Best free iPad comics

It may not be particularly great as an e-reader, but there's one thing the iPad does better than your Kindle, and that's full-colour comic books.

A number of apps are cashing in on this capability, with many free comics available as previews so that you can check out a book before you hand over two bucks for the next issue. And it's a great way to get your funny books right here, right now without waiting for the week's shipment to come in.

We may have had to miss out on the excitement of the San Diego Comic-Con, but there's no reason we can't get into the spirit by checking out some new books. Here are our top picks for free comics you can read on your iPad.

Note: these comics are available across several different apps, including DC Comics and comiXology.

This one's only available for a limited time, so get in while you can. It's a massive, 241-page sampler with stories from some of the best DC and Vertigo titles: