When Comixology was acquired by Amazon — taking the platform out of Apple’s payment system — it left a big gap for users who prefer to make their purchases in-app. iVerse has taken a big step this month toward filling that gap by signing DC Comics to a digital distribution deal via its ComicsPlus app. The company has also announced significant upgrades to the app, as well as a plan to offer DRM-free download options for several publishers beginning in early 2015.

While DC is not yet one of the publishers going with the DRM-free option, its addition to iVerse is significant. “DC coming on board has been huge for iVerse as a company — obviously — but it’s also been important for me personally,” said iVerse CEO Michael Murphey. “I have been a DC fan for as long as I can remember. I was a Superman fan before I could talk, and those characters and that universe are still very, very important to me. I could not be happier to have them on board.”

The deal marks a big shift in the comics app world, leaving Marvel the sole major exclusive at this point; however, Marvel's robust expansion in the digital realm has opened up speculation as to whether the publisher will continue its exclusive with Comixology/Amazon, offer digital distribution via more vendors, or bring its digital properties back in-house.

Comixology had a unique situation in what used to be a more crowded field of comics apps. ComicsPlus was one of the first wave of standalone digital comics services and is one of the few survivors. But Comixology was previously the only one to offer current digital issues of DC and Marvel titles. With those two publishers making up roughly 70% of the print market (digital sales strongly reflect the print market), this gave Comixology something close to a monopoly. DC has since branched out to online bookstores — BN.com/Nook, iBooks, Google Play and so on — but ComicsPlus is only the second app the publisher has allowed to sell single issues.

Comixology had a unique situation in what used to be a more crowded field of comics apps. ComicsPlus was one of the first wave of standalone digital comics services and is one of the few survivors. But Comixology was previously the only one to offer current digital issues of DC and Marvel titles. With those two publishers making up roughly 70% of the print market (digital sales strongly reflect the print market), this gave Comixology something close to a monopoly. DC has since branched out to online bookstores for digital single issues — Amazon/Kindle, BN.com/Nook, iBooks, Google Play and so on — but ComicsPlus is only the second comics-specific app the publisher has allowed to sell single issues. Comics-specific apps like Comixology and ComicsPlus were what originally drove reader adoption of of digital comic books.

A New View

One of the features Comixology likes to tout is the app's Guided View system, which allows readers to tap and advance a comic on, roughly speaking, a panel-by-panel basis. ComicsPlus now has a “uView” system that allows readers to crop panels into a slideshow-like sequence and then view their creation in a similar manner. Some titles will ship with a “featured” uView as an automatic download.

Another new feature is graphic novel rental, which turns the app into something of a comics version of Redbox. Graphic novels from participating publishers can be rented via ComicsPlus for, typically, $1.99 for 24 hours, $2.99 for 48 hours, and $3.99 for 120 hours. Titles from Archie, IDW, and Valiant show up in the initial offering.

Murphey hopes the rental will ease new readers into the comics experience, particularly those whose interest was piqued via the increasing number of films and television shows based on comics.

“The idea of renting a graphic novel is an attempt to give them a low cost way to jump in, and read a complete story,” Murphey explained. “The cost is similar to renting a movie, and when you think about it, those are similar experiences. A movie takes a few hours to experience, and if you were to purchase it, chances are it would cost you between $10 and $20. Same thing with a graphic novel.“

Apple, which industry watchers have noted lost a lot of revenue when Comixology left its ecosystem, has welcomed the ComicsPlus relaunch. “Apple chose to feature the app as a ‘Best New App’ on launch week,” Murphey said. “And they have also featured it in the Books and Entertainment sections of the App Store. Their support has been amazing and we could not be happier with how things have been going. It’s been very encouraging.”

While it’s far too soon to tell whether ComicsPlus will vie with Comixology as a preferred app for Apple users, it certainly looks as though the positioning has started.