MERGE: Thoughts on Marvel Digital Comics

[Mallah]

Hello all... I've been in and out of comics for over 20 years. I don't think I've enjoyed them as much as I do now though... aged 37.

A little back-story here. I just moved my family to the Republic of the Marshall Islands on a 2 year work assignment (we're about 2200 miles south-west of Hawaii). I'm essentially on a military base and have only dial-up Internet connectivity. It's a pretty usable connection for general web browsing and email, but for other things it's pretty bad. It is without any doubt my only option. Being so remote, it takes 2-4 weeks to get anything shipped here... so Digital comics from Marvel seemed like a fantastic thing for me. I fully realize that the comics aren't going to reach my PC in blazing speed, but I figured I would let one download while I am doing other things, then come back to read it. Unfortunately NO comics will download past around page 10-12. Anyone else out there on dial-up experienced this? I have an email into Marvel in hopes of a resolution, but I don't hold much hope. I'm sure it's this annoying high-latency connection.

Much to my surprise, I have read absolutely every graphic novel and comic I brought in my luggage. Thankfully, our household goods will arrive here next week which includes my modest comic collection. I do have some orders coming from Amazon and some new subscriptions from Marvel since there is no comic shop for thousands of miles. <sigh> how I miss my weekly trips to the local comic shop!

Anyway, I just started reading again back in October or so. Finally getting to my Grant Morrison Doom Patrol run (about 20 years late LOL). I've also read the first 2 volumes of DC's Sandman (Vertigo) which I have enjoyed. Punisher has always been my very favorite and I am on volume 5 of the MAX series which I have enjoyed tremendously. Just ordered the next 4 volumes of Sandman as well as Grant Morrison's run with JLA. Also subscribed to the new Thor and X-Force titles. Any recommendations for me? I am much more of a reader now than a collector, so grapic novels/tpb's are my favorites since they are cheap and take up less space. Plus it's nice to just pick up a whole run in a few books. I have enjoyed Simon Dark so far too.

Sorry for the splatter of thoughts there, just wanted to get started chatting with some other comic fans out there. Hopefully I can find some kindred spirits here on this island of about 1500 people! :)

-Alan
Kwajalein, RMI

[gorthon616]

Hello all... I've been in and out of comics for over 20 years. I don't think I've enjoyed them as much as I do now though... aged 37.

A little back-story here. I just moved my family to the Republic of the Marshall Islands on a 2 year work assignment (we're about 2200 miles south-west of Hawaii). I'm essentially on a military base and have only dial-up Internet connectivity. It's a pretty usable connection for general web browsing and email, but for other things it's pretty bad. It is without any doubt my only option. Being so remote, it takes 2-4 weeks to get anything shipped here... so Digital comics from Marvel seemed like a fantastic thing for me. I fully realize that the comics aren't going to reach my PC in blazing speed, but I figured I would let one download while I am doing other things, then come back to read it. Unfortunately NO comics will download past around page 10-12. Anyone else out there on dial-up experienced this? I have an email into Marvel in hopes of a resolution, but I don't hold much hope. I'm sure it's this annoying high-latency connection.

Much to my surprise, I have read absolutely every graphic novel and comic I brought in my luggage. Thankfully, our household goods will arrive here next week which includes my modest comic collection. I do have some orders coming from Amazon and some new subscriptions from Marvel since there is no comic shop for thousands of miles. <sigh> how I miss my weekly trips to the local comic shop!

Anyway, I just started reading again back in October or so. Finally getting to my Grant Morrison Doom Patrol run (about 20 years late LOL). I've also read the first 2 volumes of DC's Sandman (Vertigo) which I have enjoyed. Punisher has always been my very favorite and I am on volume 5 of the MAX series which I have enjoyed tremendously. Just ordered the next 4 volumes of Sandman as well as Grant Morrison's run with JLA. Also subscribed to the new Thor and X-Force titles. Any recommendations for me? I am much more of a reader now than a collector, so grapic novels/tpb's are my favorites since they are cheap and take up less space. Plus it's nice to just pick up a whole run in a few books. I have enjoyed Simon Dark so far too.

