I signed up for the free trial and have been using the service on my TouchPad via the web browser over the last couple of nights. So far, it's a mixed bag.
PROS: -The reading interface is really easy to use. Simple arrows to turn the page either direction, good reaction time, a progress bar on the bottom, one tap to add a book to your library, etc. I also like that the way the reader loads each page, it stays on the same URL -- so if you are zoomed in, when you turn the page, the zoom stays at the same level. -There is a good variety of books available. I have read some Fantastic Four (Marvel), Transformers (IDW), and TMNT (also IDW). There is also stuff from Top Shelf, Zenescope, Valiant, Archie, and other publishers. Note that DC has no presence at all here. -You have a lot of search options. For instance, on the info page for a book, it will list the characters featured; click on one and you'll get a listing of all of the books which that character is tagged in. -Books are organized into Collections -- so, for instance, all 4 volumes of Jonathan Hickman's FF books can be added to your library at once, and when you finish Volume 1, you can jump to Volume 2 with one click. CONS: -Searching is random and frustrating. Put in "Fantastic Four," in quotes, and you'll get a few FF results first. then lots of non-FF results with actual FF results sprinkled in. I suspect that this is similar to the way Netflix handles searches where they try to guess your interests based on what you searched for. And results for single volumes are mixed in with results for Collections, meaning you get several results which look identical. It's very frustrating. -While there is a good variety of stuff, coverage is spotty and random. An example: I saw the TF miniseries Stormbringer, which I have wanted to read for years. Cool! So I clicked on it - and there is one issue. And it's #3. Huh? So I back out, and find TF: Infiltration, the first IDW TF series. Cool! Click on it -- two issues, #4 and 5. UGH. Similarly, there is a FF Masterworks "Collection"... which consists of only Volume 4. What? -This one is more of a nitpick, but for Marvel, it's only the stuff which would be familiar to non-readers -- Spider-Man, X-Men, Avengers, etc. Don't expect to find Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos, Morbius or Darkhawk. Overall, like I said it is a mixed bag. It's clearly based, at least at present, on the "book store comics" model of trades and collected editions, not single issues -- although some do have single issues, such as Valiant. In this way this is not the same as Marvel Digital Unlimited, which is based around having nearly full runs of single issues of all sorts of series. Given Scribd's "Netflix for books" model, the focus on collected editions makes sense, but I wish the coverage was better. I cannot understand having one issue of a miniseries which has been collected into a trade paperback, for example. Right now I am undecided if I will keep the service. For Marvel, I don't think it is worth it unless they add a lot more of the modern stuff I want to read (ie, Jeph Loeb's Hulk, more than 1 volume of Mark Waid's Daredevil, etc.). But for the smaller publishers, this may be worthwhile. IDW, especially, as their books are typically licensed and cost $3.99 -- if I read a couple issues worth of TF or TMNT or GI Joe a month, the $9 pretty much pays for itself. But I want to see more complete coverage even on that front. Anyway, if you don't have Scribd you can sign up for a trial, so I would recommend giving it a shot! On Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at 1:05:36 PM UTC-5, Luke Jaconetti wrote: > > > http://www.newsarama.com/23478-marvel-partners-with-scribd-digital-subscription-service.html > > From the press release: "Marvel fans will have the ability to browse > hundreds of Marvel’s collected editions on Scribd..." > > Sounds like it's going to be trades and collections, not single issues, > which makes sense given Scribd's model. For $8.99 a month, this is an > alternative to Marvel Unlimited -- and since it can be read in browser, > might work better for me on my TouchPad. But we'll see. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Unique Geek" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/theuniquegeek. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
