The lack of a decent digital reader and a confusing new interface are chief among the complaints lodged against ComiXology.
ComiXology’s latest overhaul, which folded the digital comics storefront into Amazon.com, has drawn criticism from both comic book readers and creators due to a lackluster user experience.
The chief complaint among many customers is the total shuttering of ComiXology’s desktop reading options. Previously, any comics purchased via the service could be read on a computer. With the Comixology storefront now redirecting to an Amazon subsite, comics must either be read via the company’s newly updated app or on the desktop Kindle app. A number of Twitter commentators — including Amy Dallen, former host of the DC Daily talk show, and Nicholas Finch, a reviewer for the website Batman-News.com — pointed out that while the ComiXology app was fine, Kindle’s desktop reader was ill-suited for comics, with double-page spreads appearing shrunken in size and zoom options limited.
Dear God.
This is a disaster. Comixology’s reader is going away, so as of next week here are my options to read comics on desktop. There is no two-page view. There is no zoom. I have not altered these pictures aside from markup.Witness the work of the great J. H. Williams III. pic.twitter.com/8rFzaOSO16
— Amy Dallen (@enthusiamy) February 12, 2022
ComiXology users are now also forced to merge their accounts with Amazon accounts. Finch emphasized that his preference to keep online accounts separate meant that he was now unable to read thousands of books he had purchased.
“I can no longer do my work efficiently (if at all), I have currently lost thousands of comics (that I paid for!), and I can’t even enjoy the reading experience of one of my favourite mediums,” Finch wrote.
I made a decision to actively keep my Comixology and Amazon accounts separate for personal reasons. This has resulted in my Comixology account completely vanishing. None of my Comixology books appear here, and I cannot log into that account as it requires a username.
3/? pic.twitter.com/DzwJ0nst7V— Nicholas Finch (@ObnoxiousFinch) February 18, 2022
A number of comic creators, including writer Greg Pak (Planet Hulk, Duo), echoed these concerns. With the loss of the relatively easy-to-use ComiXology storefront where comics were organized in handy lists, Pak wrote, he now has to jump through a number of menus to read his purchases. Pak also tweeted a comparison between his prose novel for Planet Hulk — which displayed reasonably well on the Amazon browser reader — and the original comic version, which appeared with clunky black bars on the top and bottom of most pages.
Had a very hard time figuring out how to read my Comixology comics via the new Amazon site. Is there no easy button on the main page? You really have to go to Accounts & Lists > Content & Devices > Books > More Actions > Read Now ???
— Greg Pak (@gregpak) February 18, 2022
So is there no pinch-to-zoom on this Comixology/Amazon browser reader? No zooming in at all?
— Greg Pak (@gregpak) February 18, 2022
Looking at my PLANET HULK prose novel on this Amazon browser reader, and it’s fine. The thing’s designed for prose – you can “zoom” by increasing the font size. But that doesn’t work for comics! pic.twitter.com/NfnlD4enMp
— Greg Pak (@gregpak) February 18, 2022
Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragon) and Gail Simone (Batgirl, Secret Six) lambasted the changes, with Zub calling the affair a “mess” that revealed that digital comics still depended on “closed systems, items you can’t control, and outlets that can vanish in an instant.” Simone wrote that she was willing to give ComiXology a chance to fix the issues, but added that the changes “sound really poorly considered at best.”
The promise of digital content was instant access, no physical clutter, and stores that were always open and ready for business.
The reality is becoming closed systems, items you can’t control, and outlets that can vanish in an instant.
What a mess.
— Jim Zub (@JimZub) February 18, 2022
I’m completely willing to give them a chance to make some fixes.
— Gail Simone (@GailSimone) February 18, 2022
Other complaints lodged against ComiXology include the closure of the company’s Submit program, which favored small comic publishers, and the fact that customers outside of the United States can no longer subscribe to any series — a change that Jamie McKelvie (Captain Marvel, Young Avengers) sarcastically called “good for creators AND fans.” Kieron Gillen (Die, Once & Future), meanwhile, said the limiting decision was “deeply frustrating bullshit.”
Ah, so subscriptions to comics will no longer be available to people outside the US now comixology has been absorbed into Amazon. Great. Good for creators AND fans!
— Jamie McKelvie (@McKelvie) February 10, 2022
ComiXology has yet to issue a public response to the critiques leveled against the overhaul. The company, which was purchased by Amazon in 2014, announced its plans to create a new app and shut down its external website in September 2021, promising that the shift would streamline the comic purchasing experience for Kindle owners and allow for better filters and sorting capabilities.
Source: Twitter
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