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There are countless ways to read comic books in 2008. Dating back to the 1930s, kids would take their nickels into the local comic book store to buy and read the latest graphic novels. They loved the feel of the paper, the way the colors jumped out at them and the portability of taking it anywhere they needed to be. Today, kids have unlimited ways to experience their favorite characters, whether on a DVD, on their iPhone or on their laptop.

Many fans just want to read comics for free. After all, that’s what the internet and peer-to-peer is all about, right? There are a few databases offering graphic novels for free. Manga comics, like Naruto, Bleach, Love Junkies, Pokemon and Vampire Knight can be found at www.mangafox.com and www.mangavolume.com, for instance. More than three hundred conventional classics from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Vertigo, Wild Storm and Oni can be found at www.lorencollins.net/freecomic. Fans looking for “Golden Age” comics can find comic book series like “Tales of Horror,” “Out of the Shadows,” “Jumbo Comics,” “Exciting Comics” and “The Perfect Crime” (with characters like Ibis the Invincible and Blue Beetle) at www.comicweb.com/onlinecomics.htm. Other comics from that time period, like “Baffling Mysteries,” “Strange Fantasy,” “Underworld,” “Famous Funnies,” “Forbidden Worlds” or “Whiz Comics” can be viewed at www.goldenagecomics.co.uk. Additionally, for fans of DC comic book characters, the first five issues of each major series are being offered as free PDF downloads at www.ugo.com.

Of course, not everyone feels like sitting inside to read comic books in their rooms all day long. Now fans can take their favorite comics graphic novels outside, on the bus, into the lunchroom or on break at work with Nintendo DS portable players, iPods and iPhones. “Comic Book DS” is a neat application that can be downloaded at www.4colorrebellion.com/archives/2006/10/09/comic-book-ds-homebrew-impressions/#more-3930, so that comics can be read on Nintendo DS systems. For the iPhone or iPod Touch, fans will need the “ComicZeal” program, which can be purchased for $1.99 at www.igoapps.com/page/detail/ComicZeal/2946. To read comics on a laptop, a program like Adobe Acrobat Reader will likely be required.

One more way to read comic books is in “Motion Comics” format, which includes limited movement, music, pans and zooms to bring the story to life. “We want people to see these stories through as many distribution points as possible,” explains Marvel Comic Books. Marvel has teamed up with Stephen King to create “N,” as well as the character “Ultimate Spider-Man.” DC Comics have released “Watchmen” and “Batman Adventures” as Motion Comics. These issues can be purchased for Microsoft Xbox and Verizon VCast! The world of comic book art and story telling is always growing, and it seems the new technology compliments this genre quite well.