Here’s How to Read All of Your Favorite Comic Books on the Go

Daniel Howley
·Technology Editor
Updated

The Avengers are busting bad guys on the big screen. Daredevil is defending Hell’s Kitchen on Netflix. The Flash is fighting off foes on the CW. Comic-book characters are everywhere.

And with more spandex-clad crime fighters making their way into theaters and living rooms in the coming months, now is the best time ever to start reading comic books. If you’re not already.

Don’t have time to get to your local comic-book shop? Wouldn’t be caught dead in it even if you did? Never fear! Just check out these apps to get all the latest and greatest comics right on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

One quick note for first-time comic readers: You can’t read DC’s comics from the Marvel app or Marvel’s comics from the DC app. The companies have their own characters and universes, which don’t overlap.

Marvel Comics

Want to read the newest Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man comics? Then you’ll want to check out the Marvel Comics app for Android and iOS.

You get access to all of the latest Marvel comics the same day they hit comic-book stores. Most new issues cost about $4. In addition to the app for your mobile devices, you can get the content on the Web.

A special Getting Started section even helps comic-book newcomers to get up to speed on the biggest stories in the Marvel Universe.

DC Comics

If you’re more interested in the Dark Knight than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, try the DC Comics app for Android and iOS. Like the Marvel Comics app, the DC Comics app gives you instant access to all of DC’s latest comics, with most issues starting at $4.

You can sort comics by character, series, publisher, and even creator. And if you’re more interested in reading comics on your laptop, you can browse and read all of your purchases at www.readdcentertainment.com.

Marvel Unlimited

Can’t get enough of your favorite Marvel heroes, like Hulk, Wolverine, and Captain Marvel, but don’t want to keep spending $4 or more every time you buy a new issue? Take a look at Marvel Unlimited.

Available for Android and iOS, Marvel Unlimited, as its name implies, gives you unlimited access to an enormous library of 15,000 comics. That means you can read the history of the Avengers from the very first issue.

And if the older books aren’t to your liking, Marvel adds new issues six months after they hit store shelves. But unfettered access to so many comics comes at a price. A subscription costs $10 a month or $70 a year. Still, for the sheer number of comics you get access to, the cost is well worth it.

Dark Horse Comics

Looking for something a little different than your typical superhero comic? The Dark Horse Comics app for Android and iOS offers titles ranging from Hellboy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Conan and Axe Cop.

Not near your phone or tablet? You can read all of the Dark Horse titles on your laptop at digital.darkhorse.com.

Comixology

The granddaddy of all comic-book apps, Comixology lets you browse and purchase comics from nearly every publisher on the planet, which means you can read Aquaman one second and Namor the Sub-Mariner the next. (There’s a comic geek joke in there.)

Publishers include DC, Dark Horse, Image, Marvel, Vertigo, and others. The only downside is that you can’t buy comics from within the Comixology app. Instead you have to purchase them from the Comixology website and then download them to the Android or iOS app. It’s a bit convoluted and confusing, but well worth the headache for access to so many comics.

Now go. Grab your mobile device, tuck your bed sheet into your shirt collar, and find out why all these comic-book characters are taking over the world.

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.