Like Thanos, Kang, and Dr. Doom, Amazon appears to be on a mission to destroy superheroes, at the least on the subject of offering a user-friendly platform for purchasing and accessing digital comics. In a brand new message posted on-line and in the app, the retail big introduced that as of December 4, its Comixology app will now not be out there and can as an alternative be merged with its Kindle app for iOS, Android, and Fire OS.
Also: The greatest Kindle readers you should buy proper now
After the deadline, you may nonetheless be capable of entry and browse your present Comixology comics, graphic novels, and manga titles, however solely in the Kindle app. And earlier than the deadline hits, you may need to obtain any Comixology books you have been studying into the Kindle app. You can also want to go to your Amazon Digital Content web page and ship particular person comedian books to your most well-liked book reader.
On the plus aspect, any books you are studying in the Comixology app will sync their progress in the Kindle app, so you may proceed the place you left off. You’ll be capable of learn your Comixology books in the Comics part of the Kindle web site. And you may proceed to purchase digital comics from the Comixology space on Amazon’s web site.
Using the Kindle app, it is possible for you to to entry your complete comics library, type points, and conceal or unhide particular titles. On X, previously Twitter, the Comixology account shared a publish and video explaining how you can handle your digital comics in the Kindle app.
But primarily based on the responses to the publish, most individuals are none too proud of Amazon’s dealing with of Comixology. Several have even complained that the Kindle app would not lend itself to digital comedian studying in the identical approach because the Comixology app.
“It’s truly incredible how you were able to transform Comixology from my app of choice when reading comics into a service I haven’t thought about in well over a year. It’s pathetic,” wrote one individual.
“I don’t want my books and comics mixed together. I wish Amazon never bought you,” wrote one other.
Also: The 12 greatest Echo audio system: How do Amazon’s Alexa units evaluate?
“Either fix the Kindle app to work like Comixology USED TO so we can read in a ‘guided view’ that works, or do not merge them. If this merger makes reading comics impossible, several thousands of others including myself will not buy any future comics,” wrote one other.
The previous few years have been powerful ones for these of us who prefer to learn digital comics. In the previous, you would purchase and entry comics from the Comixology app, the DC Comics app, and the Marvel Comics app. These apps have been all well-designed and straightforward to make use of, letting you straight buy any single e book or graphic novel, browse and type your assortment, and comfortably learn them in your pill or different machine.
Following Amazon’s buy of Comixology in 2014, nevertheless, every of the person apps has slowly been clobbered. The DC app was shut down in 2021. The Marvel app suffered the identical destiny in 2022. And now the Comixology app is being vanquished.
Instead of offering apps in which you should buy simply the titles you want, Marvel and DC each supply subscription-only providers. Marvel Unlimited prices $9.99 a month or $69 a yr, whereas DC Universe will run you $7.99 a month or $74.99 a yr. Want to only purchase and personal digital comics straight via Marvel or DC? Sorry, you are out of luck.
Also: How to entry hundreds of free audiobooks, due to Microsoft AI and Project Gutenberg
As for Comixology, you may assume that an organization with the may of Amazon would enhance and improve the comedian e book shopping for and studying expertise. But the other has been true.
In a really clumsy transfer, Amazon eradicated the in-app shopping for possibility, initially only for iOS after which ultimately for Android. Discover a comic book you want whereas shopping the choices in the app? Oops, you may’t straight purchase it. Instead, you may have to go to Amazon’s Comixology web page to buy it after which head again to the app to learn it.
The complete transfer is not solely a slap in the face to digital comics patrons but additionally looks like Amazon flexing its monopolistic muscle tissues. Buy an app that provides some competitors, progressively weaken it, after which lastly kill it off. Kang the Conqueror could not have achieved any worse.
