Subscriptions for comic series coming to Nintendo Switch

 
A new comic subscription service is launching for Nintendo Switch in November. InkyPen, which is the name of the app, works in a similar way to how Spotify and Netflix do with music and TV shows or movies. Through a subscription with InkyPen subscribers will be given unlimited access to more than 10,000 comics, including graphic novels, from publishers worldwide.

The current promotional material for InkyPen doesn’t give a UK price for the service, but it will cost $7.99 in the US. This cost is similar to a monthly subscription to Netflix, and a little cheaper than Spotify, putting it in-line with similar products in different markets. Whether or not comic lovers will pay this fee every month for the ability to read as many comics as they want still remains to be seen.

InkyPen has been built specifically for Nintendo Switch. As such it will be the first comic subscription service available on the console, and should set a precedent for any other apps that follow. InkyPen will make use of the Nintendo Switch’s unique controls, including Joy Con controllers and touchscreen, and comics will be viewable in both handheld and TV mode. With touchscreen controls InkyPen should have very similar controls to comic apps on mobile and tablet devices.

Currently the publishers that have partnered with InkyPen, and which will be offering their works through the app in November, are; Humanoides Associés, Dynamite, Andrews McMeel, and IDW. These companies should provide enough of a range to make the app appealing to all comic lovers.

Ronan Huggard, InkyPen CEO, said that the company has no intention of selling comics on an individual or bundled basis, because there are plenty of other places that consumers can do that. He says that InkyPen will always be an all-you-can-read model for an international community of comic readers.

The idea behind InkyPen is a solution to the problem that some readers have of trying to explore all that comics have to offer. It’s expensive to purchase a lot of comics, and that can limit the amount someone is able to read, but InkyPen solves that issue by opening the entire library up for a fixed monthly fee.