A Skitch in Time: A Poll About Digital Comics

Capsules, Columns, Features, Top Story

Over in Variety, Geoff Johns had a very interesting article about how he approaches wring comics differently because of the differences between the digital comics format. For example:

“Every panel becomes a page, which I find really fascinating,” Johns said. “Right when I saw that, I thought about how that could change the way you look at comics.”

Although the impact of a double-page spread diminishes and folded pullouts disappear completely in digital, Johns said digital readers spend more time on individual panels, slowing down and taking in details before moving on. He compares the experience to reading Japanese manga, which paces slower with only a few panels per page.

“It’s weird to go back and look at some of the old comics now,” Johns said. “If you read something in this fashion you will notice stuff that you skipped over so quickly because your eye takes in the whole page instead of the panel individually. I think that’s probably one of the biggest advantages of digital.”

I thought this was an interesting take on things. Since I started reading digital comics back in August, I’ve read just over 550 digital comics on Comixology’s website and on the various Comixology apps on my sister’s Ipad, my Toshiba Thrive, and my wife’s Kindle Fire.

Despite this, I don’t typically use Comixology’s Guided Reading feature all that often. I love the look and layout of comics, and going panel by panel or bubble by bubble just doesn’t typically appeal to me. The only comic I have read the entire comic in Guided Reading mode was Canterbury Cricket. The odd fonts made it real difficult to read on my computer screen unless I was zoomed in real close.

Batwoman, I sometimes have to go to panel by panel, just because the intricate two-page layouts (which are clearly NOT designed for the digital reader) are very hard to read shrunk down on a Tablet or desktop.

These are both full size from my work desktop:

Double Panel spread:

Guided Reading:

To be honest, I actually prefer reading comics on programs like “ComicRack.” It’s a free Android App (actually there is a pay version too, but I use the free version which has all the features I need). It sorts my comics into a nice easy to access format, sorts out my new and unread comics, and when I reach the end of a comic, it goes right to the next issue without having to back out of the comic like I do on Comixology.

Also, double page spreads are presented as one page each, but you can move back and forth across the panel with a simple slide of the finger. Really, it just has a lot more options to customize the reading experience to how you want to read the book, and I think that is always a major plus for the digital market.

But, when buying comics from Comixology, you have to use their reader, which I guess is understandable. Amazon is the same way.  This creates a very strange, free for all mentality.  Not every writer is looking at writing comics for the digital market like Johns has been, and I would guess there are plenty of readers like myself who haven’t quite embraced a new way of reading comics. Let’s face it, people are VERY slow to change.

So, here’s my questions for the readers:

1) Have you read digital comics? If not, why not?

2) For digital comic readers, do you read panel by panel using Guided Reading software, or page by page like a physical comic?

3) Do you use Comixology’s reading apps or do you prefer third-party readers like ComicRack?

4) What features would you like to see added to make digital comics more appealing to you?

Please get back to me on this, I am really curious what people have to say!


What did Skitch read this week?

Shade #4Click for Review

X-Factor #230 Click for Review

Demon Knights #5 BOOK OF THE WEEK! Some tough competition at the top this week. This could have just as easily gone to X-Factor, Shade, Ray, or Ultimate Comics X-Men. But Demon Knights takes it. This issue, the Questing Queen tries to lore the Demon Knights to abandon their heroics and offers them each something they desire. One of the team seems to take her up on in, and we’re given a lot of insight into the background of some of the characters. And a lot of questions about Jason Blood and Xanadu’s relationship. Who is playing who here? It all makes for a very compelling comic story.

Legion Lost #5 – Dawnstar’s fight with Alastor was pretty bad ass. Her faith in Wildfire, and how Alastor is defeated worked really well. Not gonna lie, even though I expected him to return, I actually screamed out loud when Gates popped back up. He’s been one of my favorite Legion members for a long time. And I totally marked out at the last panel when another favorite character of mine showed up, someone who you don’t expect to see in a Legion comic!

Ray #2 (Of 4) – Oh my god, Lucien is a moron! I couldn’t help but groan at the absurdity of our hero’s plan when meeting his girlfriend’s parents. It was a hilarious scene, and I think we’ve all felt that awkward before, but Lucien really takes it to the next level.

