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Updated on December 10, 2021
News came yesterday that a number of smaller comics publishers are, as of now, offering DRM-free “backup” copies of their books through Comixology. As Comic Book Resources reports, the companies going DRM-free include: IDW Publishing, Valiant Entertainment, Oni Press, Fantagraphics Books, Aspen Comics, Action Lab Entertainment, Th3rd World Studios, A Wave Blue World, Blind Ferret Entertainment, Caliber Comics, Creative Impulse Entertainment, Devil’s Due Entertainment, GT Labs Comics and Kingstone Media. (*Whew*!) They’re joining the previous companies that’ve also gone DRM-free with Comixology.
The most interesting name out of the above for me is IDW Publishing, the publisher of “Love and Capes” and various licensed titles, including older Cartoon Network shows like “The Powerpuff Girls.” (Update 9/18/14) This Comics Beat post‘s comment section has a remark from someone supposedly from IDW, who claims that by “request,” TMNT, Godzilla, and Cartoon Network comics won’t be DRM-free. A brief check on my part of Comixology’s IDW offerings suggests this statement’s true; a download icon’s available for “Ghostbusters” and “Love and Capes,” but not “The Powerpuff Girls.” It’s disappointing that the DRM-free books aren’t completely universal. It’s also a sign that there won’t be any DRM-free books from Marvel or DC remotely soon (Cartoon Network and DC are both owned by Time-Warner).
Still, as I’ve stated before, it’s a good thing to see more publishers shift to offering their books DRM-free, and hopefully the remaining publishers (that aren’t Marvel/DC) will join in. A few remaining prominent names I’d like to see go DRM-free are Archie, Red 5 (home of “Atomic Robo”) and Boom Studios.
