Comics Plus vs Riveted in the Word
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Comics Plus
Access thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, manga, and picture books from numerous publishers. Enjoy unlimited reading without wait lists or late fees, and manage your collection across devices. Stream titles online or download them for offline enjoyment.
- Unlimited access to digital comics, manga, and graphic novels
- No wait lists, borrowing limits, or late fees
- Manage shelf and reading progress across devices
- Stream titles online
- Download titles for offline reading
- Diverse selection from dozens of publishers
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Comics Plus from LibraryPass gives you unlimited access to thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, manga, and picture books from dozens of publishers — exclusively through your school or library. Don’t see your school or library listed? Ask your librarian about #ReadAllTheComics! No wait lists; no borrowing limits; no late fees Manage your shelf and reading progress across devices Maintain your reading progress across devices Stream titles online without using storage space Download titles for offline reading Explore a diverse selection from publishers like ABDO, Andrews McMeel, BOOM! Studios, Capstone, Cherry Lake, Dark Horse, Europe Comics, Fantagraphics, Humanoids, Image Comics, Kodansha, Lerner, Manga Classics, Oni Press, Papercutz, Tokyopop, TOON Books, UDON Entertainment, Yen Press, and dozens more. Comics Plus is created by Joyful Reading Co, where we're dedicated to nurturing a lifelong love of reading through engagement, access, and data-driven insights. Learn more at https://comicsplusapp.com/
Riveted in the Word
This multimedia ebook explores a writer's journey to regain language after a stroke. It uses kinetic typography and an original soundtrack to immerse the reader in the experience of Broca Aphasia. The custom interface allows navigation through text and animated sections that evoke cognitive gaps.
- Multimedia electronic book
- Kinetic typography
- Original soundtrack
- Customizable text navigation
- Evocative animated sections
- Story of stroke recovery
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RIVETED IN THE WORD is an electronic book inspired by the true story of a writer’s hard-fought battle to regain language after a devastating stroke. Written and designed by author/designer/visual literature pioneer Warren Lehrer, this multimedia book app places the reader inside the mind of a retired history professor as she recalls her journey with Broca Aphasia. The custom interface toggles between columns of text that readers navigate at their own pace, and animated sections that evoke gaps between perceptions (thoughts, memories, desires) and the words needed to communicate. This deeply moving story about overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles is told in a dynamic new way, with kinetic typography choreographed by Lehrer, and an original soundtrack by composer/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Griffin. Programmed by electronic literature developer Artemio Morales at AltSalt, this e-edition of RIVETED IN THE WORD is made for iPad, iPhone, and Mac computers (system 12 and above). “Warren Lehrer’s breakthrough electronic book plunges us in the cinematic and poetic drama of the nightmarish loss of the ability to process words to the outside world. Why has this happened? Because a small blood clot got stuck in the brain at a crucial place. In Riveted in the Word, words become operatic characters: they pop out of shadows, revolve inside; the smallest needs of daily life turn into a dream, a struggle to communicate. But the author/designer, who immersed himself in the knowledge of stroke, Broca Aphasia, and rehabilitation, turns this dreadful event into an inspiring message of hope. Experience Riveted in a quiet place so you can savor the form and the content of this innovative, ‘hyper-graphic’ work at your own pace.” Jean Paul Curtay, MD, member of the New York Academy of Sciences “An accomplished work of sincere mediated fiction that offers the reader a journey inside the mind of a person rehabilitating from a stroke... The text animations, which explore a wide array of kinetic text and concrete poetry, effectively emulate psychological conditions/dilemmas in the healing process. Congratulations Warren Lehrer and collaborators Artemio Morales and Andrew Griffin on having produced a work that is poignant and very readable. Riveted in the Word is an insightful, audacious exploration—I hope it receives the wide readership it deserves.” David Jhave Johnson, digital poet, media artist, theorist & critic, author Aesthetic Animism “Warren Lehrer’s new creation, Riveted in the Word, goes beyond the conventional limits of the e-book to plunge us into a veritable typographic cinema. The text—an interior narrative of a writer regaining language after a massive stroke—comes to life to the rhythm of a spellbinding soundtrack, creating a delicate choreography in a minimalist, vaporous space. An unforgettable, original, rare, and emotionally-charged reading experience.” Frédéric Chauvreau, Editorial Director Revue Poésies Plastiques
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Comics Plus at Free against Riveted in the Word's $4.99. Comics Plus also leads on ratings volume (105 vs 8). Riveted in the Word's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 2.6) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Comics Plus is free to download; Riveted in the Word costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Riveted in the Word holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Comics Plus has 105 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Comics Plus ships an update every 2 months, Riveted in the Word every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Comics Plus | Riveted in the Word |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 2.6 (105 ratings) | 4.8 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 105 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 184 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Library Pass, Inc. | AltSalt Media, LLC |
Customer experience
Comics Plus
Riveted in the Word
Bugs and requests
Comics Plus
Reported bugs
25 issues- Login screen stuck on library selection
- Search returns blank page with no loading indicator
- Shelf fails to load
- Pages crop off at bottom
- Black screen when opening downloaded books
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- App crashes when opening new comics
- Pages display out of sync in horizontal mode
- Duplicate pages appearing consecutively
- Pages loop back to beginning after certain number
- Thumbnail not showing for resume position
- Dialog boxes cut off or positioned incorrectly
- App forgets reading position when resuming
- Vertical view does not work
- iCloud backup size inflates dramatically
- Screen goes black periodically during reading
- Network error despite active connection
- Download progress bar hangs
- Orientation change causes reading position reset
- App switches to different manga unexpectedly
- Popular page items don't load or unavailable
- Shelf deletion when launching from cloud library
- Zoom functionality unresponsive
- Page turning causes visual flash and blur
- Inconsistent page display in 2-page mode
- Home bar overlay obscures content on iPad
Requested features
18 requests- Favorites/bookmarking system with notifications
- Auto-download while using other apps
- Auto-mark books as finished
- Better search with pagination and page jumping
- Dark mode option
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- Right-to-left reading for manga
- Folder organization for shelf
- Reading history tracking
- Series completion indicators
- Next book in series recommendations
- Auto zoom feature for reading
- Smooth page transition animations
- Ability to manually move books to completion status
- App status/server status page
- Better content filtering and sorting options
- Rating system for comics
- Chapter bookmarks
- Customizable reading settings
Riveted in the Word
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Comics Plus
No in-app purchases
Riveted in the Word
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Comics Plus free?
Is Riveted in the Word free?
Which has better reviews, Comics Plus or Riveted in the Word?
Do Comics Plus or Riveted in the Word have ads?
Which is updated more often, Comics Plus or Riveted in the Word?
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