Marvel's Entire Digital Catalog Available via Mobile App

[Fanghawk]

Marvel's Entire Digital Catalog Available via Mobile App

Now you can read over 13,000 Marvel comic books for the cost of an annual or monthly subscription fee.

I've always been a little hesitant about digital comics. Sure, they're convenient, but I could never quite get past those fond memories of my local comic shop. Every few months I would snatch up a massive grab-bag of issues, usually coming to anywhere from $50-$150 dollars, and feel like it was a bargain. Still, technology's progress marches on, making the purchasing options of my youth seem quaint and outdated by comparison. For proof, look no further than the Marvel Unlimited iOS app, which provides access to Marvel's digital back catalog for an annual or monthly subscription fee. That's over 70 years of comic book history, encompassed within almost 13,000 issues, streamed instantaneously to an iPhone or iPad near you.

Marvel Unlimited basically operates on the same principle as Netflix for digital comics. Customer pay either $10 a month or $60 dollars a year, providing instant access to Marvel's content pending an available internet connection. New and classic issues are still being updated each week, allowing fans to easily catch up on recent events or distant lore.

Marvel's digital comics subscription was already available for HTML, but the mobile convenience of an iOS app shouldn't be overlooked. Marvel is even providing support to offline readers by allowing six titles to be downloaded directly to the device. While I certainly intend to support comic book shops, the prospect of reading entire runs of Spider-Man or X-Men might make me consider a $10 subscription, or at the very least the included free trial.

Source: Engadget

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[KeyMaster45]

That sounds awesome! If my dorm had wireless internet I'd be dropping $60 on a yearly subscription right now.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

...I don't know what to say...that sounds absolutely great. I would gladly pay for a year's subscription and dive into all of these plots Linkara and Movie-Bob complain about every so often. I strongly prefer owning the actual books though (preferably the trades) but that's a lot of shelf space to consider and accommodate for. Having access to everything can also help prioritize which issues/trades/events/collections I want RIGHT STAT NOW and which I should hold off on. Hopefully this will drive the prices down on some of the harder to find issues too. This may also drive DC, Dark Horse and/or Image to launch a similar service on iOS and Droid devices which would be even better for fledgling comic collector's like myself.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Sorry, no. If I'm paying money then I expect to be able to read what I want when I want without requiring and internet connection. I mean six titles, seriously? There's better comic apps out there.

 

[Something Amyss]

Now give me a droid version and we have a deal.

...I don't know what to say...that sounds absolutely great. I would gladly pay for a year's subscription and dive into all of these plots Linkara and Movie-Bob complain about every so often. I strongly prefer owning the actual books though (preferably the trades) but that's a lot of shelf space to consider and accommodate for. Having access to everything can also help prioritize which issues/trades/events/collections I want RIGHT STAT NOW and which I should hold off on. Hopefully this will drive the prices down on some of the harder to find issues too. This may also drive DC, Dark Horse and/or Image to launch a similar service on iOS and Droid devices which would be even better for fledgling comic collector's like myself.

Additionally, it'll allow you to "try before you buy." 60 dollars a year isn't bad to have a whole catalogue at your fingertips so you can essentially try out various titles, events, etc. without the assumed risk. considering a lot of those trade are cost-heavy for the time it takes to read them, it could end up allowing you to discover what's good and what's crap.

This is part of why I like Netflix. I still buy DVD/BD, but Netflix allows me to watch a larger body of videos I might not take risks on if the effective cost wasn't so much lower due to the volume of access.

 

[ritchards]

Android and done.

What would be nice (and this may already be set up such) is being able to activate/deactivate/activate monthly. There are times when I devour the comics, and times when I don't. So popping in for $10 for a month to binge and then go quiet for several months before getting back in...

Although $60 per year is pretty sweet even with that...

Okay DC, over to you... do this, and I might be able to get shelf space back! (And Image, and Top Cow and...)

 

[Trishbot]

That's a pretty awesome deal, especially because there are storylines there that MORE than cover the cost of the yearly fee. A traditional trade paperback collection of at times only 12-20 comics can run upwards of $30-40, so getting over 13,000 at your fingertips is a massive step in the right direction, and one of the best ways I've seen to preserve comic book history implemented yet.

The biggest problem with comics is how inaccessible they are to new readers... well, here you go.

 

[Strazdas]

1. WHY U NO ANDOIRD? people who use crapple products arent the geeks that read your comics.

2. the service is laughably complicated for such a simple manner. they will get pirated just for the sake of being able to do this easily. When pirates provide much better service it is your fault.

3. Most of gold age comincs should be a public domain by now and your asking money for it.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

FINALLY! I've been a subscriber for about a year now, and I was so pissed that you couldn't read on iOS devices. That meant I barely used it and have sort of wasted my $60. Now I can get some use out of it, and may even renew my subscription.

 

[Vault Citizen]

That's pretty good. Like Netflix the downside is not owning the stuff you pay to access but like Netflix you gain access to far more content than you could pay for with a similar budget.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Now give me a droid version and we have a deal.

I was about to agree, but honestly, the screen on my Galaxy S2 is way, way too small to be reading comics on without having to be constantly scrolling. Anything smaller than an iPad screen would annoy me, I think.

OT: I really, really want this and I don't even really follow Marvel. Of course, that problem would be solved if I had the app, I guess.

 

[Living Contradiction]

Marvel: They showed us how to do it in Hollywood and now they're showing us how to do it on the Internet. Execs at Disney are bouncing gleefully in their chairs going "See? See? It was a deal!"

Back in topicland, if I had the money, I'd cheerfully pay it for this. It's been many a year since I sacrificed my collection for a trip to New York and I would love to munch on the Deadpool series from the very beginning without having to worry about tracking down every issue.

 

[Something Amyss]

Now give me a droid version and we have a deal.

I was about to agree, but honestly, the screen on my Galaxy S2 is way, way too small to be reading comics on without having to be constantly scrolling. Anything smaller than an iPad screen would annoy me, I think.

OT: I really, really want this and I don't even really follow Marvel. Of course, that problem would be solved if I had the app, I guess.

I have an archos 80, and an 8 inch screen is fine for comic books based off the digital samples I've read on it via Amazon.

The only thing my Archos doesn't handle well is RPG books, so I will probably upgrade to an iPad-sized one in the future.

If I only had my Galaxy to read off of, however, I probably wouldn't care all that much.