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| The Megazine stands next to the Beano on the newsstand. If only real newsstands looked like this... only with a few more comics. |
I've just discovered that there is an app available for the Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Megazine that enables you to read the comic on your phone, tablet etc. I've never read an issue of the Megazine due to it's high price tag and I was hoping, like the fantastic Phoenix comic app, that a free short sample issue would be available so that I could get a taste of the comic and give the app a thorough review. Sadly there was no such thing so I'll have to review the app as best I can without.
Despite there not been a free sample comic it seems that you can buy solely digital subscriptions, as you would expect. In New Zealand the prices for the subscriptions are $22.99 for six months and $45.99 for one year. Considering that here a paper copy will set you back around $12 that really is cheap, even if you don't get the free gifts and can't fill in the puzzles.
Although every issue can be seen on the home page and 'download' and 'read' buttons appear beneath each cover you can only buy 6 or 12 month subscriptions, so no single issues to give customers a taster. This might put people off buying the digital subscription because they don't want to pay for a six-month subscription for a magazine they may not like.
So far it's not looking too good for this app but on the plus side it seems that you can save whole issues and individual pages that you may wish to return to on the 'downloads' page. A good additional feature.
On the whole though this app doesn't run as fast or as smoothly as you may like it to, and not having a small sampler for readers to try out is a drawback, perhaps pushing away a few potential subscribers. D.C Thomson really could learn a thing or two from the way the frankly brilliant Phoenix app is set up and runs.
4 comments:
I doubt that I'll ever read comics in this way - it would be like trying to watch a movie on a 2 inch screen. Regarding the 'shelf' in your opening picture - in my local WHS, The Beano is always easy to find in the space designated to it, and I've never been in a shop where it's any different. Curious, eh?
On the iPad it's not too bad because the pages are close to the size you'd find them on the printed edition, but on a phone it is a strange idea! Far too small. An iPad is an expensive item though and after a while reading off the screen it can wear tiresome on your eyes, which is why it'll never beat paper! (Except that you can read it when the lights are out!)
We obviously have different Smiths Kid. The Dandy really suffered from being invisible in mine, and The Beano is now a top shelf title, well away from the other tat merchandising 'comics'.
All change
http://www.uniquemagazines.co.uk/mag-162712/buy-Dennis-the-Menace-and-Gnasher%e2%80%99s-Epic-Magazine
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