One of my favorite moments in this issue was the real subtle narration box which continues the villain’s narrative from issue 1. This wasn’t over played, and if you didn’t read the first issue, you wouldn’t even be sure who was speaking. I thought this was really clever, and I am very curious how this all ties into Lucien. Excellent mini series!

Superboy #5 – I am not really sure why they did this filler issue instead of going into the Teen Titans fight which started two weeks ago in Teen Titans. Really threw the pacing off for the way the stories flow together. Superboy is pretty much the definition of a good enough comic. I enjoy it, and doubt I will be dropping it (though it might end up on the wait a month list), but it’s typically the last comic I read the week it comes out. It just doesn’t excite me like a lot of other comics do.

Amazing Spider-Man #677 – So, I’ve been liking Daredevil a lot, and with this crossover figured this was a good chance to give Amazing Spider-Man a try. BUT, Amazing 677 wasn’t written by Dan Slott or drawn by the normal Spider-Man artists, so even though I enjoyed this issue, it was really hard to judge whether or not to check out Amazing.

Waid did a great job with this issue, but it’s Waid. When doesn’t he do a great job? I did end up checking out some Amazing Spider-Man back issues, but more on that later. Emma Rios’ art was really cool on this book. It definitely looked different from any other Spider-Man comic I’ve ever read. At first that bugged me, but it quickly grew on me.

By the way, when reviewing the ship list, Spider-Man 678 comes out this week?? This is just obscene when charging 4 bucks a comic. I yell at Grey about this some in my new release list, so check that out when it’s posted.

Ultimate Comics X-Men #6 – Spencer really knows how to hit the reader in the gut with a huge last page surprise or reveal. This really has been the hallmark of just about each issue of Ultimate Comics X-Men and THUNDER Agents. And unlike some writers, this reveals always lead to great payoffs in the next issue. I definitely didn’t see the end of this issue coming, and I already want the next issue in my hands NOW! Come on Marvel, you can do two or three issues of Amazing Spider-Man every month, but I gotta wait a month for Ultimate Comics X-Men?? That’s just cruel!

Green Arrow #5 – Somehow forgot to review this one last week. This three issue arc has been really good for what is mostly filler until Ann Nocenti takes over in issue 7. We’ve only got some hints about Ollie’s story in relaunch, and Midas and Blood Rose have been a great way to shed some light. I just hope we get some solid answers in the next issue.

By the way, when I read issue 4, I thought Midas was a different person from the big guy in the shadows. Not really sure where I got that impression from, but there definitely could have been a little more clarity there.

Irredeemable #32 – Kind of odd that they call this the first of a 4 issue crossover with Incorruptible, since Plutonian showed up in the last two issues I’ve read of Incorruptible, and Max doesn’t even appear in this issue. This issue is really Plutonian’s origin issue, and man, it is one fucked up story. Both books are excellent, and I hope both stick around for a while longer. It seems like this story could run out of ideas soon, but Waid loves to surprise the reader.

Batwoman #4 – Each issue of Batwoman really gets better and better. Batwoman and Flamebird’s fight at the end of last issue led to a pretty expected result, but the sheer brutality of it was unexpected. I was also surprised that it allowed people to start to piece together Batwoman’s identity in a more tangible nation. Not used to the consequences of a character’s actions being shown this starkly. It was a really nice way to make this story really matter! Apparently Batwoman never got the “Great Power/Great Responsibility” thing down pat.

Frankenstein Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. #4 – Great end to the first arc here. The first four issues were just intense and insane, and it really helped establish SHADE as a major player in the DC Relaunch Universe. The Monster Planet was a really cool story, and I am really curious what other kinds of threats SHADE will be taking on. Really looking forward to the OMAC crossover next issue.

Green Lantern #4 – The problem with Green Lantern for me is that it’s such a big book spoilers get all over the place a month before I actually read the comic. Really, I need to stop buying Superboy week of release and buy this instead. The main reason I don’t is a little odd. Grey always reviews Green Lantern, and most of the books I buy week of release are so I can review them, so Green Lantern ends up waiting.

All that aside, Green Lantern continues to be awesome every issue. Sinestro and Hal’s battle with the Sinestro Corps has been pretty damn intense!

