Big news out of SDCC, as ComiXology is now going to give users the option of downloading and storing copies of the comics they buy without DRM. You read that right: you’ll be able to take your comics off the cloud and put an actual file onto your device, with that file either being in PDF or CBZ format.
This is a massive change that will allow those users who were sticklers about the whole “I want something that I actually own” thing, and should be a very positive thing for users going forward. However, there is a caveat, as not every publisher embraced this idea. The list of publishers who do back it include Image Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Zenescope Entertainment, MonkeyBrain Comics, Thrillbent, and Top Shelf Productions, as well as those who publisher through ComiXology’s own Submit platform. Image’s inclusion brings up something interesting, as they already offer DRM-free through their website, but their DRM-free offerings haven’t exactly lit the world on fire according a conversation we had with their publisher Eric Stephenson back at ECCC.
Interesting stuff though, and I’m curious as to how much goodwill this will earn them after the much maligned changes to how comics can be purchased on (or should I say, not on) their app.
