After numerous delays and a beta showing at C2E2, Dark Horse is finally entering the world of digital comics officially when they release their own branded app next Wednesday, April 27th!
One of the things that sets the Dark Horse digital app apart from some of the competition, is that the app was made in-house as opposed to farming it out like other comic companies have done. This brings with it many advantages, including having absolute control over their content (except for Apple’s policies, but that’s a different story). The comics blogosphere has poked some fun at Dark Horse for failing to deliver on their planned release date, myself included, but then I cam to realize that there is good reason. The folks at Dark Horse are the type of people who want to make sure they do this right. They should be applauded for this as opposed to being lambasted.
Dark Horse also has a pretty cool initiative to get people to grab the app when it hits your favorite iDevice. If you go and sign up for the Dark Horse Digital newsletter at digital.darkhorse.com, you have the potential to unlock more free comics when the app launches! So far, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 will be available free, pre-loaded on the app. The first issues of Criminal Macabre, Abe Spaien: The Drowning, and Joss Whedon’s Fray have been unlocked so far, with 2 yet to be revealed! To unlock them, all you have to do is sign up, and get other people to sign up, the more subscribers, the more free books!
Now, you may be thinking: “OK Shaz, this is all well and good, but what’s going to be available?” Don’t worry I’ve got the full list of titles that’ll be available day one. Check them out, and grab the app next Wednesday!
- Abe Sapien: The Drowning
- Amazing Scre On Head
- Axe Cop
- Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1
- Baltimore: Plague Ships
- Beasts of Burden
- BPRD: Something Under the Bed
- BPRD: Dark Waters
- BPRD: Hell on Earth Gods
- BPRD: Hollow Earth
- BPRD: Plague of Frogs
- BPRD: Soul of Venice
- BPRD: The Dead
- BPRD: V.5 The Flame
- BPRD: V.6 The Universal Machine
- BPRD: V.7 Garden of Souls
- Classic Usagi Yojimbo #1
- Classic Usagi Yojimbo #2
- Conan
- Conan Road of Kings
- Conan the Barbarian: Coming of Conan
- Conan the Barbarian: Devil-Wings
- Conan the Barbarian: Keepers of Crypt
- Conan the Barbarian: Lair Beast-Men
- Conan the Barbarian: Lurker Within
- Conan the Barbarian: Tower Elephant
- Conan the Barbarian: Twilight
- Conan the Barbarian: Zukala
- Conan: Daughters of Midora
- Conan: Daughters of Khati
- Creatures of the Night
- Criminal Macabre
- De:tales
- Dr. Horrible
- Dr. Solar
- Dungeon Seige III
- Emily V. 1: Chairman of the Bored
- Emily V. 2: This Cover Got Lost
- Empowered
- Empowered One Shot Special
- The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch
- Falling Skies
- Fallout Preview
- Finder: Voice
- Fray
- The Goon/Hellboy
- The Goon V. 1: Nothin’ But Misery
- The Good V. 6: Chinatown
- Grendel: Behind the Devil
- The Guild
- The Guild: Tink
- The Guild: Vork
- Hellboy: “Heads”
- Hellboy: Almost Colossus
- Hellboy: Box Full of Evil
- Hellboy: Christmas Underground
- Hellboy: Corpse & Iron Shoes
- Hellboy: Right Hand of Doom
- Hellboy: Sleeping & Dead
- Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
- Hellboy: Conqueror Worm
- Hellboy: The Island
- Hellboy: Third Wish
- Hellboy: Wolves of St. August
- Hellboy: Wake the Devil
- King Conan: The Scarlet Citidel
- Kull: Hate Witch
- Kull: The Shadow Kingdom
- Let Me In
- Little Lulu V. 19
- Living With the Dead
- Lone Wolf & Cub V.1
- Lone Wolf & Cub V.2
- Lone Wolf & Cub V.3
- Lone Wolf & Cub V.4
- Magnus
- Mass Effect
- Mass Effect: Evolution
- Mighty Samson
- Murder Mysteries
- Pixu
- Serenity: Better Days
- Serenity: Float Out
- Serenity: Shepherd’s Tale
- Serenity: Those Left Behind
- Solomon Kane: DBR
- Solomon Kane: Castle of Devil
- Sugarshock
- Terminator: 1984
- Terminator: 2029
- Terminator: Death Valley
- Troublemaker 1
- Troublemaker 2
- Turok #1
- Umbrella Academy FCBD Edition
- Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
- Umbrella Academy: Dallas
- Uncle Silas
- Usagi Yojimbo #134
- Usagi Yojimbo (general)
- Usagi Yokai
- Witchfinder: Lost and Gone
- Your Highness
That, my firends, is what you call a launch! This truly staggering amount of titles will keep you occupied for a quite a long time. I can’t speak for you, but I’m pretty excited for this!