Marvel Unlimited launches on iOS with subscription-based access to 13K comics

Marvel Comics' digital subscription service landed on the iPad and iPhone on Thursday in the form of a new, highly anticipated application: Marvel Unlimited.

For years, comic fans have asked Marvel to offer its digital subscription service on Apple's iPad, but users were restricted to reading back issues with an iOS-incompatible Adobe Flash-based reader. Marvel began offering an HTML5-based, iPad-compatible reader a few months ago, but on Thursday the company launched its companion Marvel Unlimited app for iOS.

The free application requires users to subscribe to the newly renamed Marvel Unlimited service, which costs $10 per month, or $60 for a full year. The application comes with a free trial, though users must separately sign up for the subscription outside of the application, allowing Marvel to avoid Apple's 30 percent share of all in-app transactions.

Marvel Unlimited has access to a back catalog of more than 13,000 comics spanning over 70 years. Marvel adds classic and newer issues every week, with comics as recent as 6-months-old available via the subscription service.

Those who subscribe to Marvel Unlimited get full access to the archive on the Web and with the Marvel Unlimited application available for iPhone and iPad. Members can also select up to 6 comics at a time to be read when not connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Marvel was an early adopter of the iPad for digital comics, and had an official application available on the App Store when the first-generation iPad debuted in 2010. That application, which offers sales of newer comics the same day their print counterparts hit shelves, allows users to download high-resolution scans of comics through the service ComiXology.

Late last year, the company also debuted its "Marvel Now" series, in which new print comics come with a download code that offers a free digital copy of the same issue. Users can enter that code on Marvel's website, and the comic can then be downloaded and read through the official Marvel Comics iOS application.

Marvel Now comics also include integration with an augmented reality application for iOS called Marvel AR. The application uses the rear camera on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to scan a page, which then streams a video related to that content.

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25 Comments

gazoobee

said about 11 years ago

As a big comic book reader, this is a non-starter for me and a very bad deal indeed. Most of the new comics are complete shite, the only thing this is good for is the back catalogue, but $60 f*cking dollars a year for access to a catalogue of decades old material that should by rights be out of copyright by now is just ridiculous. Additionally, Marvell is only one (smaller) company. If you wanted access to all the old comics of your youth (legally), you'd have to drop two or three times this amount at least. So hundreds of dollars a year for access to a bunch of old comics that again, by all rights, should be free at this point is just insane. A better approach would be letting the old comics be free and using them as an enticement to get people to buy into a subscription service for the new stuff. Holding hostage the artistic work of a small group of folks who are all now dead and buried for decades is just unconscionable IMO.

jragosta

said about 11 years ago

[quote name="Gazoobee" url="/t/156352/marvel-unlimited-launches-on-ios-with-subscription-based-access-to-13k-back-issues#post_2289522"]As a big comic book reader, this is a non-starter for me and a very bad deal indeed. Most of the new comics are complete shite, the only thing this is good for is the back catalogue, but $60 f*cking dollars a year for access to a catalogue of decades old material that should by rights be out of copyright by now is just ridiculous. [/quote] Then don't sign up. You don't get to determine the price. The owner of property does that. Your option is to choose to pay it or not pay it. That's it. If enough people decline to pay that amount, then the owner can choose to lower the price if they wish. If lots of people choose to pay it, then your complaint is irrelevant. Either way, it's not about you.

joelsalt

said about 11 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazoobee

As a big comic book reader, this is a non-starter for me and a very bad deal indeed.

Most of the new comics are complete shite, the only thing this is good for is the back catalogue, but $60 f*cking dollars a year for access to a catalogue of decades old material that should by rights be out of copyright by now is just ridiculous.

Additionally, Marvell is only one (smaller) company. If you wanted access to all the old comics of your youth (legally), you'd have to drop two or three times this amount at least. So hundreds of dollars a year for access to a bunch of old comics that again, by all rights, should be free at this point is just insane.

A better approach would be letting the old comics be free and using them as an enticement to get people to buy into a subscription service for the new stuff. Holding hostage the artistic work of a small group of folks who are all now dead and buried for decades is just unconscionable IMO.

Copyright holds 70 years after the authors death. Why should decades old material be out of copyright? In alot of cases the man or woman responsible is probably still alive....

That's like saying MASH should be free since its a few decades old

bestkeptsecret

said about 11 years ago

Not much of a Marvel fan, but even if I was, I'd agree that it didn't sound very enticing and this has to do with my aversion to subscription based models.

Why not let me buy individual issues that I like? That way I do not have to worry about losing issues if I don't renew my subscription.

hawkblade

said about 11 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazoobee

As a big comic book reader, this is a non-starter for me and a very bad deal indeed.

Most of the new comics are complete shite, the only thing this is good for is the back catalogue, but $60 f*cking dollars a year for access to a catalogue of decades old material that should by rights be out of copyright by now is just ridiculous.

Additionally, Marvell is only one (smaller) company. If you wanted access to all the old comics of your youth (legally), you'd have to drop two or three times this amount at least. So hundreds of dollars a year for access to a bunch of old comics that again, by all rights, should be free at this point is just insane.

A better approach would be letting the old comics be free and using them as an enticement to get people to buy into a subscription service for the new stuff. Holding hostage the artistic work of a small group of folks who are all now dead and buried for decades is just unconscionable IMO.

How would not being able to read back issues, and maybe catchup on a timeline, or "event" that you did not get, or not able to buy now due to the major price for it in paper - a non-starter? This helps fill in gaps for people, or gets them caught up, or even go back and read about a character they like and want to read more about. "So hundreds of dollars a year" - wait what price are you looking at??? Stating $60 bucks a year. Not $60 bucks per title. It's nice and all that you been reading and collecting for years, but what about the new generation? Those who only seen movies, or just getting into the comics, what about them wanting to know the back story of the favorite characters? Let's get the new generation to start reading some of the older story lines, and maybe they will kick the new writers in the backside and have them not make the new comics "shite".

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelsalt

Copyright holds 70 years after the authors death. Why should decades old material be out of copyright? In alot of cases the man or woman responsible is probably still alive....

That's like saying MASH should be free since its a few decades old

Well said.

Hey GAZ - You know who to really ask on copyrights... Disney... They are re-newing all those coming up for all the older characters. Think they just redid Mickey the last few years. Think Donald is coming up in a year or so with Minney. So, understand Copyrights are also renewable. You really think Marvel would allow any of the characters or story's they have had be dropped by not renewing a copyright?

Bottom line - I am very glad Marvel is doing a Disney, putting everything in digital format to keep safe from loosing it for future generations. Sad to see a grandson wanting to learn the origins of original characters and not being able to because time destroyed the materials.