The iPad creates the good comic-book reader. The 9.7-inch shade may not be utterly as large the the customary paper page (around 12.2-inches), though a easy zooming actually creates the story simpler to read.

Comics and Marvel, the two apps which got such good coverage when a iPad launched, have been both beautiful, though they usually let you review comics which are downloaded from within (which also undergo from DRM). What about reading your own scans? Over a final couple of weeks, I have been perplexing out multiform apps that will variously read CBR, CBZ, PDF and alternative customary comic-book indicate formats (most are radically dense folders of images). None of them is nonetheless a genuine torpedo app, but one comes tighten, as well as a others are catching up quick.

ComicZeal4

This is a bullion customary so distant, in which it is a most underline packaged and unequivocally gets out of your approach when understanding, nonetheless there have been still utterly the couple of problems. ComicZeal (pictured above) has existed for a iPhone for a little time, and compulsory the companion app to lamp comics opposite. Now, with iTunes file-transfers for the iPad, removing your collection into ComicZeal4 is easy.

First, the gripes: The page branch existence is hideous. You need to draw towards the page a prolonged approach to a left (or right) prior to a existence kicks in, as well as afterwards it whips opposite. It has softened in new updates but still jars when you’re used to a customary Apple implementation.

The second large complaint is a miss of the library. You pick your books from the popover, but there is no neat shelf similar to which found in iBooks, or in Comic Viewer (below). With vast collections you’ll be you do lots of scrolling in an iPhone-sized row.

On the plus side, ComicZeal4 is the usually app tested which handles zooming as well as page branch scrupulously. If you have been zoomed in on a row or have been understanding in landscape mode as well as afterwards spin to a next page, a wizz level is reputable, though you have been popped to a top of a new page. Other apps possibly lapse you to full shade or force you to wizz out before turning pages, or bailout you during a bottom of the new page, not a top.

There have been some other tidy touches. If your comics’ metadata is set scrupulously, afterwards a popover panel will uncover your collection orderly in neat boxes. You can additionally lock a zoom level to mislay white borders (zoom in with two fingers as well as reason for the second to close as well as when you finish the comic, your list will cocktail up to choose an additional.

ComicZeal4 has a couple of weird UI decisions, though altogether is a best-featured reader for a iPad.

ComicZeal4 [Bitolithic, $8]

Stanza

As I mentioned final Friday (and as the venerable intern Miran Pavic additionally wrote), when a venerable iPhone e-book reader Stanza was updated to work upon a iPad it additionally gained comic-book await.

The comics are stacked beside books in your library (although you can emanate a category for them) as well as you review them in a expect same interface as books (although patently you can’t shift fonts or tweak a observation themes).

As Miran noted, Stanza is snappy. Page turn showing is great, as well as you can choose in between the fancy page-turn existence or the true slip in between pages. One illusory Stanza feature creates it in, as well: appropriate the finger down a page and the arrangement dims. This should be in all readers, comic book or differently.

Stanza is simple, though if you usually wish to review the couple of titles it does a pursuit good. It’s also giveaway, so what’s not to like?

Stanza [iTunes, giveaway

Comic Viewer

New on a stage, Comic Viewer has a single viewable value over ComicZeal4: a shelf. Like Apple’s iBooks, Comic Viewer presents your collection on the virtual bookshelf. Also similar to Apple’s iBooks, you can’t do much with them when they have been there: no collections, no practical longboxes for dissimilar storylines.

When understanding, Comic Viewer is even some-more simple than Stanza. Page spin animations have been short to a point of confusing (did it change? back or brazen as well as all to often you dual daub to wizz usually to move up a settings (single daub.

This wouldn’t be so bad, but the settings have been accessed from here around dual comic-typeface boxes which you competence not notice. As all other communication is switched off whilst these boxes censor upon shade, you can be drumming during an nonchalant shade for the while prior to you comprehend what is starting upon.

The limit wizz turn is also rather low. This is great for gripping a pictures from violation up, though bad if you have some great scans as well as unequivocally wish to get close.

There is a single standout feature, yet: In landscape mode, you can perspective dual pages during once, only similar to the genuine comic. CloudReaders does this as well, though Comic Viewer shows a spreads as they were done (CloudReaders will let you view any uninterrupted pages together, not only spreads).

V1.1 has already been submitted to a store and a developer, Dennis Vogel, tells me which there have been multiform improvements:

Swipe to spin pages

Single-finger image panning after pinch-zoom

Landscape wizz await (double-tap as well as splash

Landscape slider for jumping to a page

Larger hold area upon sides of screen for page spin

Comic Viewer [Denvog, $5]

CloudReaders

CloudReaders is an peculiar application. It is essentially meant for understanding PDFs, though additionally takes care of comic-book repository files just excellent. Upon opening a app you get the very sparse list of your files with the line underneath any indicating a swell you have done by it. It looks hideous, as if it has simply been blown-up from the iPhone.

Once you get understanding, the knowledge is improved. Page-turns are poignant as well as a daub showing areas at any side have been good as well as large. Pinch-to-zoom as well as tap-to-zoom both work good, as well as there is the popover slider to regulate lightness. As I mentioned on top of, a dual-page landscape arrangement is serviceable, though treats a pages as if they were laid out subsequent to any alternative in a single prolonged quarrel.

CloudReaders additionally lets you offshoot up a iPad to an outmost guard for presentations. That’s some-more utilitarian for PDFs, though, as well as as there have been improved PDF readers out there (Goodreader, for e.g., this may not be so useful to you.

CloudReaders [iTunes, giveaway

ARCreader

ARCreader is an additional bare-bones reader. It has no double-tap-to wizz or even swipe-to-turn pages. You need to daub upon a shade edges or splash, respectively. What it does have, yet, is the tidy thumbnail view of a pages in a current comic. Tap once to bring up this row during a bottom of a shade. You can afterwards corkscrew these images by swiping as well as daub one to pierce to which page. This is good for anticipating the page in the book you know already, reduction useful for reading the initial time around. ARCreader is additionally free, so the worth receiving for the test drive, but hardcore comics collectors may find it reduction than capable.

ARCreader [iTunes, giveaway

The winner is obviously ComicZeal4, notwithstanding its annoyances. It was a single of a first readers for a iPhone, as well as has steadily softened given afterwards into the mature and easy-to-use app. Tweak a pages flips as well as supplement a correct library to take value of the big iPad shade as well as it would be almost undiluted.

Now all you need is somewhere to buy authorised, DRM-free comic book back-catalogs. And if you’re asking, no, I didn’t indicate these copies of Marshal Law myself. I do own the originals, yet.