Zombies attack… Archie and his pals in Riverdale? It’s a horror comic in the most unlikely of places, and it’s drawing rave reviews. And it’s also proof that there’s a vast variety of reading material available for the Kindle — including Kindle comic books. Right now, Amazon’s even discounting several of them to just 99 cents each.
For a shortcut to Amazon’s comic page, point your browser to
tinyurl.com/KindleComicBooks
By the way, Amazon’s really spruced up that comics page. Now you can display comics by a specific author, or from a specific publisher (like “D.C. Comics”). You can even narrow the display to comics from a specific release date — even “Coming Soon”, or “Last 90 days.” But there’s also links that let you view comics available for the Kindle from “the Golden Age (1938-55),” as well as the Silver Age (1959-1969), and the Bronze Age (1970-1983)…all the way up to the present-day. (Plus a link for recent comics which have won industry awards…)
Comic books are available for any touch-screen Kindle — as well as the Kindle reading apps for your smartphone or other tablet devices. Here’s a look at some of the most interesting titles…
Afterlife with Archie ($2.99 per issue)
It started as a joke — then turned horribly, horribly wrong. A comic book artist drew a special cover for the wholesome series “Life with Archie” — with zombies — as a tribute to the classic horror comics of the 1950s. Writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa wanted to expand the idea, and created a four-issue series where real zombies are terrorizing the neighborhood of Riverdale – and taking over the brains of all of Archie’s loveable pals. “The first four issues sold out,” reports Wikipedia, noting that Fangoria magazine called it one of the “best horror comics…in a very long time,” while a reviewer at NPR actually called it “terrific,” “a masterpiece,” and “actually scary. And this March, the wild success of the series convinced Archie Comics to choose the author as their chief creative officer!
Harley Quinn comics (99 cents per issue)
Amazon’s discounting over 100 comic books for the Kindle — each one with one of D.C. Comics’ most fascinating characters. “For a limited time, pick up single issue comics featuring The Joker’s favorite gal, Harley Quinn for only $0.99 each,” Amazon announced this week. The strange villain-ess in the harlequin costume appeared in numerous comic series, including Gotham City Sirens, Suicide Squad, Gotham Girls, and of course, her own Harley Quinn series. She was named one of the sexiest women in comic books, according to her page on Wikipedia — even if she is in love with The Joker!
Calvin & Hobbes collections ($10.99 each)
It’s one of the greatest newspaper comic strips of all-time — and now it’s available on the Kindle! This November three collections of “Calvin & Hobbes” cartoons suddenly appeared in the graphic novels section of Amazon Kindle Store. These 250-page collections feature all the original strips by Bill Watterson — including his lavish, full-color Sunday strips. Watterson stunned the world this month by anonymously contributing artwork to the Pearls Before Swine comic strip after 20 years of retirement! But it just reminded me of how much I loved the original Calvin & Hobbes comic strip — and it’s nice to know that they’re now available on the Kindle.
Transformers: Regeneration One (99 cents per issue)
It’s another store-wide sale, this one featuring nearly two dozen comics about the Transformer robots. With a summer blockbuster about to hit theatres, it’s a good way for fans to bring the excitement home to their Kindle.
You’ll find words like “epic” in Amazon’s description of the plots — as well as “Cybertron,” “Autobot,” and of course, “Optimus Prime.” “For a limited time, pick up Transformers” Regeneration One single issue comics for only $0.99 each,” Amazon teases on the pages of their other Kindle comic books — adding two more special words of their own.
“Shop now!”
Remember, for a shortcut to Amazon’s comic page, point your browser to
tinyurl.com/KindleComicBooks
