[Apps] Comics by comiXology (Android)

Last week I talked about Komik, a free comic reader app for Android and how I've come to appreciate reading comics on Kindle. Today we'll talk about a slightly more complicated app coming from comiXology, which presents an interesting alternative for those who want a richer comic book experience.

Komik is great for CBR and CBZ type files that you have already sourced independently, if you get my drift. And while we're all able to locate comics in this manner, the experience is varied depending on the quality of your comic book archive.

And being an avid Kindle user, I've become pretty appreciative of the paid digital reading experience. While it feels weird at times to pay for virtual goods in this way, one does get other benefits on the side that makes things all the better. Thus today's app.

[Comics] Why you should download Comics and how to do it

Why you should download comics:

1. To Preserve the Sanctity of the Comic Book. To the rabid comic book fans, this is really important. Much like your Barbie, G.I. Joe or Transformers toy, the value of the comic book increases as it ages, especially if it belongs to an important series and is a first edition. To not damage your prized comic book, download one instead.
2. To Weed the Good from the Bad. There are many comic books which are not of stellar quality. To know which ones to buy or collect, you should try to get an online copy first.
3. Be updated. Simply curious about what is going on in the Marvel world or the DC world? Download the comics first.
4. No Money. If you are as stingy as me, why buy when you can get it for free?
5. Read Rare Comic Books. Everyone in the net raving about some extremely good old comic book series and you can't find one in your comic store? Don't cry, download.
6. Read Comic Books without the Stigma of Carrying it around. Too ashamed to bring and read your new Countdown #36 at the office? This is the perfect solution: Yes, your e-Comic can be read on your laptop. You can look like you're doing something extremely important when in fact you're actually reading a comic book. Oh yeah, no one will sneer at your comic geekiness either.
   

Interested now? Read on to learn how to download.

How to download:

1. The files you will be downloading will either be .cbr, .cbz or .rar. So, first get yourself a comic book reader. You can download the one I'm using, CDisplay, here. You can also read using ACDSee or other picture viewing programs, but it is much more tedious then CDisplay.
   
2. Search for the comic you want. No, you can't just search for "Superman" or "Batman". You have to specify what you want. The more popular comics such as Superman, Batman, Spiderman, X-Men and so on are usually grouped according to story line, so it is advisable to find out what storyline you want to download. I recommend checking out Amazon which sells these compiled graphic novels as well as comic fan sites such as BDcomics and the forums of That's Just Not Right (You have to be registered for this). Both these sites also provide links to the comics you may want to download. Alternatively, you can just Googlesearch what you're looking for.
3. Search for the downloadable comic. If you chose a comic which is not available through BDcomics or That's Just Not Right, you can try searching through rapidsearch. Warning: the files going out in these 3 sites are sent through the popular file-sharing sites - Rapidshare, Megaupload, Gigasize, etc. So you may have to be familiar with these. Rapidshare is free, but has a limit for free downloads and makes you wait longer the more files you download. Megaupload is free, but to not be burdened by the download slot per country limitation, you'll have to download the Megaupload toolbar, which is free. There is a limit, however to the total volume you can download. The files sent here are usually 100mb and below.
   
4. For more heavy duty download, look for comic torrents. If your desired comic book can't be found in those three sites, you can always look for a torrent. You can do this through isohunt and mininova. In contrast to the previous sites, you don't download per comic or per volume anymore. The torrent files are usually large (over 100 mb), and already complete. If you want to download all the issues of a certain comic series at one go, the torrent search is highly recommended.
   

So, what are you waiting for? Download those comics you've always wanted now.