Comic Zeal
31/07/10 22:11
If you're a bit of a comic buff like me, you've probably taken a look at some of the comic readers available for the iPhone and the iPad. There are some apps that have their own comic stores built in and can only read the comics you bought from within the app, however, this app review is about a standalone comic reader by bitolithic called Comic Zeal.
If you're a bit of a comic buff like me, you've probably taken a look at some of the comic readers available for the iPhone and the iPad. There are some apps that have their own comic stores built in and can only read the comics you bought from within the app, however, this app review is about a standalone comic reader by bitolithic called Comic Zeal.
Comic Zeal is a great comic reader designed for use primarily with comics downloaded from a variety of sources in various formats. With some of the other readers, such as the Marvel and DC apps, you can only access the comics you bought through an in-app purchase, but with Comic Zeal you can read CBR, CBZ, ZIP, RAR and PDF files, meaning if you have a pre-existing library you've built up over the months or years from *cough* 3rd party sources, you can import your entire collection onto your iPad or iPhone (since the app is now universal).
From within the app, there is a small collection of free comics and samples available to download, along with your collection and some settings you can customise to your liking. Simple enough, really. The developers have a service called Comic Zeal Sync that allows you to transfer all of the previously mentioned file types over wi-fi. Additionally, with iOS 3.2 and 4, you can transfer comics through iTunes as well as opening files in the app on the device itself, which is a handy feature if you have your comics backed up online or to download new comics directly off the interwebnet.
The app has a menu bar at the top of the screen and some controls in the bottom-right corner. These can be hidden simply by tapping on the screen or the small arrow at the top-right, meaning you can read your comics in full-screen glory. The "Collection" button on the menu bar is exactly what it sounds like, your collection of comics. The great thing about Comic Zeal is that it gives you the ability to keep your comics in collections, so if you have the entire original Transformers collection, for example, you won't have 80 comics mixed in with your Batman comics, rather, they can be sorted into a single folder. The app automatically detects comics with patterns in their names and can place them in a folder named after the comic.
Once you open a comic from within your collection, you can navigate through it either by using the controls or by swiping through the books. The on-screen controls include arrows (to go to the next and previous page, obviously), eject (to exit the comic), rotation lock (useful if you don't like using the switch on your iPad) and a button that essentially takes a screenshot, but saves it in the correct orientation. Another nice feature about the app is that you can lock the level of zoom, eliminating any useless borders and unnecessary whitespace that may exist throughout a comic.
The CZ Sync function allows you to transfer your comics using bitolithic’s app, available for Mac and PC, however the files are compressed, which is good because it frees up some of your precious disk space and also speeds up page turns.
Overall, I'd say Comic Zeal deserves an 9.5/10. It feels quite natural to navigate through comics, it's very versatile and it's great not having to switch between apps to read comics from different publishers. Oh, and not to mention the fact that you don't have to pay for comics that you already own.
I'd definitely recommend this app for anyone who's interested in comics and already owns a library of digital comics. The major downfall of this app, however, is its price: $9.99 in the Australian app store. Although, despite the steep price, it's definitely worth not having to pay for a collection you already own. Oh, and the fact that you can get comics from *cough* 3rd parties.
Comic Zeal is available for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad here for $9.99 in the Australian app store.
Comic Zeal is a great comic reader designed for use primarily with comics downloaded from a variety of sources in various formats. With some of the other readers, such as the Marvel and DC apps, you can only access the comics you bought through an in-app purchase, but with Comic Zeal you can read CBR, CBZ, ZIP, RAR and PDF files, meaning if you have a pre-existing library you've built up over the months or years from *cough* 3rd party sources, you can import your entire collection onto your iPad or iPhone (since the app is now universal).
From within the app, there is a small collection of free comics and samples available to download, along with your collection and some settings you can customise to your liking. Simple enough, really. The developers have a service called Comic Zeal Sync that allows you to transfer all of the previously mentioned file types over wi-fi. Additionally, with iOS 3.2 and 4, you can transfer comics through iTunes as well as opening files in the app on the device itself, which is a handy feature if you have your comics backed up online or to download new comics directly off the interwebnet.
The app has a menu bar at the top of the screen and some controls in the bottom-right corner. These can be hidden simply by tapping on the screen or the small arrow at the top-right, meaning you can read your comics in full-screen glory. The "Collection" button on the menu bar is exactly what it sounds like, your collection of comics. The great thing about Comic Zeal is that it gives you the ability to keep your comics in collections, so if you have the entire original Transformers collection, for example, you won't have 80 comics mixed in with your Batman comics, rather, they can be sorted into a single folder. The app automatically detects comics with patterns in their names and can place them in a folder named after the comic.
Once you open a comic from within your collection, you can navigate through it either by using the controls or by swiping through the books. The on-screen controls include arrows (to go to the next and previous page, obviously), eject (to exit the comic), rotation lock (useful if you don't like using the switch on your iPad) and a button that essentially takes a screenshot, but saves it in the correct orientation. Another nice feature about the app is that you can lock the level of zoom, eliminating any useless borders and unnecessary whitespace that may exist throughout a comic.
The CZ Sync function allows you to transfer your comics using bitolithic’s app, available for Mac and PC, however the files are compressed, which is good because it frees up some of your precious disk space and also speeds up page turns.
Overall, I'd say Comic Zeal deserves an 9.5/10. It feels quite natural to navigate through comics, it's very versatile and it's great not having to switch between apps to read comics from different publishers. Oh, and not to mention the fact that you don't have to pay for comics that you already own.
I'd definitely recommend this app for anyone who's interested in comics and already owns a library of digital comics. The major downfall of this app, however, is its price: $9.99 in the Australian app store. Although, despite the steep price, it's definitely worth not having to pay for a collection you already own. Oh, and the fact that you can get comics from *cough* 3rd parties.
Comic Zeal is available for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad here for $9.99 in the Australian app store.
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