Apple releases comic book to detail App Store review guidelines

Like seldom read Terms and Conditions text, App Store guidelines are an important but usually boring read. But Apple just changed all that by turning its App Store review guidelines into an amazingly well-done comic book.

Partnering with iOS and Apple TV comic book app maker Madefire, Apple has cleverly woven its App Store review guidelines into several different graphic stories.

Distributed as a downloadable PDF file on Apple's website during WWDC, each section -- safety, performance (which tosses in a Japanese manga angle), business, design and legal -- comes with its own unique comic book style cover, characters and distinct art style.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

And while Apple's new comic book-powered approach might seem like it's directed adolescent developers, this is more likely a bid to speak to the growing numbers of adult comic book fans who also happen to dabble in app development. 

For example, in the introduction to the comic book, Apple's message is clearly directed toward adults: "We have lots of kids downloading lots of apps. Parental controls work great to protect kids, but you have to do your part too. So know that we're keeping an eye out for the kids."

Nevertheless, for younger developers using tools like Swift Playgrounds (a tool that simplifies learning to create apps), the comic book approach may also provide another, less rigid gateway into the app developer community and its various rules and best practices.

You can download the comic book for free here. 

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