I bought my first comics some time in the early 1990s from 30th Century Comics in south London. I was lucky enough to live quite close to what I later realised was one of the best comic stores in the city, filled not only with the latest releases (which you could reserve in advance, and drop in every few weeks to collect in bulk), but also a treasure trove of older issues – and personal advice on what to read next. I was never that dedicated a comic book reader, however, and the nature of comics, with their dense, layered histories and monthly issues, means they're hard to find and follow if you're not constantly paying attention.

In recent years, the ComiXology app fired my and many others' interest again, but its acquisition by Amazon, which removed its dangerously addictive impulse purchase buttons, made it much harder to delve into new titles. As a result, many of us have been looking for alternative ways of reading comics digitally. Luckily, there are plenty of options, from the traditional – apps from comics publishers themselves, such as Marvel and Dark Horse – to the more experimental. Motion comics are a relatively new form, combining animated comics panels with sound and video, and there are plenty of motion comics stories to choose from in Madefire, a free app for iOS and Android (with both free and paid books inside it).

Better perhaps for rediscovering the fan fervour of old is the increasing number of well-designed serial webcomics, such as those produced by the independent Avatar Press. Their free, online editions of Warren Ellis's FreakAngels and Simon Spurrier's Disenchanted reflect something of the experience of traditional comics, as well as being great stories. Complete with letters pages, fan forums and wikis of background information, they offer the chance to delve into a story world, and learn about other ones, all while waiting excitedly for the next instalment. This sort of dedicated online publishing feels more like my old experience of comic stores than any app.