An heir to the digital comics dumpster fire that is ComiXology

So, Omnibus, right? Ever heard of it? I hadn’t, but apparently, publishers are going to be the collective weight behind it. Honestly, this could be the kind of thing comic book fans have been waiting for.

It’s not mincing words to say that Comixology was ruined by Amazon. The fallout is still raining down on the industry and fans. Most people have been looking for an alternative, but there isn’t really a one-stop shop that rivals what Comixology could offer. Even Marvel Unlimited, while a great choice for that one publisher, was negatively impacted by the Comixology death spiral. Otherwise, there’s DriveThruComics, but it’s capable of offering the same scale that Comixology offered.

Omnibus would be able to fill an immediate need, and I first heard about it via Bleeding Cool. While there isn’t a ton of information available, it looks to be compatible with a variety of platforms (Apple, Android, PC, and maybe eventually more?) It’s also worth naming some publishers that are signing on.

• Image
• Valiant
• Ahoy
• Vault
• Maybe others?

The fact that Image is among these names makes a difference. After Marvel and DC, Image is one of the most recognizable names in comic book publishing. There’s not a ton of information right now, but this looks like it’s an excellent first step. The faster comic book publishers can migrate away from Amazon the better off we’ll all be.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t questions. Something that’s always bugged me about Amazon is the fact that if I buy something, it’s tied to the Comixology app unless the publisher says it can be downloaded. This has always annoyed me. If I go to my local comic store, I can buy a comic, take it home, and keep it. It’s mine. Sometimes there’s even a digital edition included. Using the Comixology model, if I bought a comic at that same store, I’d be obligated to leave it at the store. It would be like a loan that existed in perpetuity because of the fee I paid to read the comic, but it would never be mine. I hate this model and would like future digital services to address this. Omnibus seems like a good place to start.

Optimism is probably the word of the day here, and there’s a lot that could be promising about this new venture. We have to be realistic that the bar has been set very low by Amazon. Almost anything could be better at this point. There isn’t a high hurdle to clear, but Omnibus might just clear it with ease.