ReadComicOnline Downloader

Windows app to download a full comic issue from readcomiconline.li using one URL.

• You give: a comic issue URL (for example an Issue-3?id=... link)
• You get: all pages as images + one .cbz file in a downloads folder
• You use: a small GUI (no command line needed)

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What you need

• Windows 10/11 (64‑bit)
• Google Chrome or Chromium installed
• Either:
  • comic_gui.py (run with Python), or
  • ReadComicOnlineDownloader.exe (if someone built it for you)

You do not need to know anything about Python to use the GUI.

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How to use the GUI (step by step)

1. Start the app

   • If you have the Python version, double‑click comic_gui.py.
   • If you have the EXE, double‑click ReadComicOnlineDownloader.exe.

   A window called "ReadComicOnline Downloader" should appear.

2. Copy the comic URL

   • Open readcomiconline.li in your web browser.
   • Go to the specific issue you want (for example, "Daring Mystery Comics Issue #3").
   • Make sure you are on the reader page for that issue (URL usually contains Issue- and ?id=).
   • Copy the full URL from the browser address bar.

   Example URL:

   https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Daring-Mystery-Comics/Issue-3?id=80575
   

3. Paste URL into the app

   • Click inside the Comic URL box.
   • Paste the URL (Ctrl+V or right‑click → Paste).

4. Start the download

   • Click "Download Comic" (or press Enter while in the URL box).

   • The app will open a hidden browser, load all pages, and capture each page.

   • The Log panel at the bottom will show messages like:

     Processing: <your URL>
     Waiting for page to load (...)
     [1/65] Capturing... OK (1332x2048)
     [2/65] Capturing... OK (...)
     ...
     DONE! Saved to: downloads\<Comic Title>.cbz
     

5. Open the downloaded pages

   • Click "📂 Open Downloads" in the app, or
   • Open the downloads folder next to the program.

   Inside, you will see a folder named after the comic, for example:

   downloads\
     Daring Mystery Comics Issue #3\
       page_001.png
       page_002.png
       ...
       Daring Mystery Comics Issue #3.cbz
   

   • page_XXX.png files are the individual pages.
   • The .cbz file is the full comic, which you can open in most comic reader apps.

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Settings (only if needed)

Most users never need this. Use Settings if something breaks, for example:

• The site changes and the app says "No images found"
• Images are not fully loaded
• You want to see the browser window while it works

To open settings:

1. Click "⚙ Settings" in the top‑right of the window.
2. Change values only if you know what you are doing:
   • Image CSS selector – where the app looks for page images
   • Title CSS selector – where the app reads the comic title
   • Extra URL parameters – for example readType=1, quality=hq
   • Timeouts – how long to wait for pages and images to load
   • Headless mode –
     • ON: browser is hidden (default)
     • OFF: browser window is visible while downloading
3. Click Save.

If downloads stop working after a site update:

• Turn Headless mode OFF, try again, and watch what the browser shows.
• Adjust the Image CSS selector to match where the page images now live.

You can always click Reset Defaults to return to the original working settings.

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Tips & Notes

• This tool is intended for personal use only.
• Downloading too many comics quickly may trigger protection on the site.
• If pages look cut off or missing:
  • Increase the timeouts in Settings.
  • Turn Headless mode off so you can see what the browser is doing.

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For developers

If you want to modify or extend this tool (change the code, add features, etc.), read DEV_README.md for development setup and build instructions.