Sorry for the splatter of thoughts there, just wanted to get started chatting with some other comic fans out there. Hopefully I can find some kindred spirits here on this island of about 1500 people! :)

-Alan
Kwajalein, RMI

I did the Marvel Digital Comics thing too... I haven't had that problem. Though I thought the first few times it loaded RIDICULOUSLY slowly, after that it's loaded fine. It's probably just depends on server traffic at the time.

Are you happy with it? I'm sort of annoyed and thinking about canceling it. I was under the impression that they were going to keep it updated up to the last 6 months. However, it's waaay behind that... which is understandable. What really annoys me is the times where they don't keep the series intact. It's like the have 4 issues of a series, but they jump around. What's the point in that (barring the insidious matter that they might just be wanting to give you a taste of an arc and be trying to get you to buy the trades for it)?

I like Mike Carey's Lucifer and his current Crossing Midnight title, and various runs on Hellblazer (Ennis, Carey, and I've heard good things about Diggle's). Captain America and Iron Man are really the two mainstays of Marvel mainstream nowadays. I like how the X-books are turning out, Spidey... I liked Spiderman Love Mary Jane, Spider-Girl... basically non-cannon Spidey stuff. The original Annihilation series was godd, the current one is pretty decent too if you like the cosmic stuff.

[Parch]

I've tried the marvel site with dial-up and it's a waste of time. It's high speed or forget about it.

If new releases are not easily available and you don't mind reading old issues, then I would strongly recommend getting some of the DVD-Rom collections. Hundreds of issues on one disc is incredible value and certainly settles any storage problem.

They're made by a company called Graphic Imaging Technology and most of the major Marvel comics are available. Amazing Spiderman, Uncanny Xmen, Ultimate Xmen, Civil War, Hulk, Avengers, Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, and Captain America are the ones I know about. I understand that they've stopped printing them now that Marvel has an online service so these discs might start becoming hard to find soon but you can still get them on Ebay.

[Croaker]

Hello all... I've been in and out of comics for over 20 years. I don't think I've enjoyed them as much as I do now though... aged 37.

A little back-story here. I just moved my family to the Republic of the Marshall Islands on a 2 year work assignment (we're about 2200 miles south-west of Hawaii). I'm essentially on a military base and have only dial-up Internet connectivity. It's a pretty usable connection for general web browsing and email, but for other things it's pretty bad. It is without any doubt my only option. Being so remote, it takes 2-4 weeks to get anything shipped here... so Digital comics from Marvel seemed like a fantastic thing for me. I fully realize that the comics aren't going to reach my PC in blazing speed, but I figured I would let one download while I am doing other things, then come back to read it. Unfortunately NO comics will download past around page 10-12. Anyone else out there on dial-up experienced this? I have an email into Marvel in hopes of a resolution, but I don't hold much hope. I'm sure it's this annoying high-latency connection.

Much to my surprise, I have read absolutely every graphic novel and comic I brought in my luggage. Thankfully, our household goods will arrive here next week which includes my modest comic collection. I do have some orders coming from Amazon and some new subscriptions from Marvel since there is no comic shop for thousands of miles. <sigh> how I miss my weekly trips to the local comic shop!

Anyway, I just started reading again back in October or so. Finally getting to my Grant Morrison Doom Patrol run (about 20 years late LOL). I've also read the first 2 volumes of DC's Sandman (Vertigo) which I have enjoyed. Punisher has always been my very favorite and I am on volume 5 of the MAX series which I have enjoyed tremendously. Just ordered the next 4 volumes of Sandman as well as Grant Morrison's run with JLA. Also subscribed to the new Thor and X-Force titles. Any recommendations for me? I am much more of a reader now than a collector, so grapic novels/tpb's are my favorites since they are cheap and take up less space. Plus it's nice to just pick up a whole run in a few books. I have enjoyed Simon Dark so far too.

