Another appeal of mobile devises for publishers is the business model. Currently most the leading comic publishers such as Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse and IDW are trying to recreate the print experience, with consumers paying to download what they used to go to their local comic store to purchase.

While print comic books have never really taken off as an advertising vehicle (you may remember the ads for Sea Monkeys and X-Ray Specs) many in the industry feel digital could change that.

"These hand-held devices actually complement print very well because people are willing to pay for those digital comics," explained Jeff Webber, head of ePublishing at IDW, which provides digital comics for a host of devices including the iPhone and Sony PSP portable game players. "But we do see some opportunities in offering the first issue free in order to get people hooked on the story line - and to have a brand sponsor that free issue for consumers."

IDW's line-up includes comic books and graphic novels based on entertainment properties such as Star Trek and HBO vampire series "True Blood." Webber pointed out such franchises have an appeal far beyond the traditional male comic reader. "The core audience for True Blood is 30- to 50-year-old women so we're getting a much broader audience," he said.

And even as the comic book industry has struggled to regain the momentum in had in the 1990s, the comic book reader has emerged in recent years as a highly sought after demographic. Thanks to the success of everything from the Spider-Man and Batman movies to TV shows such as Lost and even Glee - all of which got some much needed early hype at past Comic-Cons - brands have come to realize this audience can be very surprisingly influential.