Nintendo Switch Comic Book Reader: Izneo Beats DC Universe to the Console
... if DC Universe actually makes it to the console.
DC Universe just launched in September, and while there aren’t any official plans for a Nintendo Switch app just yet, one competitor is about to leapfrog DC with a digital comics-reading app for the Switch.
“The Nintendo Switch has very few non-game apps right now,” Izneo CEO Luc Bourcier tells Inverse at New York Comic Con, “But the Izneo digital reading app should go live by the end of November.”
Comic book houses like IDW, Titan, Dark Horse, Boom, and Archie are all featured in Izneo’s catalog, so readers have access to franchises like Hellboy, Aliens, Buffy, and Doctor Who. Of course, you won’t get any of that sweet DC Universe original content — like the new Titans show or the animated Harley Quinn series — but if all you care about is comics then Izneo is definitely worth a closer look.
“Nintendo’s console is the perfect platform for comic book reading,” Bourcier says in the official press release. “From gamer to reader the gap just got a little bit smaller!”
A hands-on demo at NYCC confirms that Izneo’s Switch app is worth your attention. HD Comics look great on the Nintendo device. especially with the option to read panel-by-panel. Combine that with the portability of the Switch and you’ve got a powerful new comics-reading machine.
Izneo is a French company, but its catalog of 25,000 comics is available in French, German, or English.
I experienced Izneo’s Switch app first-hand at NYCC, and the HD comics all look great, especially the option to read panel-by-panel. With the versatility of the Switch, reading digital comics probably couldn’t get any easier.
Izneo isn’t the first company to bring comics to the portable gaming console. The company already faces competition from InkyPen, a remarkably similar service that exclusively targets the Switch. But with Izneo, readers also get mangas, graphic novels, and webtoons. Plus, your account syncs across multiple devices, including phones and tablets, so you can always access whatever comic you’re in the middle of reading.
Comixology is yet another Izneo competitor for digital comics reading, but as Bourcier was quick to point out in our meeting, the Amazon company does not have an app slated for the Nintendo Switch.
Unlike similar platforms that offer single issues, Izneo focuses entirely on full volumes of trade paperbacks. A monthly subscription model grants access to 1,500 books for $7.99 a month — akin to something like Marvel Unlimited. Or readers can purchase individual books for various prices.
The Izneo app for the Nintendo Switch should be released sometime in November 2018.