Sorry for the splatter of thoughts there, just wanted to get started chatting with some other comic fans out there. Hopefully I can find some kindred spirits here on this island of about 1500 people! :)

-Alan
Kwajalein, RMI

There are many fans in your demographic. I am 34 and in Texas. We just got what we could. I understand your situation is likely more pervasive than is mine.

What can I tell you? There are online subscription services that can help. I was a member of www.scifigenre.com for a long-ass time until a local comic book shop opened in my area. They always gave me what I wanted in perfect condition until I canceled and when I canceled for the LCS they were like, well, happy. Seriously, I received an e-mail from them that said they were happy a local shop opened in my are and they only asked that I come to them if the new shop did not meet my needs.

So, there are shops out there. Since you are military, there are even more options to you. Shit, if one is serving in Iraq, many individuals would support your habit for a year or more at a time.

There are those of us that support the troops. So, well, ask!? WE ARE HERE!

[Mallah]

So, there are shops out there. Since you are military, there are even more options to you. Shit, if one is serving in Iraq, many individuals would support your habit for a year or more at a time.

There are those of us that support the troops. So, well, ask!? WE ARE HERE!

Hey thanks for the replies guys. Finally got some new books yesterday so I'm back on the horse again. :)

I appreciate your sentiment, and I support the troops as well... but I'm totally civilian, just happen to work on an army base. I'm not exactly suffering here either... it's a tropical paradise! Just very remote and not a comic shop within 2200 miles. Thank goodness for Amazon.com and TFAW.com!

[wIGNatius]

I noticed that the Marvel website offers digital comics and a wondering if these are worth having a look at. thoughts anyone?
wIGNatius

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I noticed that the Marvel website offers digital comics and a wondering if these are worth having a look at. thoughts anyone?
wIGNatius

I'm a subscriber. I signed up for the first year. I won't be renewing.

The bottom line is that in theory it's a great idea - an online resource for past continuity. By rights you should be able to use it to find obscure past stories, and runs of certain creative teams.

Only it doesn't work - because Marvel's strategy for this is to simply release very random issues of books, to never release complete runs of any limited series or creative tenure. It is intentional that they miss out the important issues, in an attempt to get you to buy the trades those issues do appear in.

I find it incredibly frustrating that having stumped up the cash I don't get to read anything in its entirety, and that there is no forum for requesting issues or complaining about poor choice of content.

So I won't be renewing.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I noticed that the Marvel website offers digital comics and a wondering if these are worth having a look at. thoughts anyone?
wIGNatius

I'm a subscriber. I signed up for the first year. I won't be renewing.

The bottom line is that in theory it's a great idea - an online resource for past continuity. By rights you should be able to use it to find obscure past stories, and runs of certain creative teams.

Only it doesn't work - because Marvel's strategy for this is to simply release very random issues of books, to never release complete runs of any limited series or creative tenure. It is intentional that they miss out the important issues, in an attempt to get you to buy the trades those issues do appear in.

I find it incredibly frustrating that having stumped up the cash I don't get to read anything in its entirety, and that there is no forum for requesting issues or complaining about poor choice of content.

So I won't be renewing.

[PKIronMan]

(My attempt at a review proper, bear with me.)

Summary
Marvel Digital Comics (MDC) (http://www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/) is a respectable attempt at providing quality content, graphics, performance, search, and management features at a reasonable cost. I'd rate it a 7/10 overall.


Content
MDC had done a great job of digitizing at a high-quality many of Marvel's top titles over their history. They properly indexed the content and made it searchable to a great extent. You don't find many errors in the comic summaries, character appearance list, or the dates. I've found this a GREAT research tool when I'm looking for a certain character's interaction with anothers or some peice of history I can't otherwise find (or trust) at other online sources. It's allowed me to confirm and correct many Wiki entries at various online sources.

The two major problems with the content are:

1) Timeliness of the content. The issues of current series don't appear at all, everything is lagged by roughly a year with a VERY few exceptions. And some of the more important series that aren't as badly lagged (say a bit of Secret Invasion) have gaps in them.

2) Odd/alternate covers and skipped issues are littered across the site. You'll have 1-8, 11-99, and 9 & 10 nowhere to be found. And the covers will be replaced with some alternate or non-cover on some issues for no apparent reason. This makes it hard to recognize some things are you're looking for them or provide confusion when the cover has a supporting character that doesn't appear at all (or even a plotline in graphics that doesn't appear).

Final content rating: 7.5/10 (the quality of the graphics boosts that)

Navigation
MDC's reader tool (Flash based) and the transitions and view modes are quite good. The "Smart Panels" feature will take you smoothly across the comic pages and readable text properly. There are times where some text is cut-off or floated over but it's farely accurate and make reading through a tome very easy.

Likewise the site itself is easy to navigate and float across series.

The only things lacking are an off-line mode and the ability to load multiple comics at once.

Final navigation rating: 9/10

Performance
MDC has rather inconsistent performance compared to other major interactive sites I use. And since you can't load multiple comics at once easily (you can with some browse window and session trickery) you have a long wait inbetween series reads. Which can be annoying compared to the pull list and a stack ready for you to go through.

Final performance rating: 5/10

Cost
I feel rather strongly that for $59.88 a year Marvel could afford to post one or two lines of your choice at publication schedule instead of the lag. However, I also feel strongly that at that cost they've provided a great overall tool that has saved me money and time. And allowed me to get caught up on some good-meaning Marvel history that I otherwise would have had to buy a few "Essential" series on.

Final cost rating: 8.5/10

[drwho]

its good if you havent read the older stuff. sucks for the new stuff though. They just jump around with some series. They should at least put the issues out in order. I have been waiting for 9 months and maybe longer still for them to post an issue of the marvel knights series so i can read the whole thing.

[sabongero]

It's just too bad the Marvel DVD-Roms of whole series's was halted by Marvel. We missed out on the Daredevil, Thor, and Iron Man entire run from their beginnings. All for like 50 or 60 bucks.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I signed up for a year when the service launched. I was able to read a couple of things I'd struggled to catch up on in trade. That was a bonus. But that was about where the joy stopped for me.

The bottom line is that Marvel aren't daft. They want you to buy their singles and their trades, first and foremost. And therefore you will be hard-pressed to ind a single series, story or creative run in its entirety. there is almost always a purely intentional missing one or two issues - often key issues, or final issues - from what you are reading. This becomes pretty frustrating pretty quickly.

As also mentioned the release schedule is pretty obscure, to say the least. There never really seems to be any rhyme or reason to what's being added, and - of course - there is absolutely no forum for debate or requests. And that is the most irritating part. Marvel even have their own site forum (it's pretty awfully structured, but they do) which could easily house a sub forum for Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.

I've now lost count over the number of emails and forum posts over there I've placed requesting some kind of answer to when those issue gaps might be plugged, or whether they would consider a request forum. I have never had one single response from them, so I've given up. I won't be renewing for a second year. $60 is a pretty hefty sum for a service which clearly doesn't have any intention of improving its coverage or admitting to its problems. Money's pretty tight right now, as it is.

[Grapeweasel]

The major complaint seems to be that every Marvel Comic ever published isn't online, and I'm not sure that's reasonable.

But 25 comics a week plus the library for just over a buck a week is pretty darned reasonable, especially considering the current issue of Cable cost $3.99 by itself.

[Grapeweasel]

It's just too bad the Marvel DVD-Roms of whole series's was halted by Marvel. We missed out on the Daredevil, Thor, and Iron Man entire run from their beginnings. All for like 50 or 60 bucks.


The Iron Man collection was released.

[Scott Iskow]

So, what have people read (and enjoyed) via Marvel Digital Comics that they wouldn't have read otherwise?

I rather liked Jubilee, Lee/Kirby's Thor, MA Avengers, and the Spider-Man/Fantastic Four mini. Being able to get caught up with Spider-Girl is also a plus.

[TheEdgeMc]

wolverine origins.

electra

[NeoStar9X]

I was thinking about signing up last night but I picked the link to browse the collection and they only have the first 3 issues of the Annihilation series up there.

http://www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/titles/ANNIHILATION.2006?gallery_viewmode=gallery

Is this really the case or is that link just incomplete and the titles are really there?

