I developed a love for graphic novels around ten years ago. Back then, I lined a bookshelf with volumes. Now my comics are digital, and I’m enjoying them even more.
Modern Displays Look More Vivid Than Ink
Back then, there was a larger gap between a digital comic and a physical one due primarily to the LCD screens that most of us had. Our phones didn’t have the pixel density that they do now, and our tablets had even less. It was perfectly fine and enjoyable, but I’m not sure I would call the experience better than print.
Display technology has come a long way since then. This is apparent when comparing the original Nintendo Switch released in 2017 with the Nintendo Switch 2 launching later this year. Even though they both use LCD panels, the difference is night and day. The Switch 2’s LCD is even a big upgrade over the Switch OLED.
I now read comics on a pixel-dense 7.6-inch OLED screen. The colors pop more than they do on the physical page. The contrast ratio is striking. There’s no counting pixels. I now stumble across comics at our local library and tell myself I rather enjoy this on my phone.
Tech Is Now Lightweight and Portable
Yes, that’s right—I read comics on my phone. That’s because I read on a book-style foldable, a type of device that didn’t exist a decade ago. It’s like I now carry around a book-shaped Nexus 7 that I can fold and stick in my pocket.
Phones and tablets alike have gotten thinner and larger. I read on a Galaxy Z Fold 6 (though my photos are all of my previous Z Fold 5) with a 7.6-inch internal screen. If I wanted a larger page, I could get the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S10+. The 13-inch iPad Pro and the 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra go even larger, stretching the limits of what’s practical.
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a foldable smartphone that combines the functionality of a tablet with the convenience of a phone. It features a large, flexible internal screen that automatically picks up where you left off on the cover display.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ is a MediaTek-powered tablet with a 12.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and enhanced processing capabilities. It also has an S Pen and supports various AI features, making it ideal for both productivity and creativity.
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iPad Pro (M4)
$899 $999 Save
$100The new iPad Pro is impossibly thin, featuring outrageous performance with the Apple M4 chip, a breakthrough Ultra Retina XDR display, and superfast Wi-Fi 6E.
I personally already have a wireless 2-in-1 lapdock I can use as a tablet instead. I rarely do. As the Nexus 7 taught me years ago, and my Galaxy Z Fold 6 has affirmed this many years later, a 7-to-8-inch screen feels just right for this sort of thing.
Bundles Build a Collection, Fast
I only purchase DRM-free comics, buying from publishers that release their works without digital restrictions such as Image Comics, Iron Circus Comics, and Vault Comics.
Most of my collection has come though Humble Bundle. The site is usually offering at least one comic book bundle at any given moment in time. I purchase several bundles throughout the year, which each typically containing the entire run of multiple series.
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These Are the Best Sites for DRM-Free eBooks and Comics
In case you want to actually own your digital books.
This is an option that simply isn’t viable with physical books. Quite frankly, it would cost me hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to acquire physical copies of the comics I get for under $20 from Humble Bundle, if physical editions can still be found at all.
Digital comics take what can be a rather expensive hobby and turn it into one of the more affordable forms of entertainment. And since I stick to DRM-free comics, I’m investing in work I can read for years to come without fear of my access suddenly going away.
Comic Subscriptions Are Super Cheap
I’m not a big fan of subscriptions, since I rather own books than rent them. Yet some publishers offer subscriptions at such low prices that it’s hard to look the other way. The Viz Manga app, for example, lets me keep up with one of my favorite manga series, How Do We Relationship?, for only $2 a month. Since I’m only really after that one series, I subscribe once or twice a year to catch up. Yet even if I were to leave the subscription active, I’m not going to lose much sleep over $24 a year.
In the US, if you have a library card, you can read many comics for even less—as in, for free—through Hoopla. I find that, at least for western comics, Hoopa tends to have what I’m looking for. I still buy comics anyway because I prefer to read them in a separate app, but I can only imagine how many comics I might have read if Hoopla were around back when I was a teenager.
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Digital Comics Don’t Clutter Your Home
It’s easy to amass a collection of digital comics. The situation is different with physical volumes. Most of us don’t have the kind of space necessary to store comics in the quantity that Humble Bundle offers. This many physical comics can quickly turn a home into a warehouse.
Is there something fundamentally insubstantial about owning the digital copy of a comic over the physical? Sure. Absolutely. But given how fast I read comics compared to novels, that’s a trade-off I’ve accepted in order to have access to more.
I’ve come to embrace both digital comics and digital books. I know they aren’t the same as their physical counterparts. I know they feel less tangible. Yet their accessibility means I spend more time reading than streaming video or playing video games (both of which aren’t tangible either).
Besides, there’s no reason you can’t mix and match. Put physical copies of your favorites up on a shelf and carry all the rest with you when you leave the house.
