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I'm back again with the second Should You Subscribe, this time taking aim at one of the subscription services I'm most excited about: ComiXology Unlimited. Combining models of existing services like Netflix and Audible, ComiXology Unlimited aims to give avid comic book readers an all-you-can-read smorgasbord of rotating content.


When I was growing up in the early 1990s, one of my favorite things to do was sneak into my brother's bedroom (which was off-limits to prying little sisters such as myself) and read his X-Men comics every chance I'd get. Since then, I've absorbed a wide range of comics, graphic novels, and manga. I have a fairly decent collection of odds and ends, comics that I've read over and over until they're about to fall apart. No, I'm not a comic collector, but I am a comics enthusiast.

As you may already know, I am subscribed to quite a few subscription services, including Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, and most recently, Pandora One. Given my penchant for comics, ComiXology Unlimited seemed like a logical service to try out, so I went ahead and jumped into their 30-day free trial.

Getting started with ComiXology Unlimited

ComiXology was one of my go-tos for digital downloading prior to its acquisition by Amazon in 2014. There was a bit of a rough patch, as Amazon removed the ability to purchase comics from within the app, which generated a pretty decent amount of ire from long-time iOS users. Many people, including myself, found themselves using ComiXology a little bit less. However, Amazon is attempting to lure people back in with the all-you-can-read for one low price subscription service they're calling ComiXology Unlimited.

If you're familiar with Netflix, Hulu, or perhaps the rapidly-growing CrunchyRoll, ComiXology Unlimited works on a similar, but not identical model. In fact, I'd say that ComiXology Unlimited leans a bit closer to the way that Audible or Amazon Prime works, which makes sense, seeing as it's also the brainchild of Amazon. You start by signing up for a free 30-day trial of ComiXology Unlimited, then you snag the app on whatever device you want to use, and then you're let loose into the world of comics. Well, sort of.

Rentals vs buying

Eschewing Audible's "get a free book every month" credit system, ComiXology has two sections that you can explore. The first is ComiXology Unlimited, which is the actual subscription service. It's $6 a month, and is a lot like borrowing books from a library. In the Unlimited section, you'll find a decent amount of rotating stock across several different genres, including traditional comics, graphic novels, and a scant few manga. You simply tap to rent them, read them, and then they're automatically pulled from your library when the time is up. I snagged an artsy little indie graphic novel called Gast to try out, and was surprised at the ease of the rental process -- one click and done.

The buying of comics, however, is still a bit of a pain. While this is a Should You Subscribe of ComiXology Unlimited, I feel like I need to take a moment to talk about the lasting problems with ComiXology itself. There's still no way to buy a comic within the iOS app, forcing users to buy from the ComiXology catalog via their desktop site -- because Amazon doesn't want to give Apple 30 percent. This method certainly isn't convenient if you're like me, and tend to want to buy comics exclusively when you're away from a computer.

Purchasing comics on ComiXology's website is extremely fast and easy, and if you've got an Amazon account, you've got the option for one-click purchases. There's even a fair amount of free comics if you're looking to try a series before buying it. Is it a perfect solution? No. Would it be great if we could buy comics within the app? Of course. At the same time, though, it is what it is. At least if you're subscribed to ComiXology Unlimited, you've got more than enough content to get you through several plane rides, car trips, or afternoons spent sitting in the DMV.

The ComiXology experience

This is an interface breakdown for those of you who haven't used ComiXology before, because I'm willing to bet that Unlimited is going to bring in a fair amount of new users. ComiXology boasts a solidly-designed, cross-platform comic reader, available for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows, and even in-browser viewing. There is a reader option called "Guided View" that claims to make reading comics on a mobile device far easier on the eyes. Guided View allows a reader to view comics panel-to-panel, zoomed in, with transitions that mimic the way the eye would actually flow through a page. This is especially useful, seeing as trying to read a full page of a comic on your smartphone is extremely tiring.

The iOS app itself is also wonderful to flip through, with an attractive shelf in your Library tab that displays the current books in your collection that you can thumb through at your leisure. If you've purchased comics from Amazon, they'll show up in your library as well.

ComiXology Unlimited content

I touched on it briefly above, but I'd like to take a minute to talk about the kind of content you'll find on ComiXology Unlimited. You'll find all sorts of indie content like Gast, yes, but you'll also find big name comics like Hellboy, Adventure Time, and even popular manga like Attack on Titan. You're not relegated to only the unknowns (though I do think it's good to branch out into the indie section and see what's being done there) and you're not being forced to stay within a specific genre. You'll find comedy, action, mystery, drama, slice of life, and anything in-between. For now, at least, the amount of content on ComiXology Unlimited is as plentiful as it is diverse -- but with no Marvel or DC.

The catch is that you're going to be offered selections of the series, not full-runs. This is good and bad. If you get absorbed in a series, and there's more, it's off to the marketplace to buy it. Likewise, if you really like something, it may be gone at the next content refresh. This is good for discovery of new titles, if you're not bound to one particular series. This also benefits Amazon and Comixology, as a user will still have to pick up issues to complete a run. How well will this be received -- that's not at all clear.

Should you subscribe?

The Short Answer: Yes, as long as you're not looking for the big-two of American comic publishing.

The Long Answer: What have you got to lose? Right now you can get the 30-day free trial and get your feet wet, and if you can back out if it doesn't feel like something you're ready to commit to. I will likely end up sticking with this one. I suppose it depends on what kind of comic enthusiast you are, but I think that most people who enjoy reading comics could probably benefit from ComiXology Unlimited. There's more than enough content up right now to justify the $6 monthly fee, and if you're not the type of person who feels tethered to one specific series or publisher, there's a ton of cool stuff to be discovered.

--Amber Neely (@SurferAmber)

Readers: Are you curious about any subscription services you've seen? Want us to take a look at them? Developers and designers: Do you have a subscription service you'd like us to try out? Get in touch with us at our Tips email.