Right now Amazon has decided to go toe to toe with Comixology.
On a personal level, I find that Comixology beats Amazon in two areas. First, and I'll talk much more about this later this week, Amazon's Kindle app comes nowhere close to the quality of Comixology when it comes to reading comics. I also find it much easier to find issues and sales on Comixology than on Amazon. However that makes sense to me. Not to take anything away from the great quality of the Comixology's site and index it's always easier to do that in a specialized store than in large department store. Though it must be said that the in-app searching in Comixology puts them even farther ahead here.
But for so many people, and I'm one, other factors influence our purchasing decisions. Price would most likely be the biggest. Ease would be another. Just personal situation yet another. For example if you get a $100 gift certificate from Amazon would you use that to buy comics for your Kindle or would just spend cash because you prefer Comixology? (Open-ended and non-rhetorical question, I have no answer here.)
But, at least when it comes to price, Amazon can and does compete with Comixology on a number of issues. So taking advantage of some great sales that both are having, I thought I'd take a look at just a few of the differences I find. I could probably do this every day for quite a long time.
In fact we would love to hear from you what your thoughts are on the differences in price and quality of each platform. Please comment below or even contact us directly. Your ideas and finds will help us a lot!
Here are some of my finds:
X-Files Sale
Another area Comixology just destroys Amazon for now is getting out the word about its sales. They send their newsletters out faster. They do a great job of placing their sales both on their home page and in their app. Yesterday Comixology announced this X-Files sale. If I hadn't looked on Amazon using an actual search, I would have never known. Only today did I get their newsletter about the sale.
Right now and until tomorrow night Comixology and Amazon have three volumes on sale as well as the 9 issues of Season 10 at 99¢.
Green Arrow Sale - Over 150 issues at 99¢
Take what I said above about the difference between the two and multiply it by ten with this sale. I got the newsletter early with Comixology. I go over and check it out and I see they've got over 150 issues from various Green Arrow titles including The Arrow as well as other titles such as The Huntress, Young Justice, The Teen Titans or Black Canary. Amazon mentioned Green Arrow but it took me a lot of research to see that they had the exact same titles and issues on sale.
All that research? For nothing when finally today I get the newsletter form Amazon with a link to every title and issue included in the sale.
Advantage Amazon
Here are just a few comics I've found where Amazon beats Comixology on price:
Greg Rucka's Lazarus
Thanks to Curt, our bks499 reviewer, I'm a big Greg Rucka fan. I jump at every Rucka sale and deal I can find.
Right now Amazon's got a couple of good price deals on Lazarus.
- You can buy issue #1 of Lazarus for 99¢ on Amazon. Half the cost of Comixology.
- You can also find Volume #1 for $6.33 at Amazon. That's just over 33% less than the price at Comixology right now.
Rat Queens from Image
Now we've yet to read and review Rat Queens, but we've had it on our list for a while. Right now you can find both issues Rat Queen #1 and Rat Queen #3 on Amazon for 99¢ versus $1.99 on Comixology. Why not #2? Your guess will be better than mine.
Pretty Deadly from Image
Ditto here with this title being on our list. Ditto about the pricing.
Right now Amazon's got Pretty Deadly #1 for 99¢
Ed Brubaker's Velvet from Image
Ditto again? And again?
Rocket Girl from, you got it, Image
Thrice ditto twice! (I'm making this up as I go along. Work with me here).
Big Advantage Comixology - Free is still Free
Amazon doesn't have the market cornered on good offers from Image Comics.
For the most part Amazon doesn't come close to the free comics offers you can find on Comixology. Now when you have that plus top titles and Comixology's app advantage, well, it makes Amazon's sales tiny jabs compared to Comixology's Tommy Hearns-like hooks (If you're wondering why I used Hearns, aside from the Detroit thing, go watch his knock-out of Duran.)
Ed Brubaker's Fatale #1 from Image
Amazon's got it at a great price. But nothing beats Comixology free.
Matt Fraction's Sex Criminals #1 from Image
If you haven't heard about this book then you're in for a real treat (unless you're under 17. Not for kids material here). And for Comixology free. That's a Tommy Hearns' right cross.