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.

Michelle Starr

Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.

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Michelle Starr

July 28, 2010 7:13 p.m. PT

1 of 20 Dark Horse 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.

2 of 20 Red 5 Comics

3 of 20 Viper Comics

4 of 20 Image Comics

5 of 20 DC

6 of 20 Image Comics

7 of 20 Image Comics

8 of 20 Dark Horse Comics

9 of 20 Th3rd World Studios

10 of 20 Devil's Due Publishing

11 of 20 Oni Press

12 of 20 Moonstone Books

13 of 20 Image Comics

14 of 20 Top Cow Productions

15 of 20 Image Comics

16 of 20 Slave Labor Graphics

17 of 20 Red 5 Comics

18 of 20 Image Comics

19 of 20 Image Comics

20 of 20 DC

San Diego Comic Con Sampler

comiXology, DC Comics

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: