Digital DC Comics

The voice behind Boosteriffic was asking for thoughts on the new DC/ComiXology partnership - how the books look and the like. He is (and you are) in luck, as I purchased JL:GL #1 on the iPhone version of the app.

Now, why did I do that? Well, as a Booster fanatic, I added JL:GL 1 to a frame that includes Booster Gold Vol 1 #1 and Vol 2 #1. I'd like to keep it there, mostly because it was a pain in the butt to get them positioned correctly rather than out of a desire to preserve the integrity of the comic book.

Of course, purchasing on ComiXology also grants me access via their webpage, so I will review my experiences with both versions.

ComiXology: The iPhone App:

Buying the comic:

Browsing and purchasing are a snap; everything works through the app store and it is a very natural and intuitive process. Nothing much else needs to be said!

Browsing your collection:

This app gives you several options in this way; you can sort by series, creator, imprint, and genre. As I have only one comic, this is not an issue for me. Others who end up amassing many will be happy to find a similar alphabetical browsing system as on the iPhone contacts list. You can scroll through the titles, or you can use the alphabet on the side to snap to a specific letter.

The only complaint I have for this part is that when you select the comic that you wish to read, the next screen summarizes the issue, has user ratings, talks about buying it in print, has an option for a preview... all of these buttons are larger and more centralized than the button to read the issue. This button is stuck up in the top right corner of the screen, which is not the first place one looks when all of the other information pops up.

Reading the comic:

This is what's really important, now, isn't it? Luckily, they get this right.

Turning the pages is done by tapping the bottom left or right of the screen or using a sweeping gesture in that direction. Intuitive enough. Actually, while I say "pages," I suppose it would be more accurate to say "panels." Luckily, load times are rarely present as you move from panel to panel, creating a fairly fluid reading experience.

Many panels are better read in landscape. This is fine, as the app is quick to respond to the accelerometer. There is also an option to allow you to rotate the panel automatically based on how the specific scene was drawn.

Splash pages are not a problem either. The app will zoom itself in so that characters and conversation can be seen and will also be presented in a full view so that the reader can get an idea of the scope of the page. They also thought ahead and made sure that the text would be presented in story order.

Take, for example, the page in JL:GL 1 where Captian Atom is introduced. First, the bubble at the top as well as the text boxes introducing the character are featured. Next, the app zooms to the two text boxes near his left arm. After that, we see the radio broadcast bubble in the bottom left of the panel. Finally, we zoom out so that we can see the entire page.

Whether you like to peripherally notice other panels as you read or feel that it would be a distraction in this type of setting, you are also in luck. you can either view the comic "letterboxed," whiting out everything that is not the current panel, or without letterboxing, allowing you to see the corners of other panels.

To wrap it up:

I am pleased to say that reading comics is easy and intuitive on this iPhone app!

The Browser-Based Version:

After logging in, I click "My Comics" and there it is. I click on the series, I click on the issue, and we're off to reading.

First let me say that graphically, they are trying to play on familiarity with the iPhone OS. The X in a circle on the top right of the screen, the little italic I for information, it all screams iOS motif.

This is, unfortunately, less exciting than reading on the iPhone. My laptop has a 15 inch widescreen monitor - which has never been inadequate for anything else - and the website just doesn't do it right. Everything is tiny, a good 2/3s the size of a comic book even in full screen mode. You can zoom in and out easily with the space bar and then scroll around, but this is just like reading a PDF document in Acrobat. You can't use the arrows to scroll around the page, it must be the mouse. It is just far less interactive.

However, they do have a saving grace: You can access "Guided View," which opens a smaller frame and allows you to view the comic in much the same way as on the app. I think that this should be the default. Everything is readable and you need nothing more than the left and right arrows to navigate it. The mouse also works, either by clicking the left or right side of the panel.

I suppose that it isn't ultimately TOO dissimilar from the iPhone version, but there's something far less organic about it. Maybe it is the keyboard/mouse interface rather than the touchscreen. Maybe it is just the fact that I'm on a computer rather than a sexy little pocket sized device. I mean, part of the fun of a comic book is that it is slim and easy to take most places, fit in a folder and pack in a suitcase, etc. While reading it on an iPhone is different, it's still the same benefit of a small package. Reading it on a bigger and heavier computer is just odd.

Well, whatever the reason, it's just not as 'fun' to read on the computer. The ComiXology website is functional and easy to use, but it isn't my favorite.

The Overall Verdict:

ComiXology works, no doubt about it. Whether comics fans will forgo their print purchasing in favor of the digital medium has yet to be seen. I'm a completest, so I'll likely continue to buy in print. What do you think? Will you make the switch?

New Booster and JL:GL

Oh how I love the second Wednesday of the month! Two new issues featuring Booster Gold. I won't give too much away here - and I'll probably get to the first of the reviews later this week - but I wanted to put down some preliminary thoughts.

!!!POSSIBLE SPOILERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

I've actually had the chance to read them both already, and I'm not disappointed by either. We find out two key pieces of information in JL:GL, the issue does a lot with Blue Beetle (though the cover is kinda a giveaway there), and pits our newfound JLI against an old ally...

BG#33 was fine. I was thankful that the crowded speech balloons were lessened this issue and the humor was toned down just a teeny bit. Seeing a snapshot of Booster from back then really underlined just how much he's changed (and for the better).

So, the reformed JLI looks like this so far:

Booster Gold
Captain Atom
Fire
Ice
Blue Beetle

Could Rocket Red join back in? I think it'd make sense - why else pit the team against the brigade?

Justice League: Generation Lost #1

Here we go with the new bi-weekly series from DC. I'm excited for anything that features Booster Gold in a prominent role, and in my opinion, this one doesn't disappoint. So, let's dig in to the first issue!

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The Cover

Ok, I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of this cover. Don't get me wrong - in terms of artistry, I think it is fairly well done. So what's wrong with it? Well, first, Booster doesn't even LOOK like Booster. He looks somewhat deformed, or perhaps like something out of Dragon Ball Z. His hair is pointing up strangely and his face is shaped totally wrong. Fire and Ice look a little off as well. Actually, Fire's costume is completely incorrectly drawn. Her top does NOT have a plunging neckline like that - don't believe me? Go ahead and look at the rest of the book!

Ice's outfit is a little wrong, too. This is more nitpickey, but the white area that comes up her legs shouldn't end by her crotch, it should go up towards her halter top further. Also, aren't her lips usually blue?

However, Captain Atom looks pretty sweet, and Max Lord looks rather devious. Obviously the cover is centered around him (given that this is his return and all) and for the most part they did a good job getting that across. Still, a lot of him is obscured by Captain Atom. I think that if the characters were drawn a little more correctly, this would be a pretty solid cover. Luckily, the cover doesn't hold a candle to the rest of this book.

The Story In General...

I liked the story. The plot was great, and I especially enjoyed the quote on the end splash page: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he doesn't exist." The ending REALLY left me wanting more. I'm getting ahead of myself, though... Let's step back.

The Booster material really worked; it was true to the character and enjoyable all around. As for the rest, it was clear to me that Fire, Ice, and Captain Atom were doing... something. The whats and the whys of their actions were, to me, totally unclear. Compared to Booster, their material felt a little rushed. Now I'll never complain about a big spotlight on our futuristic hero, but for the grand military scale of the others' operation, I have no idea what they were setting out to accomplish. In hindsight, it was clearly some sort of underground Max Lord hideout. I just think it was poorly explained.

So anyway, in the midst of this, Booster is thinking through the Max Lord situation. I loved his determination whilst considering the information despite Skeets' Debbie-Downer role. "...but BATMAN already..." "but didn't BATMAN..." He drew his own conclusion based upon his own knowledge of Max Lord. I will always root for a situation where Booster acts in a way that his fellow supers wouldn't expect him to. This all set up my favorite scene - the JLI Embassy.

Max blindsides Booster, Booster manages to call the JLI (pretty slick of them to still carry those - nostalgia or a little bit of caring for one another?), and they arrive just in time for Max's psychic explosion.

Now from a realism standpoint, I have no idea how Max lost all that blood and still managed to look so dapper and in control on the last page. I know that he had one or two IV bags of blood hooked up, but that really seemed like a lot.

Anyway, for whatever reason (by accident or by design?), the JLI members present are the only ones who remember that Max ever existed. Until Superman said "Who's Max Lord?" I didn't understand the significance of Fire's conversation about Operation Land Lord.

Finally, we end with a great quote, the one I began the article with - and it was quite appropriate. We all know that Maxwell is evil. He killed Ted Kord. He hacked Brother Eye and bent it to its will, creating the OMACs - his personal secret army specially designed for combating Metas. Equate him with the devil? Sure, why not? Now he can operate in secrecy, pulling strings, moving pieces all over the board.

As Superman said, "He's the only one who ever got close to defeating us all."

Wow. This going to be a great book. A LOT happened here in what really felt like a short amount of time, and this truly sucked me in. I can't wait to see how this plays out.

What was good:

- Good plot, great cliffhanger ending that left me wanting more.

- Great story for Booster Gold. Even though he got his butt kicked (can't blame him - what kind of coward attacks someone in the back?), he outsmarted Batman and Skeets and found out exactly where Maxwell was. Potentially, if he hadn't, he and the other three wouldn't have been immune... depending on the reason that they were immune, of course.

- I liked Captain Atom's little heroic move with the bomb even if I thought the scene setting it up was a little unclear. He didn't have much to do after exploding though.

- Nice villainous plot by Maxwell - amplifying his psychic power to make EVERYONE on the planet forget that he exists. Crazy.

- Booster's desire to get more active than he was allowed to be in the search for Max is just another sign of how far he has come. While much of this is likely motivated by his desire to avenge Ted, the inner fire is great to see continued even though good ol' Dan Jurgens isn't writing anymore.

- Did you ever think that we'd have THREE TITLES at one time where Booster had a starring or solid co-starring role? It's amazing! I hope it translates into book sales for the main title. I really enjoyed both that I've read thus far as well.

What was "Ehhhh...":

- This wasn't something I hated, but man, Power Girl is a BITCH.

- The cover. I just didn't like it.

- How many ways and places will we have Booster's power suit deactivated just to complicate things for him? It's almost too convenient a plot device. "Hmm, how can we make sure that Max can hit him?" "OOO! EMP Device!" This is in the same week where Booster, in his solo title, was stuck on Daxam due to suit damage.

- What was Max Lord doing hiding a bomb in the middle of the Saudi desert? Maybe I'll have to re-read that part, but I truly don't get the point. Was there once a lab or something of his out there?

What questions I have - feel free to respond to these in the comments:

- Were the four from the JLI ALLOWED to remember, or was it an accident? If it was planned, is he going to toy with them? Does he disrespect him that much? Or is this massive dramatic irony - we know that they're still looking, but he won't? Seems awfully careless of him.

- What is Max Lord planning? This is obviously what we'll find out in the future.

- Does anyone believe for a minute that he is truly haunted by shooting Blue Beetle? I didn't.

- Time will tell, but I wonder how much we'll see this quartet truly working together and how much we'll see them completely at odds.

- Is Dr. Fate (his artifact was revealed at the end of this BG #32) going to play a role in Time Masters, Booster Gold, JL:GL, or some combination of the two?

Wrapping It Up:

In the future, I hope to be able to begin some theories about what we'll have happen. They'll all be wrong, but it'll be fun to talk about. Right now, I'd like to let the story play out for another issue or two and go from there.

Have a Boosterrific day!