Says Dan Buckley, Marvel publisher:
“We’re excited to introduce an unparalleled digital comic experience to our fans with the Marvel Comics App for iPad. The iPad is the first device that offers us a chance to present digital comics that are even close to replicating the experience of reading a print comic. This new world of digital comics distribution provides us great opportunities to reach new readers, allow consumers to sample our diverse stories and characters, and we believe it will drive these new fans into the App Store and local comic shops each week to find even more.”
I've highlighted the crucial bit in bold – the rest is the usual press release chatter.
Unlike the comics available on the iPhone, the new iPad really seems ideal for digital comic perusal. This has naturally been under-reported by most media, who seem obsessed over how the iPad may or may not affect e-books, newspapers, and the like.
The app is free, while the comics cost $2 apiece (about the going rate for digital comics already sold via iTunes). It's Gillette's old cheap razor/expensive blades business model.
But of course that leaves out the high price of the iPad itself...
Anyway, see pics below, and happy Easter!
Update 4/24/10: For more on this and other iPad apps, see Comics on the iPad: New Comic-Book Reader Apps for Apple's Tablet.