examples of Marvel titles that will come with free codes include the Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Mighty Thor and Invincible Iron Man. The new program continues the trend of comic book publishers invading the digital space like famished planet-eaters -- Dark Horse, for instance, recently made a deal with Barnes & Noble. Similarly, DC Comics inked an agreement with Amazon, a move that got some DC titles sent to the Phantom Zone by B&N. Judging from the positive response to digital codes included in the Ultimate Comics line and Avenging Spider-Man, Marvel expects the expanded code program to act like a radioactive spider bite for comic book stores, boosting repeat visits. Feel that tingling? That's your own Spidey sense telling you to swing past the break for Marvel's official PR.
The Perfect Ten: Ways to prepare for the coming of SWTOR
Welcome to a very special edition of The Perfect Ten, the column that my two toddlers contribute to with their awe-inspiring counting abilities! With last week's dropping of Star Wars: The Old Republic's NDA, the internet has exploded with information, testimonials, and poorly spelled flamewars between the camps of believers and non-believers alike. It's a good time to be alive, eh? In the spirit of the NDA drop and the upcoming December 20th launch -- less than a month! -- I've put together a list of 10 excellent ways that a SWTOR fan can prepare him or herself for the coming MMOcalypse. I totally understand that it can be frustrating to be waiting for an anticipated game launch, feeling impotent with your inability to speed up time. However, taking action in other ways can help with the wait and make us feel like we're being productive. That's what I'm here for today. It's OK, there's no need to thank me. I get Light Side points for this.
The Daily Grind: Are you a sucker for MMO collectibles?
So the other day I was browsing the local comic shop and catching up on a two-year absence from the hobby. There was a lot of backlog, naturally, but there were also some curious new game-related tie-ins that caught my eye. In addition to Arkham City and DC Universe Online: Legends titles, I also picked up installments one and two of Star Wars: The Old Republic - Lost Suns, which is apparently a five-issue special that offers a bit of backstory for BioWare's upcoming opus. Multimedia crossovers are nothing new, of course, but this was the first time I'd seen MMO comic book products outside of a collector's edition box. What about you, Massively folk? Are you a sucker for MMO novels, comics, figurines, or other extra-game collectibles? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Free iPad comic tells the story of Operation Ajax
I've been reading a lot of comics on the iPad lately, and while I love my iPad for a lot of reasons, I think reading comics is one of the best reasons to own an iPad. The big, beautiful screen brings comic art to life exquisitely, most apps allow you to zoom in and out of bigger pages at will, and the touch interface makes flipping a page as easy as, well, flipping a page. So I have no problem at all with free comics to download on the iPad, and that's exactly what Operation Ajax is. It's a historical comic (so no superheroes, for those of you into that, unfortunately), about the CIA's operation to cause a coup d'état in Iran in 1953. The app features full sound and motion as you're reading through the pages, along with lots of background information about the real-life story and even some newsreel videos to check out. And right now at launch, the app is completely free. Excellent deal, and a great way to get started in comics on the iPad if you haven't yet. After that, I highly recommend the Comixology app for buying digital comics directly, and I've been using the free ComicBookLover for reading my own .CBR digital files. I've been reading plenty of things in iBooks, too, but the iPad really seems made for reading some great comics.
Comics on the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet hands-on (video)
Way back in 2000, cartoonist turned comics theorist Scott McCloud discussed infinite canvas in his book Reinventing Comics. The concept, simply put, is that electronic mediums afford artists an infinite space on which to create their work. Cartoonists should, therefore, take advantage of this new found freedom. Of course, old media companies don't operate that way, and for the past decade or so, the quest has revolved around finding the most ideal way to repurpose existing comics formats for new devices. The clunky interaction and relative lack of portability made PCs less than ideal methods for this consumption. On the flip side, smartphones are just too small for anything but a panel-by-panel reading. Devoted e-readers, meanwhile, didn't do much better, thanks to slow rendering grayscale e-ink screens. The iPad hit the sweet spot, with its portable form factor and large, vivid display. The charge was led by Comixology, through its devoted app and market and apps designed for the industry's largest publishers, Marvel and DC. Reading comics on a device was finally easy enough to convince many physical media devotees make the leap to the digital realm. There are still some roadblocks, however: for one thing, there's that whole $500 starting price. If your primary objective in picking up a tablet is reading comics, that's certainly enough to dissuade all but the richiest of riches.
