Ebook subscription service Scribd has added over 10,000 comic books from Marvel and other comic publishers, including Archie, Boom! Studios, Dynamite, IDW/Top Shelf, Valiant and Zenescope.
The new move takes Scribd over the one million mark for the total of ebooks it offers on its $8.99 a month subscription service, which is available in the US and UK.
Rival subscription service Oyster Books also claims to offer over one million ebooks, while Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited is reckoned to have around 750,000 ebooks available for borrow.
Scribd’s selection of comic books is bound to widen the firm’s appeal as it covers an extensive range from Spider-Man to My Little Pony to X-O Manowar, and from Transformers to Archie, together with Young Adult series Locke & Key and graphic novels by Alan Moore, Matt Fraction, Gail Simone and George RR Martin.
Scribd CEO Trip Adler says, “We are very excited to take this step in expanding our subscription service beyond books. This addition gives comics readers the freedom of unlimited reading, while also giving our ebook and audiobook lovers the opportunity to discover comics and graphic novels.”
The company got a $22 million financing in January, led by Khosla Ventures with reinvestment from existing backers including Redpoint Ventures, Charles River Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank, which brought Scribd’s total funding to date up to $48 million.
Last year, the firm launched audiobooks with 30,000 titles and doubled its ebook titles, adding content from over 1,000 publishers, including Harper Collins and Simon & Schuster from the Big 5.
In January, Scribd said that since the launch of the subscription service in October 2013, the subscriber base has grown by an average of 31% a month, with readers spending over 17 million hours reading 500,000 ebooks.
Comics and graphic novels are an $870 million market in the US, with an expanding and diversifying readership.
Scribd says its comic library will feature:
- Classic Comics — Classic runs of the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil, Archie, Judge Dredd, the Rocketeer, and more
- Top Characters — Spider-Man, the Avengers, Betty and Veronica, Kevin Keller, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Bloodshot, Adventure Time
- Major Creators — Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Fiona Staples, Darwyn Cooke, Mark Waid, Ed Brubaker, Renee French, Jeffrey Brown, Joe Hill, and many more
- Acclaimed Graphic Novels — March, From Hell, Swallow Me Whole, Underwater Welder, Spiral-Bound, The Ticking, Too Cool to Be Forgotten
- Award Winners — League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key, Alec, Will You Still Love Me if I Wet the Bed?
- Hit YA Titles — Ultimate Spider-Man, Runaways, Afterlife With Archie, Harbinger, Lumberjanes
- Manga — Partnership with Media Do brings titles from Cork and Harlequin Manga, including work by acclaimed artist Moyoco Anno
- Leading Publishers — Marvel, Arcana, Archie, Boom! Studios, Dynamite, IDW/Top Shelf, Kingstone, Space Goat, Top Cow, Valiant, Zenescope
Readers will be able to browse comics in a variety of ways, including:
- By Character — Character pages allow readers to follow their favorite characters through their series and guest appearances.
- By Series — Readers can browse by title and read entire series from start to finish.
- By Curated Collection — Readers can browse more than 150 expert-curated collections of comics, such as Incredible Team-Ups, Classic Marvel Moments, Zombie Horror, Welcome to Riverdale, Funny Women, Supernatural Romance, and more.
Ebook distributor Draft2digital adds Scribd to sales channels