The Nintendo Switch is going to be able to read digital comics and manga with a new app called InkyPen, which will launch in November. It is an unlimited subscription platform that will cost $8 per month and will have a wide array of content from publishers such as Andrews McMeel, Dynamite, IDW, les Humanoïdes Associés and Valiant. It will not include anything from DC or Marvel.
InkyPen was created by a team of comic book enthusiasts from Norway and Luxembourg with experience in the video game industry. They say it was born out of a genuine frustration that such a service didn’t exist. “I could never afford to truly explore comics growing up, or even at university. Not because I didn’t have enough money, but because they were just too expensive for a student to justify buying. InkyPen solves this,” said CEO Ronan Huggard.
Obviously the Switch is primarily a gaming platform, but it has attracted other big name apps such as Hulu. The portability factor of the Switch does make it a compelling comic book reader and if InkyPen takes off, who knows, maybe more services like Comixology Unlimited or even specific publisher offerings like Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe could head on over to Nintendo’s console.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
