For the uninitiated, manga is the equivalent of comics in Japan, except that contrary to the U.S., in Japan manga is read by just about everyone, including young and old people, with extremely popular TV series having originated in manga form, like Dragonball, One Piece and Full Metal Alchemist among countless others. And what better way to enjoy both manga and comics than online, where you can find the latest releases oftentimes free of charge. Let’s take a look at the best places to read both manga and comics online for free. Important Note: It is completely legal to download and read manga online in the U.S. as long as it is unlicensed. Click here for a full list of the currently licensed manga titles.
Read Manga Online
1. MangaFox
Perhaps the free manga website with the most variety out there, MangaFox is also one of the oldest sources of free manga on the web. It’s database includes both timeless classics of Japanese manga and the latest releases, all translated into English by fans. The quality of the manga images is top notch and the site is updated several times during the day, featuring an extensive, well organized directory that lets you sort titles in different ways.
2. MangaHere
With a huge variety of manga as its flagship feature, MangaHere is also a highly recommended site for manga aficionados. The manga image quality is a notch below MangaFox, but it makes up for it by displaying less ads on the screen. A nice additional feature of MangaHere is that it also provides a huge database of manga titles translated into Spanish, making it very useful not only for Spanish readers, but also (thanks to the simple text that some titles have) for English readers wanting to learn some basic Spanish.
3. Manga Volume
If you are a huge manga aficionado looking for something more than the usual online reading websites, you will just love Manga Volume. The site has not one, but actually three standout features that make it unique.
An Upload button for fans to upload both their own manga and/or manga that is not featured on the site.Since fans are allowed to upload their own manga, there is a thriving community of users who enjoy each other’s work and who collaborate with each other.Manga Volume also sports a very convenient Longest button, allowing you to find the longest manga in the archives in case you want to have fun reading for a long time.
Read Comics Online
1. Comixology
Contrary to the manga sites featured above, Comixology is an official digital comic seller. However, what makes this site great is that it sports a selection of more than 300 free comics for fans to discover, all from more than 20 different publishers, including extremely popular ones like Marvel and DC Comics. A few cool things about Comixology:
While recent titles cost up to $9.99, older entries can run for as low as $0.99.Comixology also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, so you can access your paid (and free) comics anywhere.It is an ideal site for any comics fan, since you will find not just comics to read there, but also articles, podcasts and even discussion forums.Comic quality is simply the best, since it comes right from the source instead of being scanned.
2. StreamComics
Updated weekly, StreamComics will make any fan of high quality comics very happy. The site specializes mostly on DC comics but, even while offering only a few hundred titles, the ones available are of the highest quality, even on par with what Comixology offers. Additionally, StreamComics offers a section labeled art comics, which features rare, collectible works from some of the most renowned figures in the industry, like Alan Moore, Robert Kikrman and more. And there you have them. Whether you are a fan of manga, comics or both, any of these sites will have you covered for months and more. Make sure to check them out and share with us any other one that you might know about. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
