I haven't really used the app in a while, but it auto-updated since the last time I read a comic. I am really not a fan of the new continue reading bar across the top. While I think it could be a good option, having it forced on your users is a mistake in my opinion.
One example as to why would be multiple users on the same iPad. I don't really want to see what other people have been reading when looking for a comic I was wanting to pick up. It is just clutter in that case.
Another example would be the potential for inappropriate content being seen by minors. I personally enjoy many darker comics with violence and nudity, such as image, vertigo and dark horse titles, but I wouldn't even want my twelve year old highly christian niece seeing the covers of comics like Saga (issue #3 has a ghost of a girl ripped in half at the torso), Sex Criminals, Walking Dead, Preacher (#5 is of a person's face skin removed)... Even Maus has a swastika on the cover. Up to now, I have kept my comics organized by folder and that has kept the inappropriate covers away from young eyes, but opening this app after the update has the entire top bar full of nudity and violence.
I believe a good way to get around these problems would be to allow users to turn it off completely, or have it load as a minimized bar across the top that the user can click to expand if they want. It would also be nice to have an option (maybe by swiping down on the comic in the continue reading) to remove a comic from the continue reading window without having to delete the comic off the ipad. Another possibility would be to create a "nightstand" section that acts like a continued reading, but where users choose to add the title/series to the list rather than it being forced on them.
I bought this for iPad and have been happy with it for years, including recommending it to a number of people who also purchased it for their own mobile, but if this is going to end up as cluttered and awkward as xbox's UI, I don't think I will be recommending it moving forward.
Thanks for the time,
-d