We love comics. In fact, reading Comicbook is a quirky hobby that many of us have. Reading comics, particularly on tablets, is a delightful use of bright, vivid touchscreens.
Fortunately, Android supports various comic book reader apps that allows you to download comics and manga from many sources. All you need is a reader that lets you enjoy all of that digital inky goodness with some added features. From all-in-one marketplace and reader apps to lightweight readers and Webcomic viewers, here are our 12 favorite comic book readers for Android.
1. Comics by Comixology
Comixology is really the engine that runs the digital comics machine. That is to say that you can browse, download, and read comics from just about every publisher via the Comics app by Comixology. In fact, even DC’s app is run by Comixology.
It boasts a collection of over 75,000 comics from DC, Marvel, and other publishers. It also has a decent selection of manga. The app itself is excellent for reading comics. It also features the ability to sync your purchases across multiple devices.
You also have the option to subscribe to Comixology Unlimited, which is basically all the comics you want for $5.99 a month. You have access to thousands of titles and if you are a Darkhorse or Image fan, Comixology Unlimited is the only subscription service that features titles from each of these publishers. It does not feature every comic that you can buy, but the collection is fairly substantial.
Comixology works just like Amazon, which is kind of the point since it is owned by Amazon. You can search for comics, graphic novels, manga, and more by name, add them to your cart, and check out. You can even sign in with your Amazon account or create a new Comixology account. Up to you.
Comixology has titles from DC, Marvel, IDW, Image, Darkhorse, BOOM! Studio, Dynamite Entertainment, Valiant, Oni Press, and tons more.
If you are a digital comic fan in any way, then Comics by ComiXology is the app for you.
2. Comic Rack
Comic Rack is a desktop comic reader that made the jump to mobile with Android and iPad apps. It is intended to be a viewer to read comics you already have rather than a service to purchase the comics.
It features an outstanding library management, multiple read modes and customizations, synchronization between devices, live wallpaper that randomly displays cover art of any comics in your library, and more. Similar to the desktop version, the Android version also supports PDF, DJVU, and other formats.
The free version will let you read your comics without issue, but for those who need the sync functionality as well as no ads, you can purchase it from the app.
3. DC Comics
DC Comics is the official app for, well, DC Comics. It is a good spot for fans of the publisher. You can find all of the classics like Batman, Superman, Injustice, Convergence, and more. It features a lot of the same features as Comixology. That is because it pretty much is. It is a DC-only version of the app. In reality, we would likely still recommend Comixology instead. However, this is still one of the good comic book apps for those who want to skip everything but the DC universe. The app is free to download. Comics obviously cost extra.
4. Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics are some of the most popular, most loved comics in the world, so what place better to get your comics than from the source? Marvel’s comics app is a well laid-out app that is pleasing to the eye, easy to navigate, and most importantly offers some truly affordable comics for the casual comic reader. Featuring plenty of categories that make looking for the perfect comic a super easy and pleasant experience, Marvel’s storefront is an excellent way to get the best from the company without hassle. Marvel has a solution for the comic fan that just cannot get enough, so check that out below.
5. Marvel Unlimited
Rather than purchasing titles one by one, readers can instead access a treasure trove of issues from Marvel Comics archives through the Marvel Unlimited app. Users can subscribe for $9.99 per month, gaining access to over 20,000 comics from a variety of classic titles from Marvel’s archive, with new issues added weekly.
The store here behaves very much like the Marvel Comics app above, except you add comics to your library as you see fit, reading them whenever you are able and not worrying about spending oodles of cash on your favorite pastime.
It is not perfect, as users need to be online to access and read comics (users may bookmark up to 12 issues to read offline), but it is a great way for Marvel fans to binge read classic tales of the Marvel universe.
6. Dark Horse Digital
While some publishers have jumped into the one-stop comics marketplaces like Comixology, others have also put up their own gated digital storefronts. The Dark Horse Comics app features all of the Dark Horse published comics that you know and love, including big names like Star Wars, Mass Effect, Serenity, Hell Boy, Sin City and more.
The reader experience does not quite feel as polished as other apps. However, the Dark Horse comics app does feature a panel zoom reading mode and support for the right to left reading modes. In addition to the paid comics available in the marketplace, Dark Horse also offers numerous free #1 and introductory issues that serve as free samples and teasers for its rich library of comics series.
