Since Amazon subsumed the comiXology web site this previous week, the web has exploded with reactions to the brand new digital storefront, with an awesome majority of individuals agreeing that the adjustments had been poorly applied. The Beat‘s Dean Simons and I composed our personal ideas in regards to the ‘team-up’ final week previous to the adjustments, however now that all the things has stay the general public has had an opportunity to share their very own reactions to the brand new “comics buying expertise,” and persons are not blissful.
Right here’s a sampling of the reactions from comics professionals and fellow journalists:
So.
Let’s speak about shopping the brand new #comixology web site as somebody who solely reads comics on their pc.
1/? pic.twitter.com/BqnsG3duN4— Nicholas Finch (@ObnoxiousFinch) February 18, 2022
Along with all the things else, the comixology downgrade goes to imply no one will get credited other than an “creator” now. Colourists, inkers, letterers, all excised from the web store
— Steve Morris (@stevewmorris) February 17, 2022
Each outdated Comixology hyperlink ever utilized in an article or advice piece to take of us on to that guide is now seemingly useless.
Imagining the trouble it’d take to return and now replace all these dead-links with new ones after arduous makes an attempt of discovering every guide on-site.
— Ritesh (@riteshwriter) February 18, 2022
this entire Comixology factor is an actual mess and was *solely* preventable. All they needed to do was nothing… pic.twitter.com/cmR8MgsIZ7
— Zac Thompson (@ZacBeThompson) February 17, 2022
Amazon to Comixology pic.twitter.com/o2J7vCwUDr
— Andrea Ayres (@missafayres) February 16, 2022
Love this extraordinarily new damaged comixology factor the place once I put the total title of the comedian I labored on for Comixology Originals into the search bar, and it would not even exist anymore.
— sally cantirino (@sally_cantirino) February 18, 2022
Man.. Comixology customers dropping a whole bunch of comics that THEY BOUGHT over a silly Amazon merger simply breaks my coronary heart.
— Nikola Čižmešija (@NikolaCizmesija) February 18, 2022
As if the comics trade would not shoot itself within the foot sufficient, @comiXology has to go and howitzer a leg off.
— Evan Dorkin (@evandorkin) February 19, 2022
Hey @comiXology, whoever advised you the brand new app was an improved consumer expertise over what you had earlier than was an absolute liar.
— Bitter Script Reader (@BittrScrptReadr) February 15, 2022
I’ve spent a small fortune on @comixology. The adjustments sound actually poorly thought of at greatest.
They despatched n e-mail at the moment that updates can be forthcoming. I hope so, this isn’t in any respect what I bought.
— Gail Simone (@GailSimone) February 18, 2022
All of the noise about JLA/Avengers this week is the one very best
factor that might have occurred to Comixology. pic.twitter.com/dy1hPwMaqZ— Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) February 19, 2022
Brick & mortar comedian outlets that would really like a sign increase @ me along with your retailer identify, location, web site and remember to point out it in the event you do mail order. Connect a photograph in the event you can. (Then be happy to make use of that tweet to begin a thread abt your store/workers/specialties/guide golf equipment.)
— Kelly Sue DeConnick (@kellysue) February 18, 2022
Even comic and well-known comedian fan Patton Oswalt weighed in on the adjustments, giving some a lot wanted love and a focus to the smaller publishers who can be affected:
…as a lot as I take pleasure in @Marvel & @DC books (and @Image and @DarkHorse) there are dozens of different, smaller corporations (like @AfterShockComix, @OniPress, @thevaultcomics, @AhoyComicMags) placing out a few of the most modern, thrilling new books…
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 18, 2022
The entire scenario seems to have left comiXology customers some mixture of offended and confused. Indignant that the digital studying expertise is poorer now than it’s ever been and that a few of the books they spent their hard-earned money on are not obtainable in any respect. And confused as to why Amazon would make any adjustments in any respect after they already had a superbly good platform in place. What testing went into this forward of time? Who had been the testers? It appears clear it wasn’t anybody truly utilizing Comixology frequently. And most significantly, how will these adjustments impression digital readership, each new and returning, going ahead?
A number of days after the adjustments came about within the app and on the desktop, comiXology CEO David Steinberger despatched the next e-mail out to customers of the outdated web site:
Whats up comics fan,
As you’ll have seen, I introduced our team-up with Amazon and a few massive adjustments to your Comixology expertise.
I do know when apps I really like change, that new expertise is usually a little jarring at first. Extra updates are coming and we thanks for approaching this journey with us!
We gave the app an entire overhaul, however concern not, the perfect digital comics studying expertise isn’t going wherever. Now you can expertise all of the enhancements we’ve made, reminiscent of:
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- Sooner downloads
- Improved filter, kind, and search, to search out your subsequent learn sooner and simpler
- Learn comics borrowed by way of Comixology Limitless, Kindle Limitless and Prime packages without cost (Amazon Prime members can borrow comics by way of Prime Studying, a program profit obtainable to Prime clients)
- Dynamic library cowl sizes through pinching & zooming (it’s fairly enjoyable, give it a strive)
If in case you have auto-updates in your telephone, your app might have already up to date. Should you don’t, then go to the app retailer (iOS, Android, FOS) and replace to model 4.0. Needless to say when you have a big library it might take a while for your whole books to load into the brand new library after you improve your app.
Along with the up to date app, internet and iOS buying will happen on Amazon.com. Android and Fireplace OS clients can proceed to buy in-app or on the Amazon retailer.
With at the moment’s launch, comixology.com is redirecting to a buying expertise on Amazon.com. With this new retailer, a number of new options have launched:
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- With membership, borrow books from Comixology Limitless, Kindle Limitless and Prime Studying
- Worth safety assure on pre-orders and sequence subscriptions
- Even higher customized suggestions primarily based in your buy, browse, and borrow historical past
The Comixology staff is already arduous at work making the expertise even higher. Keep tuned to our social channels as we focus on our upcoming enhancements to the app and buying expertise. Please comply with Comixology on social media (Twitter, Fb, or Instagram) and be happy to achieve out to our wonderful customer support staff or attain out to us on Twitter in the event you want a hand.
Fascinated about studying extra? Go to our FAQ web page for extra particulars.
(Ed. Be aware: Was anybody clamoring for “Dynamic library cowl sizes”? Should’ve missed that Twitter discourse. -JG)
Whereas I don’t assume this addresses any of the problems, I hope that Steinberger and the comiXology staff actually are arduous at work making an attempt to construct the service again up. Amazon appears to have pulled the rug proper out from underneath them, and it doesn’t seem as if they’d as a lot of a hand within the new retailer as Amazon may like the general public to consider. I’ve seen that the comiXology help account on Twitter has been sending out conflicting info on tips on how to use their very own web site, so it doesn’t appear to make any sense to ship grievance after grievance to the poor individual operating the account.
I’ve seen a great deal of folks say “Oh, simply go to your native comics store” or “for this reason I solely purchase bodily,” however the truth of the matter is that it may be a lot more durable for some to get out to comics outlets or order bodily points on-line. Whether or not it’s as a result of they’re in a different way abled or the price of delivery is an excessive amount of, there are a myriad of explanation why some folks use digital over bodily. It doesn’t assist anybody to behave excessive and mighty about it, so please respect different folks’s selections on how they select to learn comics.
I’m not too hopeful that we’ll see any important adjustments to comiXology within the close to future (since Amazon doesn’t appear to care all that a lot about comics, digital or bodily), however I do assume that we are going to ultimately see some updates and enhancements. Whether or not or not the web site will ever attain the performance of the outdated web site stays to be seen, however we’ll hold you posted right here on The Beat.
