GlobalComix and how they’re creating the “ultimate comics reading and discovery experience”

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What if you could go into a comics shop or the comics section of a bookstore and read any comic you wanted – and then bring them home in your pocket to read anytime you want? No, we’re not advocating for shoplifting, but we are telling you about what’s quickly become the preeminent digital comics reading service, GlobalComix. 

Since launch, GlobalComix has partnered with high-level comic companies including Image Comics, TOKYOPOP, Dark Horse, and more to get some of the world’s best comics under one roof for you to read in one app, for one monthly price.

After building up steam with publishers and fans alike over the past few years, GlobalComix is now in expansion mode with a deal with DC Comics to bring the likes of Batman and Watchmen to the platform, while at the same time continuing to work with the next generation of creators, whether it be on the indie comics scene, on the crowdfunding arena, or their first-ever in-house comic – a partnership with gaming streamer Valkyrae on a new series called Apollyon that will debut on GlobalComix in 2025.

Here at New York Comic Con 2024, the company is meeting fans where they already are with a booth on the show floor in one of the busiest parts of the convention. By the way, whatever device you’re reading this on is likely already compatible to read GlobalComix, either through its mobile apps, or directly via a browser.  In much the same way, GlobalComix is also already compatible with any kind of comics fan, be they a manga reader, a webtoon reader, or traditional western comic books (superhero or not).

“GlobalComix is a service that has content for everyone, whether they are diehard or are casual readers,” says Christopher Carter, founder & CEO of GlobalComix. “That’s the beauty of our system in that if someone is just interested in reading creator-owned vertical scroll webcomics, they can come in and do that mostly for free. At the same time, we have top publishers like DC, Top Cow, AWA, Humanoids, and Mad Cave, and so whether it’s folks that are used to the comics industry they have a full list. We probably have what they’re looking for.”

The key in this for GlobalComix is not only having an immense and curated library, which they do – but in building a platform that helps you not only find the comic to read but then has  recommendations for additional comics to read based on your interest – not just by genre or format, but also by publisher, creator, and topic, and what they call the “edges of interest.”

“The way that we are able to service and cross-pollinate recommendations is kind of thematically based; so for example, if you’re a Black Mirror type fan you might like something that is noir and greasy and it’s got a certain taste and art style and so we can use those preferences to recommend,” Carter explains. “If you came in from a manga, here’s a webtoon in that style you might like – and vice versa. And if you come in for something like DC Vertigo, here’s other comics that are similar to that – or here’s webcomics and manga that are similar to that. So, we’re able to expose readers to the types of stories they like across stories and genres.”

As of this weekend here at New York Comic Con 2024, GlobalComix’s library hosts almost 75,000 books from over 6000 creators and 350 publishers, with 2,000 or more added each month. In addition to an array of superhero and darker work from DC and its various imprints, the service also carries the newly-reinvigorated Transformers comics by Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, the seminal manga Lone Wolf & Cub, and even the massive array of Jim Henson comics including titles such as Fraggle Rock and The Dark Crystal.

They also have Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1980s classic Watchmen, arguably the most popular superhero comic run in the past 50 years.  (Yes, I’ll argue with you about this). But after you read (or re-read) Watchmen or something else, the GlobalComix service will give you tailored recommendations on what to read next.

“We took great pride in making a system that would allow for discovery against not just hundreds of creators but hundreds of thousands of creators based on how they read, what they consume, and the things that actually are interesting to them and stories that resonate. So what that means is between curation and recommendation and a really rich and deep searching functionality where you can filter by everything from creator type, paywall, genres, themes, and audience type – all the way down to supporting crowdfunded comics and being able to see what has an active campaign at this time.”

In addition to hosting the titans of comics that have been made into movies, TV, and toys, GlobalComix has a dedicated area to read comics that are currently up for crowdfunding on Kickstarter and elsewhere.

“So GlobalComix is in my mind the ultimate comics reading and discovery experience,” says Carter. “We bridge and we collect all forms of comics in all languages, whether its Japanese manga, comics from western publishers like AWA, Top Cow, and DC; vertical scroll, original webcomic creators around the world as well as the long tail of indie creators in the comics space. We’re a subscription platform where you pay for a single monthly subscription, and it gives all access to everything in our catalog.”

Access to 75,000 comics starting at $7.99 a month. While our recommendations isn’t as dynamic as GlobalComix, if you’re reading this the next thing you do is pretty simple: try GlobalComix.