This DC relaunch sure has been fun, right? I've enjoyed a number of the titles immensely and I'm reading them all digitally.
One thing I was
very curious to see was how DC's creators approached double-page spreads with the knowledge that these comics would be distributed digitally. The problem with the double-page spread is that they don't work digitally. They take what should be the most majestic scene of the issue and make it the
least impressive.
Don't believe me? Look at this comparison of areas (in square inches):
- Normal comic book page: 72.2
- Double page comic spread: 144.4
- iPad2 screen: 45.9
I'm honestly surprised that the iPad's screen is only 63% the size of a standard comic page because reading normal comic pages on the iPad isn't off-putting at all. But, the double-page spreads end up being displayed at less than 1/3 of the intended size. Suddenly all the scale and majesty is lost as we squint to even read the words on the page.
But, sometimes it works better than others. Let's look at a few examples:
Justice League #1 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee:
This is kinda the no-harm/no-foul of the digital double-page spread. Maybe we don't get the thrill of a BIG image, but we digital readers can still see the whole of the action because the double-page spread is just one big image. However, Johns/Lee could have accomplished this
same effect digitally with a single-page slash image and that would have freed up an extra page for Batman and Green Lantern to talk to each other in the sewer.
