How To Read Comics On Your PC

Like books and magazines, comics have gone digital. Many comic publishers now offer digital versions, known as ecomics, in various archive formats. Just like with ebooks, you need a specialised reader to read ecomics, and I think ComicRack is one of the best. Not only does it support every ecomic format out there, you can also use it to read web-based comic strips right on your desktop.

ComicRack has an intuitive interface to ease browsing through comics. You can also use it to organise your comics in to virtual collections. One of the app's most interesting features is that it lets you share your library of comics over your home network, so that you can read your comics on any computer.

In this tutorial I'll only cover ComicRack's most interesting and useful features, but it can do a lot more, too. For more advanced uses, refer to the exhaustive downloadable manual at http://bit.ly/VfN4QG.

Manage Your Digital Comics

#1 Get ComicRack
ComicRack is available as a free download from http://comicrack.cyolito.com, or from the cover disc. Double-click the setup file to start the installation. After agreeing to the licence agreement, you'll see a list of components you can choose to install. You can uncheck some of these, like language packs but for the best experience you should select and install everything.

#2 Download .NET
ComicRack uses the .NET framework, which may already be on your PC. If the ComicRack installer can't find it, then it will offer to download and install it from Microsoft's website You can install the framework yourself, but it's best to let the installer do it. If the .NET installer wants to restart your PC, click the 'Restart later' button and restart the computer after ComicRack is installed.

#3 Open a comic
When you start ComicRack, a Windows security alert will pop up telling you that Windows Firewall has blocked some of the application's features. We want ComicRack to communicate with other PCs on our network, so click the 'Allow access' button. To open a comic, drag and drop it into the main interface. To read multiple comics, open multiple tabs by clicking on the '+' button.

#4 Reading tools
When you open a comic, it will be displayed in the 'Reader' window. A single click on the open comic will close the browser window at the bottom, and a double-click will open the comic in the full-screen mode. Use your mouse wheel to scroll through the comic. To jump to a page, hover over the bottom of the comic, which will display thumbnails of all the pages.

#5 Create a library
To import all your comics, click on the 'Tools' icon in the top right corner and go to/Preferences'. Here, switch to the Libraries tab. Now click on the 'Add' button and select the folder that houses your comics. You can also add multiple folders if your comics are in several locations. When you re done, click on the /Scan' button, which will populate the library, then click/OK'.

#6 Navigate the library
When you add a library, ComicRack will automatically sort all your comics into different reading lists called Smart Lists. These help you navigate your library of comics. For example, the Recently Added list contains recent comics added to the library. Each list also uses coloured gauges to show the number of new (red), unread (yellow), and total (green) comics it contains.

#7 Import a web comic
Besides reading downloaded comics, you can also use ComicRack to read web comics. You'll find a huge list on ComicRack's forum at (www.bit ly/XhAzuq). To read a web comic, just grab its CBW file, which you can open in ComicRack directly, or add to your library.To update a web comic, click on the 'Update web comics/option in the tools menu.

#8 Share comics
To share comics on your home network, bring up the Tools menu and go to 'Preferences > Libraries'. Now click the 'Add Share' button to add your library. By default, ComicRack will share the full library. When you're done, click the 'OK' button and ComicRack will restart. Now when you open ComicRack on another PC, the browser window will show a new tab with the shared library.

#9 Rate comics
It's a good idea to give a rating to all the comics in your collection especially if you are sharing them with others. To rate a comic, right-click on it and select 'Info'to open a window with multiple tabs. Drag the mouse across the 'My Rating' field to rate a comic and add metadata.The community rating is the aggregate rating of the comic according to all the other users.

#10 Download your creation
You're now all set to read your collection of ecomics and web comics on any computer on your network. Once you're comfortable with the program, you can refer to its manual and unlock several other advanced features, such as the ability to export web comics, adjust the colours of a comic, and even use it as a PDF reader.