In-Flight Entertainment
Posted: Wednesday 09 March, 2011
George Guildford
I always find a train or plane journey presents the perfect opportunity to catch up with all things social media related, from checking out the latest news on Mashable to finally getting round to running through all the new apps currently sitting restlessly on my smartphone. With a flight to Munich on the horizon this weekend, I'm very much looking forward to finally getting to grips with my latest app of the moment, Marvel's fantastic digital comic book app. It's no secret that I love all things comic book-related, from early collectors editions discovered in old dusty boxes, to recent comic book-inspired movies such as Watchmen, Kick Ass, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Great for me then, that the rumours are indeed true about Marvel's comic book app being the next big thing.
With hundreds of digital editions of Marvel comics already available via the app, picking up a 1959 edition of the Fantastic Four, or rare editions of IronMan, X-men, or Spider Man can now be done right from the comfort of your smartphone. Although, many would say that Marvel's latest app takes one of the biggest parts of the comic book experience away straight from the get-go - and they'd certainly have a good point. There's something about searching for that rare copy and being able to have the printed edition in your hands or on your shelf that you just can’t replicate with digital versions. The same is also true of the music industry when looking at the move away from vinyl and CD to digital downloads and mp3. That said, I'm of the opinion that this latest app from Marvel is actually pretty cool - in many ways it represents the natural evolution of the comic book in the digital age, opening up the experience to a whole new audience.
As you flick from page-to-page at the swipe of a finger, the transition and navigation of each digital comic book is seamless, cinematic almost. The animation and visuals are nothing short of stunning, as everything moves effortlessly from clip-to-clip in a way that makes you question whether the real purpose of your smartphone is in fact to read comics - it's THAT good. Additionally, there's also a very cool feature that Marvel have built into the app that enables users to find their nearest comic book store and locate printed, physical copies of their favourite comics via the use of GPS alongside the app.
After downloading more than 10 new comics to the app last night ahead of my trip this weekend, I couldn't help but think that the way I read pretty much anything these days is on my smartphone - be it news, books, blogs, and now comic books - and this got me thinking. What will my smartphone be able to do next? I already have unlimited access to music, comic books, apps, games, email, internet, online shopping, Facebook, news, and TV shows - and this all seems to have happened pretty quickly. What more could one want for in-flight entertainment?
