Marvel and comixology's iPhone application.

On Saturday morning, Mac fans, tech heads and curious members of the public alike will doubtlessly line up in some form or fashion to be the first people to buy Apple's new iPad device. Though while the new keyboardless computer will carry many apps built for its paper-sized screen from ebooks to video games, the question on most comic fans minds since its announcement in January has been when comics will be made available for download. And tonight, a first answer to that query came with the news that Marvel Comics will have a launch app ready for the iPad's first week on sale, produced by comiXology.

In the buildup to the iPad's weekend release, a variety of Web sites and news organizations have been offered advance reviews of the new device. In articles on USA Today and the Chicago Sun-Times, both mention the existence of the Marvel Comics app.

Sun-Times writer Andy Ihnatko says of the reading experience, "...this was a perfectly acceptable way to read the comic. I truly felt as if I was reading an issue of 'Fantastic Four,' not interacting with an application."

Details at press time are scarce. No list of titles has been released, nor is there any indication if other iPhone application developers with planned iPad apps will release similar applications featuring Marvel content. Last October, the publisher made titles available to read on Apple's iPhone through a variety of app providers - ComiXology, iVerse, Panelfy and Scrollmotion. And of course, all of these digital publishers have spoken of plans for iPad apps, with iVerse already announcing that theirs has been approved.

Check back to CBR in the days ahead for all the news surrounding comics on the iPad from Marvel and beyond.