In-App Comic Purchases Return After 12 Years

Digital comics retailer Neon Ichiban is rolling out version 3.0 today, bringing back in-app purchases after a 12-year absence.

The feature was a hallmark of Comixology, the retailer founded by Chip Mosher and David Steinberger in 2007, according to Screen Rant. Buyers could purchase a comic and read it immediately, with no extra steps. But after Amazon acquired Comixology in 2014, the company removed in-app purchases, which disappointed fans.

Neon Ichiban, founded by Mosher and Steinberger after they left Comixology, has been building toward this moment. Version 2.0 added the ability to import DRM-free comics from Kickstarter and other sources. Now version 3.0 expands on that, letting readers consolidate their whole collection in one app.

In-app purchases will be available on iOS at launch, with an Android version in beta, Screen Rant reports.

Mosher called comics a "buy it now" experience in a statement to Screen Rant: "You see the cover. Someone tells you a book is great. A creator you love drops something new. You want it right then. Every extra step between discovering that comic and reading it is friction. Neon Ichiban 3.0 takes those steps back out."

Steinberger highlighted the collection consolidation feature: "If you bought a DRM-free comic from a creator, backed a graphic novel on Kickstarter, picked up a giant bundle, or downloaded books directly from a publisher, those are part of your collection. Bring them with you."

Neon Ichiban 3.0 also keeps existing features like digital signatures, remarques, and the ability to resell digital comics.

Screen Rant notes that Amazon's removal of in-app purchases hampered discovery and created a poorer experience for fans. With this return, Neon Ichiban is challenging the status quo of digital comics retail, just as its founders did nearly two decades ago.

• Amazon
• Chip Mosher
• Comixology
• David Steinberger
• digital comics
• Neon Ichiban