This is the only place you can officially get Dark Horse comics, as they have decoupled from the other bigger comics distribution models to follow their own. Dark Horse features a cloud-based system that will let you read all your purchases on practically any device you want too, so if your phone dies or you forgot your tablet but just have to read the latest release, you can always stop by any available computer and read it on there.
7. Crunchyroll Manga
Crunchyroll is a streaming service similar to Netflix that specializes in offering anime. It also provides an all you can read manga streaming service for its subscribers through the Crunchyroll Manga app. It is not a standalone app. The app is for those who already subscribe to Crunchyroll’s streaming service.
The service includes unlimited manga with this app. It has a bunch of popular titles, like Attack on Titan and others. Crunchyroll also guarantees day one availability, so when the newest manga hits the shelves in Japan you will be able to find it on Crunchyroll’s digital shelves.
If you are a manga reader or already use Crunchyroll streaming service then you should definitely get this.
8. Astonishing Comic Reader
Astonishing Comic Reader is another neat Android comic reader for DRM-free comic files in CBR, CBZ, and PDF formats and it acts as an e-reader for comic books.
You cannot buy comics from this app. However, you can read the comics you have already downloaded through other apps. You can also upload the collection to the service for easy syncing between devices.
It supports configurable controls that let you navigate pages with taps to the screen edge, hardware controls, or virtual buttons.
Astonishing Comic Reader offers a variety of library view modes like automatic categories, collections view or folder view. ACR also provides support for a variety of cloud storage providers such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. It also offers a convenient in-app screenshot tool for sharing your favorite pages or panels.
It has Chromecast support so you can read comics from your TV. There is also a manga mode in case those types of comics are more your thing. It supports the CBZ and CBR file types. It is one of the better comic book apps.
9. Nook
Nook is the official app of Barnes and Noble. It works a lot like Google Play Books and Amazon Kindle. It has a ton of literature from a variety of genres. That includes comics and manga. You can find the big stuff like Spider-Man or Superman. It also has manga like Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, and many others. The app is pretty decent overall. You can also sync your purchases between your mobile devices and your Nook. It is really good for what it is.
10. Madefire
While digital comics have mostly tended to mirror their ink-on-paper predecessors, Madefire is changing the way people read and view comics as a whole. It supports comics that are created as a sort of fusion between full-frame animation and comic books.
Madefire focuses on what it calls “motion comics”, which combine visual effects, animated transitions, sound effects, and dynamic panels to deliver a more media-rich digital comics experience. Think of this as storyboarding on crack, as full-color and finalized illustrations come to live and move around the page.
Madefire carries comics by DC, IDW, Top Cow and Dark Horse, with both free and paid content available for users to browse.
11. Perfect Viewer
If you do not need a comic reader with an integrated store and you just want somewhere to read your books, then Perfect Viewer for you. It has full support for CBZ and CBR files (typical digital comic files), as well as PDF, GIF, JPEG, and more.
A smooth, unobtrusive interface hides a wealth of features, such as support for various file formats, numerous display and reading options (such as left-to-right reading for western comics or right-to-left for Japanese manga), bookmarking, favorites, bookshelf management and more.
The layout is fully customizable and you can switch between scrolling view and page-by-page view depending on your preference. You can zoom in and out on panels and images, and if you get the paid version, you can apply limited colors to black and white images.
Perfect Viewer has a great little library mode to view all those beautiful covers, as well as some truly excellent viewing controls once you are in your book of choice.
If you are looking to open files from Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox, you totally can, but you will have to install the source plugin. So the app is totally customizable, but you may have to do some finagling before certain desired features can be enabled.
If you are looking for an app that lets you read all of your comics in any way you choose and supports many other image file formats, check out Perfect Viewer.
12. MangaZone
MangaZone is one of a few decent comic book apps just for manga. It boasts a collection of over 15,000 titles. Yes, they are in English. You can browse the collection through search. The app also has pre-determined sections like the latest releases or the popular ones. It also has a chat to talk to other manga enthusiasts. It does not have a lot of the big titles. However, what it does have is free to read so it is hard to complain too much. It is good for what it is.
A few last words
While there are many apps available on Google Play Store, we believe that these were the 12 Best Comicbook Reader Apps for all type of Android Phones/Devices. If you are like us who enjoy comics, then you should really try some of the apps on the list. If we missed any of the best Android comic book reader apps, tell us about them in the comments and do not forget to subscribe for more updates.
See Also
- 12 Best Education And Learning Apps For Android
- 8 Best News Apps For Android
- 6 Best Live Streaming Apps For Android
