DC has added dozens of digital collections to ComiXology and Google Play, including four Flash books:
- Move Forward
- Rogues Revolution
- Flash: Rebirth
- Flashpoint
In the case of ComiXology it’s not a big change, since the individual issues have been online since 2011 (along with a much, much deeper catalog). It just makes it a little easier to buy a complete story, and it looks like it’s slightly cheaper to buy the collection than the individual issues.
In the case of Google Play, it opens the audience up to Android tablet owners who don’t have a dedicated comic book app such as ComiXology or DC’s branded ComiXology app.
DC has a much fuller catalog in individual issues on ComiXology, as well as collections on the Kindle, iBooks and Nook stores. And apparently I missed the fact that individual issues are also available on those platforms as well, and have been since last November.
It’s not clear how much of the back catalog can be found on these sites. I can’t see the iBooks store at all, and Amazon isn’t set up to make it easy to browse a long series. The Nook store does let me look at a series, but only seems to have backissues that were released since early 2013. No sign of the Brightest Day Flash issues, though they have the collections of Dastardly Death… and Road to Flashpoint, and the Wally West issues start at #84 and have a lot of gaps. I suspect if I went back over my weekly release posts, I’d find those gaps are where DC skipped over issues that had already been posted on ComiXology. I’ve spot-checked a few issues I saw (and didn’t see) on the Nook store over at Amazon, and it looks like the same issues are present — and missing — there. I’d guess iBooks probably lines up with that catalog as well.
I’ve now owned a (cheap/converted) tablet for a few months and still have yet to go check out digital stuff with it, DC or otherwise. Digital is where I check out Preview and fan scans. Paper is where I want to read the whole story (as in a trade book format.)
Yeah, I get the space-saving element of digital, but on the other hand just spent a half-hour updating my desk computer alone for all the new security updates from MS. Still have to do the other machines. After Christmas will need to downsize to a slower/cheaper online service as old contract expires. This makes me fret about machines/software no longer being compatible with any digital library of items I might choose to pay for: doesn’t matter if you own the entire collection on digital….how would you access your Flash files if your comp has an out-dated browser or operating system or is too slow to download a huge file? Your machine dies and you can’t afford a new one?
Paper or plastic? I’m sticking with paper.