Grifter #4 – The crossover with Green Arrow was kind of interesting, but seemed to be a little out of no where. I like trying to establish the Daemonites as a major threat to the DC Universe, but not sure Arrow and Q-Corp were the right characters to do it. Grifter is a pretty cool series, though I really want them to step on the gas a bit. Liefeld coming on as writer should be a good choice for this book!

Mister Terrific #4 – We really got to see a whole new side of Mister Terrific in this issue. Unfortunately, with this series ending at issue 8, this will likely be my last issue. Mister Terrific is a great character to have his own book, and this comic has shown some great moments, but for the most part, it’s been hit or miss. I really hope that DC tries again with Mister Terrific in the future.

Resurrection Man #4 – This story took some odd twists. DnA really have a lot to say in this series, and it’s definitely one of the most packed comics on the market today. Not quite sure I love it like the original series, but it’s still a solid read every month.

Suicide Squad #4 – What a massive screw job for Captain Boomerang! Suicide Squad never allows the reader to feel comfortable, as you never know where the next twist is coming from. The jailbreak at the end really should make issue 5 a hell of an intense story. Really looking forward to that, and seeing where Harley’s story takes her from here. Seeing her reaction to the events of Detective Comics #1 really helps show Relaunch is a coherent universe. I love stuff like that.

Secret Six #10-36 – You know, for someone who always has been a vocal advocate for how badly females are treated in comics, Gail Simone has a lot of rape and threats of rape in Secret Six. And sex scenes. And strippers. And characters with no genitalia. Not saying any of this is a bad thing (though I don’t like reading about rape or threats of rape), I just found it ironic.

Secret Six is an excellent series, and I definitely regret that it was gone before I ever got to follow the book. I really hope that it comes back in some capacity. An independent team of villains turned mercenaries going on crazy adventures is just too great an idea to let die. Suicide Squad isn’t really a replacement (though it’s still a very good series).

Suicide Squad (1987-1992) #67 – Secret Six crossover (and Blackest Night crossover). I’ve been an Ostrander fan for a while, and this was a really good Suicide Squad issue. It also set up a lot of interesting ideas for Secret Six (like Waller trying to control the team), but unfortunately, the end came before Simone could really follow up on this.

Action Comics #896 – Secret Six crossover, this time by Paul Cornell. I liked how they tied together Lex Luthor’s role in the team’s history along with their connection to Vandal Savage. The Jimmy Olsen backup story in this one was a lot of fun too. Wouldn’t have read this if not for Secret Six, but it’s still a good comic.

Doom Patrol (2009-2011) #19 – Another Secret Six crossover. Yeah, DC really could have toned those down. I am amazed this book was around this long. Didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with this series, but I didn’t really feel any hook to it. If it wasn’t a crossover with Secret Six (and this was not a particularly great one to be honest), I doubt I would have ever given this series a look.

Shadowpact #1-4 – I started reading Shadowpact because I was on a bus and couldn’t buy Suicide Squad 67 to read the next Secret Six story. Only read the first few issues, but I thought it was a great story. The “evil Shadowpact” was a great group of villains. I am on a bit of Marvel kick now, but I am looking forward to getting back to read more Shadowpact. It was one of my favorite parts of Infinite Crisis, and Willingham seems to have continued

Amazing Spider-Man #648-654, 654.1, 652-666 – With Spider-Island’s hardcover coming out last week, and Grey constantly telling me to check out Spider-Man, I ended up picking up Amazing Spider-Man back to Big Time. Spider-Man was basically my first favorite superhero, and I have been looking forward to giving him a try again.

I have definitely enjoyed Big Time and the issues leading into Spider-Island a lot. Slott really developed a really cool supporting cast, and some great Spider-Man stories. The back up stories have all felt worthwhile, and I definitely think this comic is a good value as opposed to a lot of Marvel’s other four buck comics.

My only gripe right now is that he seems to have established way too many stories at the same time, and it feels like he needs to start resolving some things. Hobgoblin’s story is brilliant (shocked the hell out of me), and I wanna know what’s going on with the Sinister Six. So many issues have been devoted to setting these stories up without any pay off yet.

Mike Maillaro is a lifelong Jersey Boy and geek. Mike has been a comic fan for about 30 years from when his mom used to buy him Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Adventures at our local newsstand. Thanks, Mom!! Mike's goal is to bring more positivity to the discussion of comics and pop culture.