Where to find comics on the open web (and how to load them into your reader)
You just discovered comics.starbugstone.com — the CBZ and PDF reader I built so I could keep my own digital comic collection in one place and read it from pretty much anywhere.
The next question is the obvious one: where do you actually get digital comics to put in it?
There is an important distinction here that is easy to blur on the web: a comic being readable online does not automatically mean you are allowed to download a copy of it. Some publishers give you a DRM-free PDF or CBZ; some services only license reading inside their website or app.
So here is the cleaner version of my list: sources where the files are legitimately downloadable, followed by good official places to read comics online.
Comics you can actually download
These are the most useful sources if you want a real PDF or comic archive that you can keep in your own library.
Digital Comic Museum
Digital Comic Museum is one of the easiest recommendations.
It concentrates on Golden Age comics that its volunteers have researched as being in the public domain. Registration is free and the comics themselves can be downloaded.
If you want to experiment with a self-hosted comic reader without worrying about whether you are supposed to have the file in the first place, this is probably the best place to start.
Comic Book Plus
Comic Book Plus is another huge archive of older public-domain material.
There is a lot here: Golden Age comics, comic strips, magazines and other historical material. It overlaps a little with Digital Comic Museum, but the collections and organisation are different enough that both are worth browsing.
itch.io
itch.io’s comics section is surprisingly good if you want independent work rather than old archive material.
Creators publish their own comics there, and many offer downloadable PDFs either free, pay-what-you-want or as normal purchases. There is even a dedicated PDF comics tag.
The useful difference here is that you are getting the file from the person publishing the work rather than from a random mirror.
DriveThruComics
DriveThruComics is a digital storefront with a lot of independent and smaller-publisher material.
Many products are supplied as downloadable PDFs. Check the format shown on the individual product before buying, but when a title gives you a normal PDF it is exactly the sort of file that can go straight into a personal reader.
Humble Bundle
Humble Bundle periodically runs comic and manga bundles.
This one varies from bundle to bundle, so check the formats before buying. Many comic bundles have historically provided DRM-free PDF and sometimes CBZ/EPUB downloads, while other bundles have used a third-party reading service instead.
When the bundle explicitly gives you downloadable PDF or CBZ files, it can be a ridiculously cheap way to build a legitimate digital collection.
Official places to read comics online
These are good places to discover and read comics legally, but they generally do not give you a CBZ or PDF to upload elsewhere.
That is fine. I would rather point people at the official reader than pretend that every comic on the internet is a downloadable file.
MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA
MANGA Plus is operated directly by Shueisha and publishes manga internationally, including new chapters alongside their Japanese release.
If you are looking for current manga, this is a much better starting point than a random download site.
WEBTOON and WEBTOON CANVAS
WEBTOON has both professionally published series and WEBTOON CANVAS, where independent creators publish their own work.
It is primarily an online reading platform rather than a source of files for a self-hosted library, but it is a massive source of creator-authorised comics.
GlobalComix
GlobalComix hosts comics and manga from independent creators as well as established publishers.
Again, think of this as an official reading platform rather than somewhere to harvest files. Purchases and offline reading stay inside the service unless a publisher explicitly offers a separate downloadable edition.
What about the Internet Archive?
The Internet Archive contains an enormous amount of comic-related material, but I would not treat a generic search result there as automatically cleared for downloading.
There is absolutely legitimate public-domain and creator-authorised material on the Archive, but rights vary item by item. Check the item’s rights information and source before treating it as something you can keep or redistribute.
For unambiguous public-domain comic downloads, Digital Comic Museum and Comic Book Plus are easier recommendations.
Loading a comic into the reader
If you have a comic that you legitimately own as a CBZ or PDF, the flow is deliberately boring:
- Open comics.starbugstone.com and create an account.
- Upload your CBZ or PDF.
- Organise it in your library.
- Read it in single-page, double-page or scrolling mode.
The reader is there to manage and read your files. Buying a physical book, having access to an online reader, or finding a scan somewhere does not automatically grant a downloadable digital copy.
The same applies to the sharing feature: use it for material you have the right to store and share.
Found another legitimate source?
This list is definitely not finished.
If you know a publisher, creator store, public-domain archive or DRM-free comic shop that gives readers legitimate PDF or CBZ files, drop it in the comments and I will add it.
And if you already have a legal digital collection sitting on a hard drive somewhere, you can give the reader a try at comics.starbugstone.com.
