Comics as a medium has truly gone a long way. While it continues to survive in print, it has also found new online platforms, opening more opportunities for independent creators to tell their stories to the world. Besides the Western superhero staples, Japan’s manga titles and South Korea’s webtoons are also continuously thriving. Meanwhile, Filipino komiks is also on its track to reach more audiences online.
Not only do comics cater to different kinds of readers, they’ve also formed this unending pool of rich stories that can be adapted into movies, TV shows, and anime series. And that’s what we’re seeing today as more and more titles are making the jump from the panels to our screens.
So if you’re trying to dive into these stories that are told through this medium of panels and speech balloons, here’s a list for you! We’ve rounded up some online sources where you can legally read free comics, manga, and manhwa without spending a single peso!
Webtoon
Based in South Korea, Webtoon offers a limitless pool of free online comics made by creators from around the world. Some of which even embraced what technology has to offer by incorporating music, sound effects, and animation in their comics. Many titles from the platform have also been adapted into K-Dramas like Sweet Home, Cheese in the Trap, and True Beauty. All titles are free, but readers can also purchase coins that allow them to unlock episodes or chapters ahead of their free release.
Start reading here.
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PenLab
If you’re searching for a platform filled with Filipino comics, you need to check out PenLab. Founded by the creative content group Kalabaw Kolektib, PenLab.ink gives you a rich roster of free komiks from various genres that are made by local creators. If you’re a creator yourself, you can also share your works on the platform for everyone to discover.
Start reading here.
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Marvel Unlimited
Marvel Unlimited is Marvel’s official online subscription service which gives you access to over 28,000 issues of both classics and newer titles. They also offer some free reads on the Marvel website including issues from Guardians of The Galaxy, The Amazing Spider-Man, Black Panther, X-Men, Doctor Strange, Thanos, and Avengers— no registration needed. You can also avail the subscription which is priced $9.99 per month, with a free 7-day trial.
Start reading here.
Manga Plus by Shueisha
Japanese publisher Shueisha offers readers free manga series through their website and app. Part of their immense library are the most popular titles such as My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba to name a few. However, you can only read the first three chapters and the latest three chapters for every title.
Start reading here.
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Go Comics
Go Comics, from Andrews McMeel Universal, is for those who are fond of popular comic strips that we often read in newspapers, such as Calvin & Hobbes, The Far Side, and Big Nate. They offer these titles for free with no registration needed. For additional perks, readers can also subscribe to their service with a 30-day free trial.
Start reading here.
Comic Book Plus
Comic Book Plus aims to be a database of Golden and Silver Age comics in the public domain. Thus, it offers titles that will take the reader to the earlier days of comics. Besides its many Western titles, some Filipino classics such as Darna and Captain Barbell have also been made available on the website.
Start reading here.
The Digital Comic Museum
The Digital Comic Book Museum is another website dedicated to Golden and Silver Age comics that are now in the public domain. Some of the available titles on this website are from publishers such as Ace Magazines, American Comics Group, Centaur Publishing, and Dell Comics.
Start reading here.
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Homestream images from Marvel, PenLab, and Webtoon websites.
