If 2011 was the year that North American publishers got on board with online/digital manga in a big way, 2012 is looking to be the year that publishers want you to get on board with the program too. To nudge you in that direction, VIZ Media wants to give you some free manga to read just for downloading their apps for iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch. Meanwhile, Dark Horse Digital wants to make you a killer deal on a bundle of Lone Wolf and Cub manga for your iPad/iPhone/Android device or computer. To celebrate the Year of the Dragon, JManga is giving new subscribers a gift of bonus points to get even more manga to read online.
DOWNLOAD THE VIZ APP, GET A FREE MANGA VOLUME
First up, VIZ Media wants to tempt North American readers to give their iOS manga reader apps a try on your iPads, iPhones or iPod Touch devices. Just go to http://www.viz.com/apps before January 30, 2012, download the app of your choice and sign up for VIZManga.com. You'll get a confirmation code in your welcome email that you can use to redeem for any volume 1 of any of the popular shojo, shonen and seinen manga titles available on VIZManga.com.
So you say you've got an iPad, an iPhone and a computer too? You'll be able to read your manga on any of these devices with a single log-in. Sorry, VIZ doesn't have a standalone Android app yet, but they will be offering titles for the Barnes & Noble Nook very soon.
DARK HORSE DIGITAL OFFERS LONE WOLF AND CUB MANGA MEGABUNDLE
Dark Horse Digital launched their digital comics program in early 2011, but until recently, their manga and manhwa offerings have been somewhat limited. But now that they're set up to offer titles that read in Japanese format (right-to-left), Dark Horse is gearing up to offer more and more of your favorites as digital releases.
Get a taste of the Dark Horse Digital experience for your computer, iPad, iPhone, or Android-enabled device by checking out this killer deal on one of the all-time great manga epics, Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. Now you can get the first 10 volumes of Lone Wolf and Cub for $44.99 (that's almost $15 off the regular price if you bought each digital volume singly, and over half off the cover price if you bought the print editions).
Haven't got the app yet? You can download the free Dark Horse Digital app for the iPhone / iPad/ iPod Touch from the Apple App store. Got an Android phone or tablet? Dark Horse has got you covered -- just go to the Android Market to get hooked up with your Dark Horse Digital app. Don't have either? No worries, you can still read Dark Horse Digital titles on your computer via http://digital.darkhorse.com. Check out the rest of the manga/manhwa/comix offerings on Dark Horse Digital and see what's new and coming soon on the Dark Horse Digital blog.
JMANGA OFFERS NEW YEARS BONUS FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS
While Christmas is the traditional time for gifts in the West, New Year's is the big holiday for celebrations and feasting in Japan. To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, JManga.com is offering readers in North America a special gift. When you sign up for a new paid subscription or upgrade your existing subscription to JManga, either at the $10 or $25/month level, you'll get a one-time 500 - 1500 point sign-up bonus, and an extra bonus of 50 - 75 points every month thereafter. With many JManga titles now available for 500 points, this means your bonus points will get you 1-3 free volumes of manga to enjoy.
JManga.com is currently only available to readers in North America, and only via Internet-enabled computers. The JManga folks have promised that they have apps for the iOS and Android devices in the works, but haven't announced any definite dates for their release.
Image credits: © Masashi Kishimoto / SHUEISHA, © Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, © JManga.com
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