Finally, a great app dedicated to Transformers Comics
Given that Ive lambasted previous releases of this app, I felt obligated to comment on this latest version (yes, I know how upity-up i sound!).
In short, with the transition to being powered by Comixology, this app now makes reading Transformers comics fully enjoyable on the iPad. It is now much easier to find individual comics through a clear categorization and numbering system, the app is very stable, and it is a breeze to purchase new books or to re-download previous purchases. You are now also able to import your purchases made in this app (including those made prior to the latest release) into the main Comixology app, putting all your books in one place if you use the latter. Some may wish to keep this app as well though, given that the storefronts are dedicated to the various IDW Transformers titles, which can be cool for dedicated TF fans; I am guessing you will only rarely see these books in the featured sections of Comixologys app, given the multitude of titles they sell.
IDW is still continuing its policy of lowering the price of all its books by $1 four weeks after their release, making this app a great way to collect your comics.
Kudos to IDW for abandoning their previous system in favour of this much superior one. I have ironicially deleted it in favour of keeping all my books in the main Comixology app, but will continue to purchase these excellent comics (the Chaos issues on Cybertron were gorgeously illustrated).
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Second Review (Oct 29, 2011): Now available on Comixology; Make the switch!
Though there have been some improvements in this app, you are better to use the Comixology App to purchase these comics, where they have just become available. The latter app has a much better file system, making it easier to find the Transformers comics that you wish to read. Note that as of mid-October 2011, Comixology is unable to import previous purchases made in the IDW app into the Comixology app (as they are able to do with purchases made in the Marvel and DC apps). It is still worth the conversion nonetheless, and carrying both apps forward which some of us may have been doing regardless.
That being said, since my original review, there do seem to be improvements to the stability of this app, and at least through the store, you can see on one scrolling screen all the issues of a single title along with issue numbers, so you can easily identify which is which. However, they non-sensically havent imported this very useful function into the main library, meaning you are still left guessing as to what number each issue is, and if for whatever reason you are offline, you cannot access the store in order to use its better categorized screens.
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Original Review: Unstable, disorganized, inflexible
In short, this is a horrible application. IDW needs to look at what Comixology has done and rebuild this app from scratch. A number of major problems:
1. The app is unstable. It wasnt bad at first, but recently, it crashed each time I opened a new issue. Reading the latest issue of the Transformers Ongoing has been the worst experience so far; it crashed no less than 10 times before I could get through the issue. I literally grew tense each time I turned the page because doing so usually meant that a crash was coming.
2. The app is disorganized. Comics appearing in your library do not appear to be in great order. Generally, they are matched together by series, but even then, you cant tell which issue is the next one if you do not know what the cover looks like. IDW needs to have a very simple file system in place to open these books; even a windows explorer type function would do.
3. The app is inflexible. You cannot delete comics from your library; you have to do so by locating it in the store and deleting from there. IDW needs to add a central place with all books easily listed where you can simply delete them with a couple waves of the finger (again, see Comixology). Redownloading previously purchased content is even more frustrating, as "restoring in-app purchases" redownloads every single comic youve ever bought from the store; in order to download a single comic, you have to relocate it in the store. There has to be a better way to streamline this process (again, look at comixology for a model).
This really is a horrible app. At first, it is worth putting up with because of the entertaining nature of the comics - one plus is that issues are at quite the discount off of the shelf price, and dont seem to be far behind the hard copy publishing date. But IDW needs to make major refinements to this app - first to its overall stability, and then an overhaul of the management system. The stability must be a priority, as the reading experience is no longer enjoyable with all the crashes. I will give the app one more try with the next interesting issue, and if the flaws are still there, then Ill simply wait until they release something usable.
Ratatouille-Canada about Transformers Comics, v3.8
