This looks like a really useful app for comic book fans, and it’s already getting some great feedback in the App Store, so it obviously walks it like it talks it! The app is called ComicBookPad 1.0 for the iPad, and it’s the work of a Bulgarian company called Developica. The app, which is exclusive to iPad, is a full-featured comic book reader that enables simultaneous reader functionality and iTunes playback. Developica says that its aim was to achieve some sort of multitasking involving iTunes, despite the fact that the iPad currently doesn’t support iOS 4-style multitasking.

The iPad optimised reader includes real-time display and zoom, thumbnails of every page, a file library with stacks, no-lag page turning, and .cbr, .cbz, .rar, and .zip file import capability. Here’s a list of some of the main feature highlights of the app courtesy of Developica:

• The app accommodates all major comic book file formats including: .cbr, .cbz, .rar, and .zip
• Download eComicbooks to a computer, and then easily upload to ComicBookPad on iPad
• Easily zoom in and out with iPad-optimized graphical display
• Designed to run smoothly with no lag or broken images
• Listen to iTunes while ComicBookPad is running - multitasking without iOS 4
• Page slider shows thumbnail view of every page for random access to any page
• Fully searchable library, and file groups
• Integrated music player controls, playlists, and search
• Bookmarking

Comic book lovers can download the app from the iPad App Store for $8.99/£5.49.

Source: Developica

The iPod app has always been allowed multitasking on the iPad despite the lack of iOS4 multitasking. This is more commonly used in games since it's fun to listen to your own music while killing whatever (I do this in Nova HD). Personally, unless you're listening to a manga's drama cd, I wouldn't want to listen to music while reading comics. And if if I wanted to, I could just launch the iPod app, start a playlist, then launch any comic app (I use ComicZeal) and the music keeps playing. All this adds is in-app music controls, which again, I don't see the need for when reading comics.

Btw, for those that don't know, you can keep the iPod app running during a lot of apps. Especially nice if you want to web surf while listening to music.