Free Digital Comics Review: Inception The Cobol Job

(please note: the designation of "free" for the comic reviewed is reflective of its status as of this posting)

Inception: The Cobol Job

Publisher: Warner Bros.

Available for free view/download on both Yahoo Movies and the comiXology iPhone app.

Pages: 19

Writer: Jordan Goldberg

Art: Joe Ng, Crystal Reid, and Long Vo from UDON

The Cobol Job is the prologue to the movie Inception, featuring Cobb (the Leonardo DiCaprio character) and Nash (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) on a mission that is supposed to have taken place directly before the actual movie. As far as I can tell, there are no spoilers, just a bit more backstory.

The story and pacing are decent enough, and the art, with its slight Manga feel, is an interesting departure from the generic look of some TV/movie adaptations. That said: though The Cobol Job is billed as a prologue, you might enjoy it far more after seeing the movie.

The comic's pacing and suspense is aided immensely by the use of comiXology's Guided View technology. The way this comic is cropped into panels (often for a cinematic "widescreen' view), and how larger panels are automatically "transitioned" to finish dialogue, makes a huge impact on the effectiveness of this story -- especially for something in the "Thriller" genre. I'm not even sure I am describing this whole process correctly (I think it really calls for a video demonstration), but trust me on this.

This brings up an issue that is really the stuff of a separate post: viewing comics on online readers vs. on the iPhone & iPad. Long story short: I hate reading comics on online readers, unless the reader/comic/screen are of the same orientation (either horizontal or vertical). I do not like to manually "pan" and magnify pages. Also, for my delicate netbook, the amount of juice necessary to optimally use these readers is just too much.

I do everything on my iPhone. I watch all YouTube videos on my iPhone. I handle most of my social media on my iPhone. I listen to my audiobooks, take notes, read my horoscopes, and make my Netflix picks on my iPhone. So reading my comics on the iPhone rather than online on my computer makes a lot of sense to me.

But the crucial difference is the comiXology Guided View tech. By strategically cropping and using movie-like transitions from panel-to-panel, I can enjoy a comic on my phone despite the small size of my screen. For a book like The Cobol Job, the Guided View actually makes it seem more exciting than it would be in a traditional format.

Lastly, this review is not a shill for comiXology or their technology. I am still learning about different digital comics providers, and what they have to offer. If I come across other iPhone apps that offer similar or even better readers, I will certainly discuss this in the future.

So anyway, Inception: The Cobol Job is a great free comic to read if you liked the movie, or just want to see how a comic is presented in Guided View.