Legendary comic book publisher Marvel Entertainment yesterday announced a landmark decision that will bring its vast printed content to loyal fans everywhere via a dedicated Web site designed to bring the exploits of a myriad superheroes to the massive online demographic.
Marvel Publishing has announced a new online service bringing its superhero content to Web-based readers. Credit: Marvel.
According to a Reuters news agency report, the new Web site will provide Marvel’s readership with access to thousands of its comic books and the sprawling array of heroic and villainous characters that have found international fame through them.
The site will function on a paid subscription service, allowing fans to select from a massive collection of online comics for $4.99 USD per month when signing up for a full year, or for $9.99 USD on a month-by-month basis. And, what’s more, in order to draw traditional readers towards its new online service, Marvel has said that it will offer free viewing of 250 comic titles for a limited time.
"This is a major new piece of my overall publishing plan," outlined Marvel Publishing president Dan Buckley in a related interview. "It’s a different entertainment experience, online versus reading a book." Marvel expects its digital comic service to offer readers access to as many as 2,500 books and will add a further 20 comics every week across both new and vintage titles.
For those fans looking for details regarding specific content, Marvel’s Web site will include such classics as the opening 100 issues of "Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Fantastic Four" along with the acclaimed 66-issue run of "Uncanny X-Men." Newer titles inbound to the online service will include Joss Whedon’s "Astonishing X-Men" and ‘Young Avengers." In terms of qualification for inclusion to the online archive, Marvel has outlined that comic book titles must have been in print for at least six months.
While Marvel’s new service puts a more modern spin on the traditional print publication business model, and also creatively addresses a decline in comic book sales over the past decade, not everyone seems overly enthused by the idea of reading their comic books online.
Specifically, Dennis Webb, a comic book storeowner in Virginia, has commented that Marvel’s online service might not find any traction with the majority of comic book fans because "if they’re a real collector, they’re going to want the actual collection."
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