The Non-Comics Readers’ Guide to Comixology
I’ve had some non-comics-reading friends ask me about getting a copy of Strange Nation. After a couple of different conversations about how Comixology works, I decided to put together this quick guide. It’s aimed at folks who are not regular comics readers and are looking to read Strange Nation, but hopefully others will find it helpful as well.
Comixology is a cloud-based digital comics platform. It’s basically a service that allows you to purchase and read comic books in digital form. Think of it as the Kindle Store, but for comic books. Monkeybrain Comics, our publisher, posts its books exclusively to Comixology (but it’s a great company, so this isn’t a bad thing!).
Comixology is available on the web at www.comixology.com, and through several apps, which are listed in Comixology’s FAQ here.
To use Comixology, you will need an account, which you can set up at www.comixology.com/register (and probably at the apps as well).
I HAVE AN ACCOUNT! NOW WHAT?
Now you can buy Strange Nation! You can find it by searching for it by name, but I’ve also set up a web site. www.strangenationcomic.com, to redirect folks there. Go to that address, and BOOM! It will take you straight to the Comixology page for Strange Nation, where you can buy each issue for 99 cents, or (better yet) subscribe.
Subscribe! Here’s how that works. On the Strange Nation page (which you just linked to), hit “subscribe to series.” Then, go to your cart and check out. You will not be charged when you check out. Instead, each time a new issue comes out, you will be charged the cost of the issue, and it will be downloaded into your account. Issues are .99 cents each. So basically, it costs you a buck a month to read our comic, and not have to worry about tracking it down each month or accidentally skipping an issue. Comixology gives you a heads-up a week before each new issue is released, and you can cancel at any time (but why would you want to?).
Also: when you subscribe, you do not automatically buy past issues. So if you subscribe today, you would still need to go back and buy issue #1 for 99 cents.
JUST WHAT AM I GETTING FOR MY 99 CENTS?
You’re getting a single issue of Strange Nation. The first one will have 22 pages of story, and following issues will have around 12 to 14 pages of story. Starting in issue #2, they’ll also have very cool stuff in the back, like awesome art, insider’s guides to making the comic, a letters column and fun essays about urban legends.
Also worth noting: You’re purchasing the right to read a cloud-based version of these issues, on the web or through your app. You won’t have the ability to download the issue. But Comixology is a solid, well-established company. Your comics aren’t going anywhere.
ONCE I’VE PURCHASED THE COMIC, HOW DOES IT WORK?
Basically, you go to “My Comics,” Click on Strange Nation, and start reading. There are two ways to do this: you can simply look at a full page at a time, on your computer or tablet. Or you can use something called Guided View.
Okay: A comics page is (usually) constructed out of several panels, that are read in sequential order. When you look at a comic, you’re looking at it one page at a time, but your eye goes from panel to panel. What Guided View does is simply zoom in on each panel, one at a time, mimicking the way you would read it. It’s a little more complicated than that in practice, but the bottom line is that Guided View takes you through each page step by step, presenting the story in its correct order.
Many people prefer to just look at the full pages. I am one of those people. But Guided View does have some advantages: on a practical basis, it makes your comics easier to read on smaller screens. And for a non-comics reader, it eliminates the possibility that you might get confused about panel order, and where your eye should go next (though that shouldn’t be a problem with Strange Nation, because artist Juan Romera is a top-notch storyteller).
Just one: the most important thing to us is that you read this book, no matter how you get ahold of it. But, if you have a choice between buying it through the Web site, and buying it through an app, please buy through the Web site. It costs the same for you, and it bypasses the app vendors’ hefty processing fees, meaning more of your money goes to the publisher and creators. Also, even if you buy through the site, you can still read the books in an app. Also also, if you choose the subscribe feature, you’ll only have to do this one time, rather than on a monthly basis.
That’s it! Thanks so much for checking out Strange Nation. And, so you don't have to scroll back up:
Register at www.comixology.com/register
Then search for Strange Nation, or go to www.strangenationcomic.com
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