Mirabilis e-comics are best bought from Graphic.ly

The first Mirabilis hardcover goes on sale in just over a week, the second volume is likely to follow within two months, and we're back to working full time on season two. So what could possibly go wrong? Here's what: an update to the iPad app which, despite being approved by Apple, turns out to contain a fatal bug that prevents you from downloading any of the issues. Epic fail is not an overstatement.

If you already had version 1.0 and just got the update, you can fix everything by deleting the new version from your iPad, then sync with iTunes on your computer to reinstall version 1.0 of the app. You'll need to restore the issues you already paid for, but you don't (of course) have to pay for them all over again. The old app will just re-download them, and in a minute or two you'll be good to go.

It was particularly annoying to hit this bump in the road as we had planned an update with lots of cool new features, including a Read Next Issue button and a social networking feature whereby you could tell friends about Mirabilis. None of those were in the 1.1 update, though, which really only had a new front page. So I guess it's a case of fixing what ain't broke and suffering the consequences. Doh.

Our hard-pressed coder, Simon Cook, is unfortunately on vacation this week so we won't get the new version of the app fixed for some time. But Leo has been in touch with Apple, who promise to try and revert back to version 1.0 as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'm in the odd position of having to tell everybody not to get the Mirabilis app - and if you do have it, don't update to version 1.1. What we'll aim to do is stick with version 1.0 for the time being, as it does the job perfectly well, and we'll only update when we can bring in a whole lot of new features in one go.

Even this cloud has a silver lining, as all eight issues of season one are now available on Graphic.ly, whose tech allows you to buy once and view the issues on multiple platforms including iOS, desktop and Android. And as a bonus, for a limited time only, issues #1 and #2 are both free. Get them from Graphic.ly here.

EPUB comics

Do not adjust your monitor, this is the slightly restyled cover to go with the new black & white Mirabilis ebook. There's also a full color e-comic of issue #1 that we'll probably put up in the iBookstore in the near future.

Of course, neither of those EPUB versions will replace the truly scrumptious iPad comics app, which is still the very best way to view all eight issues of Mirabilis so far - not to mention the upcoming issues #9 and #10 that we're working on right now. More on those very shortly.

Incidentally I don't have a single share in Apple, I'm just a genuine born-again iPad nut! And I'm not alone. Over Christmas another 7 million savvy people became iPad owners.

If perchance you're hovering in the doorway of the Apple store wondering whether to buy yourself an iPad - well, you're not going to hear any arguments to the contrary here. My mate Dermot Bolton came round last night and we were both ready to bore for England with our mad enthusiasm for Steve Jobs's little gizmo. You can be sitting around at dinner and somebody mentions a new movie, or a Shakespeare sonnet, or a piece of music, or the latest discovery about mankind's ancestors, and with a swipe of the hand you're in Star Trek territory looking it up. Being light and easy to handle, it's nothing like a laptop (let's face it, laptops are rubbish for handing round to look at photos and videos) and although I cited the sci-fi connection just now, the thing the iPad actually makes me think of is a Victorian family encyclopaedia combined with a brilliantly colored magic lantern show. Just the perfect device for reading Mirabilis on, if you think about it.

Mirabilis graphic novel app in Top 100 grossing books

Mirabilis - Year of Wonders has been in the App Store for four days now, which is pretty exciting as it is. But the really great news is that we just nudged into the Top 100 grossing ibooks at #99!

You can get the first instalment of the story completely free, then other chapters cost $1.99 each. So it was fabulous when we rose to #13 in iTunes books, but to actually be in the top-grossing charts too shows that new readers are following through with the story after they've been astounded by the fluid interface, easy in-app issue management, eye-popping zoom and page flip, magical colors and dramatic art.

Next stop: the Kindle. And in the meantime, if you haven't got the Mirabilis iPad app yet, you can find it here in the USA and here in the UK.

Mirabilis graphic novel on iPad

I'll be doing a complete post about this as soon as we go live - which is a matter of weeks away now. But I just had to share this with you because I've been playing the ad hoc build of the Mirabilis app and it really is a dream. Lush magic lantern colors, razor-sharp graphics, and an interface that's as stylish and smooth as an Irish coffee poured by George Clooney. If you're used to struggling with existing comic reader apps, you're going to be blown away by what our resident iOS wizard has conjured up.

Don't wait. Really, you should go direct to your nearest Apple retail store (look here for store locators: Apple in the UK and Apple in the US), buy yourself an iPad for Christmas, and you will then be able to get the reader app and the first chapter of Mirabilis free, with the other chapters available via our nifty in-app storefront. Mirabilis on iPad is our way of telling you that the Year of Wonders has arrived. And we have a lot more incredible news coming up, so don't go away.