One of the definitions of the word “comic” in the Oxford dictionary is, “A periodical containing comic strips, intended chiefly for children”. Comics, however, have moved far beyond just summertime entertainment for kids. Marvel, DC and even Archie have had an extremely loyal adult fan base for years now. And with the spread of graphic novels and Manga, serious comic collectors, annual Comic Cons and the prolific rise of the geek culture, Oxford is going to have to update itself pretty soon. Here are a few apps we felt you could use to carry your favourite comics in your pocket. You’re welcome.
Comics
Comics by ComiXology is by far one of the best apps for downloading and reading comics. It has an extensive, exhaustive collection that includes titles from IDW, Disney, DC, Marvel, Dilbert, Archies, The Simpsons, and more. In-app purchases are easy to make. My favourite feature is that the reader lets you read panel by panel with smooth transitions, making reading your comic on a small screen a lot less painful than it usually is. Of course, it also lets you read page by page if you want.
ACK Comics
A lot of us have grown up on Tinkle, Chandamama, Gokulam and the ubiquitous Amar Chitra Katha comics. The ACK Comics app provides a whole host of their titles in a digitally re-mastered format. While the interface and reader are still slightly clunky, kudos to the makers for digitising an era. However, only tablet-owners can revisit their childhood for now.
Manga Box
As the name suggests, you can read Manga on Manga Box . The best part is that the titles are free. The app functions as a weekly magazine, but updates some content every day. However, some titles may be delayed by a day or so. Use of WiFi while reading is recommended, as the app does not work too well on a data pack.
ComicRack
The app is basically a reader that synchronises itself with your Android and Windows accounts so you can read what you want across devices. It supports a lot of the usual formats — CBZ, CBR, CB7, CBT, PDF, DJVU and WebComics — and even lets you size-optimise, making a comic half its size without compromising too much on its quality. ComicRack is available for free, but an ad-free version will cost you.
Xkcd
Xkcd, defined by its tagline as a stick-figure strip featuring humour about technology, science, mathematics and relationships, is one of the most popular webcomics in recent times. The comic strip has unofficial apps for Android, Windows and iOS developed by different people. What we have looked at here is the Android version developed by Floern. The Xkcd Browser also has a reader for articles on what-if.xkcd.com and lets you read downloaded comics offline as well. It shows you the comic’s title, image, hover text, and a link to explainxkcd.com. The app is so good that I, personally, prefer it to viewing the webcomic on a browser.
