ComiXology Now Offering DRM-Free Downloads

Huge news for comic fans today; as the struggle between print and digital wages on, ComiXology, the largest distributor of digital comics, has upped their game by announcing that certain distributors will now support DRM-free comics. Allowing customers to access their purchases across multiple platforms as well as store them to external devices is a huge leap for digital ownership. While the offer does not apply to the entire ComiXology catalog, the ability to download PDF or CBZ files means that comic fans can now transfer their favourite books to devices that may not support ComiXology like their e-readers or tablets.

Neither DC nor Marvel currently support DRM-free downloads, but there are a number of titles from some he publishers that are available. Huge series like The Walking Dead are supported as well as new books like The Wicked and the Devine. Publishers that have jumped on board include Image Comics (who publish The Walking Dead and Witchblade) and Dynamite Entertainment (home of Vampirella and Army of Darkness). So what does all of this mean for our local brick and mortar comic shops? It is certainly a further blow to their business, but ComiXology cannot replace the joy a collector feels when they are long box diving, but it seems the true collectors are becoming a rare breed. As a fan myself, I’m thrilled by this development and you know that I will be downloading PDFs of some of my favourite titles; but I still shop at my local store and I’m hoping that as ComiXology grows, so will comic readership and those new readers will discover the joys of hanging out at their local brick and mortar on Wednesday afternoon.