I last wrote about digital comics without digital rights management (DRM) back in 2022, just after Amazon undermined Comixology by folding it into the main Kindle store. Since then, things haven’t improved much for Amazon digital comics customers; today, Comixology is just a glorified subcategory of the main Kindle store.
Unfortunately, Big Two superhero fans who want digital single issue comics and don’t want to switch to digital/print trade paperbacks, Marvel Unlimited, or DC Universe Infinite don’t have much choice. If they want to know what Batman or Spider-Man are doing now, not weeks or months from now, it’s Amazon or going back to paper comics. Also, forget about the Justice League of America ever being DRM-free in America (or anywhere else). DC and Marvel, true to the Hollywood roots of their corporate owners (Warner Bros. and Disney respectively), would sooner gnaw off their own arms than offer DRM-free media. The same goes for the major manga publishers (like Viz) and popular children’s graphic novel publishers (like Scholastic), who also lock their comics down with DRM.
Fortunately, the world of comics exists beyond the aforementioned publishers, with said world offering more flexible options. Below is a list of sources of legal DRM-free digital comics. While they don’t offer the one-stop range of choices of Amazon/Kindle, your purchases aren’t locked into a specific app, and won’t vanish if things change (the store shutting down, disputes arising with the creators or publisher, etc.).
2000 AD
Site: https://shop.2000ad.com/
The UK comic that’s home of the long-running series “Judge Dredd” sells digital versions of their books on their own online store, as DRM-free CBZ or PDF files.
DriveThruComics
Site: https://www.drivethrucomics.com/en/
DriveThruComics is one of the older digital comics stores online, and sells DRM-free PDFs (some watermarked, depending on publisher). Major publishers the site carries include Dark Horse, Top Cow, and Dynamite.
GlobalComix
Site: https://globalcomix.com/
GlobalComix is a site founded several years ago, and has gained traction, thanks to both Comixology’s decline and a number of publishers joining the service. For a Netflix-style monthly fee ($8 a month or $80 a year), one can read libraries of comics from various comic publishers, including: Archie; Boom! Studios; Dark Horse; DC Comics (though not as comprehensive a selection as DC Universe Infinite); Dynamite; IDW; Image, Oni Press; and Vault. A handful of comics are available to read for free.
Digital comic purchases are also offered for almost all of the above publishers, sold as downloadable DRM-free PDFs. Most are available as digital trade paperbacks, though some publishers also offer single issues. The exceptions:
- No DC (unsurprisingly) or IDW books.
- Some licensed books are unavailable, such as Dynamite’s “Jonny Quest.”
Google Play Books
Site: https://play.google.com/store/books/category/coll_1401?hl=en_US&gl=US
Image Comics (including long-running series such as “Invincible” and “Spawn”) are sold on Google Play Books as DRM-free PDFs. Otherwise, most of Google Play’s comics carry DRM.
Humble Bundle
Site: https://www.humblebundle.com/books
Humble Bundle carries a rotating selection of comics from different comic and manga publishers. All of the comics are available DRM-free, usually in CBZ and/or PDF formats.
Iron Circus Comics
Site: https://ironcircus.com/
Iron Circus Comics is an independent comic publisher that’s the home of graphic novels such as “Poorcraft” (a series offering tips on saving money) and “Letters from Lucardo” (a gay vampire/human romance story). The site sells all of its digital comics as DRM-free PDFs.
Other sources
Some comic creators sell DRM-free digital comics on their own sites. A few I’ve found:
- Stephanie Williams, the creator of the fan comic “Living Heroes” (several Black Marvel superheroes cast in a parody of 90s sitcom “Living Single“).
- Thom Zahler, the creator of “Love and Capes.”
DRM-free ebook storage site Libreture offers a list of publishers and individual creators that sell DRM-free comics.
Conclusion
If you’re only interested in DC and Marvel superheroes, you won’t be getting DRM-free comics legally; your only options are piracy or trying to remove DRM from purchases yourself. The situation doesn’t seem to be much different for most major manga and kids’ comic publishers. For all of the above, you’re probably better off paying for a subscription service (like Marvel Unlimited) or checking them out from the public library via services like Hoopla.
Fortunately, a large number of other comic publishers offer DRM-free comics. While they aren’t Batman, “Dog Man,” or “One Piece,” there’s still a pretty broad variety of material available. Best of all, they’re yours forever, without having to worry about their online store being shut down or sold to a DRM-loving conglomerate.
Photo by Gustavo Fring (Pexels)
Good list. Panels store is missing, though! Now live in beta.
https://panels.store
Thank you!