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New Chrome Plugin Backs Up Your Digital Comics, Also Strips the DRM

Do you like ComiXology-Comics-Appdigital comics, but hate the way that comiXology’s proprietary DRM locks you in (and puts you at risk of their servers going down)?

Then I have some good news for you. I have just read about a Chrome plugin which will download comics from comiXology. It’s called, appropriately enough, Comixology backup, and according to the readme file it can convert the digital comics to a CBZ file (a ZIP file full of page images, basically).

And do you know the best part? The CBZ file will be DRM-free.

Update: Here’s a new version of the plugin.

According to the readme the plugin has to be manually installed; the developer doesn’t think Google would allow this plugin in the Chrome Web Store. I haven’t tested the plugin myself, so I can’t verify its operation. (I also cannot find any mention of anyone using it, so buyer beware.) You will of course need to have purchased the digital comics and logged in to your account, but once you’ve done that you can finally rescue your comics from comiXolgy’s clutches.

comixology mobile

Don’t get me wrong, I trust comiXology as much as any other content provider, but I have this rule that I don’t buy ebooks unless I can remove the DRM. I’ve had that rule for longer than I have been into ebooks, and given what has happened over the past few years (closure of Fictionwise and other ebookstores, funky rights issues, content being taken away from paying customers on the whim of a publisher) it’s still a good idea.

The DRM issue is part of the reason why I never bought very many titles from comiXology (mainly freebies), but now that I can protect my purchases this might change.

You can find instructions and download the plugin on GitHub.

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Comments


Ana January 17, 2014 um 6:42 pm

Thanks! I’ve been looking for this for months, I’ve bought some comics at Comixology, and I’ve taken screenshots from my purchases just to have some backup. I’m trying this ASAP.


Chris Meadows January 17, 2014 um 7:31 pm

It does work. The one caveat is that it blocks your ability to actually use Comixology’s reader: if you tell it you don’t want to download, it blanks your window. So you have to go back into the extensions panel and disable it when you don’t specifically want to use it.

Nate Hoffelder May 11, 2014 um 9:12 pm

Thanks!


Ana January 17, 2014 um 8:04 pm

Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! I have just downloaded my first comic, now I can read them using the program I choose. Comixology is not so bad, but there are much better programs out there to read not DRMd Comics in my PC and my tablet.


pashadowops March 28, 2014 um 2:40 pm

Okay, I’ve tried this several times and I cannot see the orange tab that asks for backup. Did comixology nuke the ability to use this extension already?

Nate Hoffelder March 28, 2014 um 2:53 pm

Yes, they nuked it. The developer was supposed to have posted an update with a new plugin.


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Tommy Draper December 21, 2014 um 5:43 pm

This worked for me up till about a week ago but now it don’t 🙁

Anyone else getting any problems or know of a solution to get it working again?

Nate Hoffelder December 21, 2014 um 5:45 pm

It looks like they broke it again, sorry.

Tommy Draper January 1, 2015 um 6:23 am

Bugger. I hope it can get repaired again. I prefer to export my scripts and read them in the CHUNKY app, it’s way better than the comixology one.


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