
I’ve been trying to get my mitts on the Musomic app for ages. Being a huge fan of comics and loving writing (but with zero artistic ability), it looked like the perfect app for me. And after I saw it demoed by Ian Crowford, Musomic’s creator, at July’s London Film and Comic Con, I knew I had to have a go.
Currently available on iPad, iPad Mini and Air, this digital comic app is swiftly becoming hugely popular in the comic world (it’s even been featured on the BBC). As a fairly recent convert to android however, I’ve struggled to get hold of it – where’s a free iPad when you need one?

Super easy to use, it took me just seconds to create my account and log in, upon which I was presented with the first page to create – the front cover. I imaginatively named mine ‘#Musogeeksarahtest’ (I’m not a writer for nothing), and set to work choosing my image pack – bundles of artwork you can mix and match to create your comic.
There’s a wide range of packs to choose from, ranging from cute cartoon animals to dark horror and classic superhero characters. Created by all different artists, including Simon Wong (Superheroes, Urban Horror, Mystery and Zombie Inc packs) and ANADAPTA (Here there be monsters, Fareforward Travellers and The knot of Heaven packs), the images are as incredible as they are diverse, and wouldn’t look out of place in some of your favourite printed comic books.
Ranging from free to circa £1.49, I chose Superheroes – a beautiful set of characters and images that brought Watchmen to mind - and set to work selecting the image for my cover. Image added and cover saved, I started on the very first page of my comic. You have a choice of panels to choose from – from a single large panel to a more complex shattered effect panel, with six smaller image slots. I started simple, with a 2 slot panel, but gradually moved up to the more complex panels. It’s super easy to add the images and move them within the panel, although I did find it a little harder to enlarge or shrink them to ensure they fitted the size of the slot I was working on. However, I think this can be put down more to my being a bit backward when it comes to iPad technology, rather than any issue with the app.
Once you add the image, you can select the speech bubble you want to add your text into. Again, it’s super easy – you just click on the bubble you want from the range visible at the bottom of the screen, and then click on the screen to place it where you need it. Once in position, just click inside the bubble to add your text. I kept my copy fairly short and concise, but it’s easy to enlarge the bubble to fit the text. And if you decide you’re not happy with the speech bubble, you can just delete it by clicking on the cross symbol and choosing a new one.

Now, I must confess to not having the best ear for music. But the beauty of the sound packs here is that Ian has written them to work well together even if selected a random – the perfect solution for the less-than-musically-gifted amongst us.
And there you have it – panel selected, images added, text written and sounds chosen – I’d created the first page of my comic. As you go, there’s the option to preview each page as you finish it. I wanted to wait until the end though, so after creating and saving a further 8 pages, I clicked ‘preview’ – and I loved it. From the amazing images to the layering of sounds, the whole thing looked and sounded so professional and cool, I couldn’t quite believe it. Having spoken to Ian a couple of times, he’s mentioned that fans of the app have said how addictive they find it – and I can easily see why. The whole process is not only intensely enjoyable but also incredibly easy and, for a comic fan, the thrill of seeing your very own digital comic come to life is pretty hard to beat.
Once you’ve finished you just click ‘publish’ and your comic will be published live on the app and available to download to Musomic users across the globe – pretty freakin’ awesome. This also means you can download all the comics created by other Musomic users, which are handily divided into sub-sections including Popular, Recent and Featured, so you can pick the comic to match your mood.
Imagine, a global platform to share your own comic creations – and a library full of thousands of awesome digital comics available to you at the click of a button. That’s Musomic – and it’s amazing!
There are only two days left to enter our I’m With Geek Musomic Challenge and be in with a chance to win two tickets to the London MCM Comic Con next weekend. To find out more and discover the app for yourself, just click here.