Anounced to day at SDCC digital comics giant ComiXology have surpassed 180 million downloads of comic books and graphic novels worldwide.  What’s more, the rate of downloads has dramatically risen since last autumn, when ComiXology crossed the 100 million download threshold.ComiXology started 2013 on a roll, having become the only app to make iTunes’ list of top 10-grossing iPad apps for two consecutive years and the only non-game app in the top 10. This year has been action-packed, driven by ongoing innovation and international expansion:

• January saw the opening of Paris-based ComiXology Europe, the company’s first overseas office, which is spearheading international language content acquisition across Europe. French language navigation, a precursor to full French localization, was also added to ComiXology’s iOS apps last month. (France is home to a ravenous base of comic book fans, who account for a $700 million annual market – roughly on par with the U.S. market.)

• At SXSW in March, the company launched comiXology Submit, a turnkey portal for independent comic book and graphic novel creators to promote and sell their works on comiXology’s worldwide buy once, read anywhere platform.

• Last month, comiXology added features to its web store, starting with a one-click subscription service that ensures fans will never miss an issue of their favorite comics. Additionally, comiXology bundles were introduced, which feature expertly curated collections from some of the most popular publishers and series, at deep savings.

• On the mobile application front, in June ComiXology also released an iOS update (version 3.3) with new features called Two-Page-View and Fit-to-Width which further enhance the iPhone and iPad digital comics reading experience, building on the exclusive Guided View™ reading technology.

• Rounding out a busy June, ComiXology also launched native Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD apps across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

“We are laser-focused on taking the comics experience further for both devoted fans and new readers, and we are thrilled to continue to provide our customers a truly diverse library of comic book content,” said ComiXology CEO and co-founder David Steinberger. “At ComiXology, we see the world through the eyes of comic fans, and it is our ‘reader first’ philosophy that motivates us to continue to improve the mobile reading experience, as well as introduce exciting new content every day – it guides everything we do.”