As we come towards the end of the year, I am going to be reflecting on the state of mobile comics and the changes we have had over the last twelve months. I will be looking at distributors, contributors and publishers.
Comics+ started of the year as iVerse Media, but changed their name to appeal more to the comics market.
I have to admit, iVerse/Comics+ started the year as a viably contender to the mobile comics crown, but seem to have faded away as of late, Their updates seem to pass by an announced and don’t seem to have regular updates as much as the opposition. Their saving grace seems to be the fact that their engine is used by IDW Publishing (more on them soon) who are establishing themselves within the market.
With a different storefront and a slightly differennt way of reading Comics+ were a difference to Comixology, adding publishers who were passed over by the bigger apps. I like the swipe style of reading too – it gives a more organic feel to it.
iVerse seem to have more of the younger titles, and have been touting the release of a kids app for titles such as Archie, Sabrina and Sonic the Hedgehog. It seems this may be where iVerse would do well to look at, as titles for younger readers can be hard to find.
Hopefully 2011 will be a turnaround point for iVerse, as I still think they have something to offer – they seem to be resting on their laurels a little too much at this point.
