On Thursday I receive an email from Comixology saying the following:
"Dear Comics Enthusiast,
You are receiving this email because we now offer DRM-free backups of one or more of the books you've purchased on comiXology. You can now download and store PDF or CBZ copies of those books..."
I have been a comics enthusiast for over a decade and have watched the digital comic movement grow into a vibrant delivery model that provides opportunities for both established and new comic publishers. Though in the last year I have become wary of the large digital comic book supplier (Comixology caring most of that mindshare) controlling access to comics I had purchased. Since they I have moved to buying non-DRM comics in either CBR or CBZ format and reading them through an open source reader (see Comicbook Lover). The news that Comixology now allows users to download an DRM-free back-up (for some titles) is great news, and got me excited about buying from Comixolgy again. Though only certain titles have DRM-free back-ups available this is a great step in the right direction, and I am happy that Comixology took this step.