DRM free e-comics for sale

By John Freeman on December 6, 2006

Couple of interesting links sourced via BoingBoing: Pullbox Online (www.pullboxonline.com) is a new site selling downloadable comics, like the print version of ‘Family Guy’. Unusually, instead of offering a Digitally Rights Managed ebook format, they’re supporting the CBR format, and PDF. $0.99 a pop.

The No Sheep blog offers some interesting but probably controversial points on CBR and how the comics industry shouldn’t worry about it here and here, arguing comics should take the plunge and go digital, which some publishers are already doing.

Slave Labor Graphics, publisher of very cool indy comics for example, has made PDF and CBZ versions available on their site for several months now. Issues are $0.89 or less. On the site are the first three collections of Andi Watson’s “Skeleton Key” (a total of 23 issues) for just $5. Also look for two series, ‘Whistles’ and ‘Byron,’ being published exclusively in digital downloadable format.

I like CBR — I use Comic Book Lover for Mac to view the format, which is regularly being tweaked and improved. There’s a review of it here on Mac360.

CBR is still in its infancy. Over at the Mutant Liberation Front there’s some interesting techie stuff about extending the format to make it even more open source. And make CBRs more search-friendly. I don’t pretend to understand it for a moment, but it’s worth a look if you’re so inclined.

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.