Reading Direction
Komic supports four reading directions to match different comic formats and regional reading styles. The right direction makes navigation feel natural and keeps you immersed in your reading.
Understanding Reading Directions
Section titled “Understanding Reading Directions”Left-to-Right (LTR)
Section titled “Left-to-Right (LTR)”The standard direction for Western comics, graphic novels, and most English-language content.
How it works:
- Pages progress left to right
- Swipe left to go to the next page
- Swipe right to go back
- Arrow keys: → next, ← previous
- Tap zones positioned for forward reading on the right
Best for: Marvel/DC comics, graphic novels, Western manga translations, bandes dessinées
Right-to-Left (RTL)
Section titled “Right-to-Left (RTL)”Traditional direction for Japanese manga and some Middle Eastern content.
How it works:
- Pages progress right to left (opposite of LTR)
- Swipe right to go to the next page
- Swipe left to go back
- Arrow keys: ← next, → previous
- Tap zones are mirrored - right side goes back, left side advances
Best for: Japanese manga, Hebrew comics, Arabic content
Why it matters: Original manga is designed to be read this way. Reading LTR can confuse panel order and ruin dramatic reveals.
Vertical
Section titled “Vertical”Page-by-page vertical reading with discrete page breaks.
How it works:
- Each page fills the screen vertically
- Swipe up for next page
- Swipe down for previous page
- Pages don’t flow continuously - there’s a clear break between them
Best for: Some manga formats, vertical comics with distinct page boundaries
Webtoon
Section titled “Webtoon”Continuous vertical scrolling optimized for long-strip format.
How it works:
- Pages flow seamlessly without breaks
- Smooth scrolling with your finger or mouse
- No pagination - the entire chapter is one continuous scroll
- Tap areas are disabled (use scrolling instead)
- Double-page mode unavailable
Best for: Korean webtoons, Chinese manhua, vertical webcomics, Tapas/Webtoon content
Key difference from Vertical: Webtoon mode removes page boundaries entirely for a seamless reading experience.
Changing Your Default Direction
Section titled “Changing Your Default Direction”Settings → Reader → Reading Direction
Choose your preferred default. This applies to all books unless overridden by Komga metadata.
Automatic Direction Detection
Section titled “Automatic Direction Detection”Komic respects reading direction metadata from your Komga server:
Priority order:
- Series-level metadata (set in Komga)
- Library default (configured in Komga)
- Your Komic default setting
This means properly tagged manga will automatically open in RTL mode, even if your default is LTR. You can always override this manually while reading.
Navigation Differences
Section titled “Navigation Differences”| Direction | Next Page | Previous Page | Keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| LTR | Swipe left | Swipe right | →/← |
| RTL | Swipe right | Swipe left | ←/→ |
| Vertical | Swipe up | Swipe down | ↓/↑ |
| Webtoon | Scroll down | Scroll up | Smooth scroll |
Tips for Choosing
Section titled “Tips for Choosing”Mostly read manga? Set RTL as your default. Western comics will still work fine, and you can quickly switch if needed.
Mixed library? Set LTR as default and rely on Komga metadata to handle manga automatically.
Love webtoons? Webtoon mode is optimized for that format - continuous scrolling feels much better than paging through long strips.
Use Komga metadata: Take a minute to set reading direction for your series in Komga. Komic will automatically use the right mode for each book.
Webtoon Mode Special Behaviors
Section titled “Webtoon Mode Special Behaviors”Webtoon mode is quite different from the other modes:
- Tap areas don’t work (scrolling is the primary navigation)
- Double-page mode is disabled
- The reading experience is optimized for continuous flow
- Page numbers reflect sections, not discrete pages
- Zoom still works but is designed for inline inspection
If you’re reading traditional webtoons (Tower of God, Solo Leveling, etc.), always use Webtoon mode for the best experience.
Webtoon Display Settings
Section titled “Webtoon Display Settings”Komic offers additional display options specifically for Webtoon mode, found in Settings → Reader → Webtoon.
Pillarbox Width
Section titled “Pillarbox Width”Adds black bars on the left and right sides to constrain the reading width. This is particularly useful on wider screens like iPads in landscape mode or when reading on a Mac.
How it works:
- Adjustable from 0% to 50% per side
- At 0%, content spans the full width (default)
- At 30%, the content area is reduced to 40% of screen width
- Helps maintain a comfortable reading column width on wide displays
Best for: iPad users, landscape reading, or anyone who finds full-width webtoons uncomfortable to read.
Page Spacing
Section titled “Page Spacing”Adds vertical space between pages in the webtoon scroll. Some readers prefer a small gap to distinguish where one page ends and the next begins.
How it works:
- Adjustable from 0pt to 50pt
- At 0pt, pages flow seamlessly (default)
- Higher values create visible black gaps between pages
Best for: Readers who want visual separation between pages, or when page boundaries are important for the story.