Can anyone using the service confirm this please.

[NeoStar9X]

bump......

[Grapeweasel]

They just added 1000 titles today.

That should help.

[John Lynch]

So for some reason Marvel has decided to celebrate something by uploading 1,386 comics within a couple of days. I'm not exactly sure why they did this but its great news for me :D

Having been a subscriber since November 20th I've been extremely happy with the service. I've been able to read such gems as Spider-Girl entirely online for very little. Pretending I only read Spider-Girl for the entire year (in reality I've read quite a bit more) it cost me $0.62 per issue. Some other series I've actually read include 4 (the fantastic four series), Hawkeye and J2.

With 4-5 new comics each weekday more comics are uploaded then I can read. And now with an extra 1386 within a couple of days that's sure to keep me happy for another year. Although I do admit many of the comics I have no interest in (such as Daughters of the Dragon, Excalibur and Emma Frost) while others I've already read through downloads before the subscription service became available. Having said that last point, the service has kept me honest and I haven't downloaded a single comic since (not even from other companies).

So what do other people think about the service? Disappointed? Pleasantly surprised? Like it, hate it, love it? Haven't bothered checking it out?

[Grapeweasel]

Big thumbs up.

Great value for about a buck a week.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

The major complaint seems to be that every Marvel Comic ever published isn't online, and I'm not sure that's reasonable.

No. The main complaint is that there is almost no complete creative run, or even complete multi-part story or mini-series on the site. I don't mind reading through Marvel's viewer, I don't mind that some books are occasionally a bit pixellated - but I do mind shelling out money for a service which deliberately removes key issues in a story - hoping that I'll then go out seeking a back issue or trade.

It's bad.

1000 issues added? I wonder how many of those actually fill in those gaps? I'm willing to bet not many...

[Grapeweasel]

Looks like they finished or offered full runs of:
Annihilation: Ronan
Annihilation: Silver Surfer
Ares
Avengers/Thunderbolts
Blink
Claws
Darkdevil
Deadline
Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure
Domino
Gambit and the X-Ternals
Generation Next
Ghost Rider (2001)
Ghost Rider (2005)
I Heart Marvel
Identity Disk
Infinity Abyss
Infinity War
Inhumans (2000)
Inhumans (2003)
Killraven
Kingpin
Last Planet Standing
Marvel Universe: The End
Marvel Romance Redux
Maximum Security
New Excalibur
New Thunderbolts
Nick Fury's Howling Commandos
Sabretooth
Sentinel Squadron O*N*E*
Sentry (2005)
Silver Surfer (1968)
Silver Surfer (2003)
Skrull Kill Krew
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
Storm
Thanos
Ultimate Elektra
Ultimate Six
Ultimate War
Weapon X: Days of Future Now
X-Men: Deadly Genesis
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills Special Edition
X-Men: Ronin
X-Men: The End - Men and X-Men
X-Men: Phoenix Warsong
X-Universe.

[Kingrambo912]

I just subscribed about a month ago, and while I was unhappy about some gaps, I was still constantly finding things I have not read anyways. Plus like has already been said, yesterday they filled a lot of the gaps. I will definitely renew next year.

[Kingrambo912]

I just subscribed about a month ago, and while I was unhappy about some gaps, I was still constantly finding things I have not read anyways. Plus like has already been said, yesterday they filled a lot of the gaps. I will definitely renew next year.

[Rutsah]

I've checked it out when it has been free and noted as others did the odd selections they had chosen but over time that has gotten better. For me the bottom line is being able to read it w/o an internet connection, I can do that with the issues I buy. I don't need power either. If they had exclusive content or (and I suggested this in a survey I took) provided (paper) subscribers with the ability to read their issues w/o taking them out of their mailers I may reconsider but for now my LCS retains my business.

[John Lynch]

but I do mind shelling out money for a service which deliberately removes key issues in a story - hoping that I'll then go out seeking a back issue or trade.I don't know if that really is their motive. While Grapeweasal's list is extensive, it isn't exhaustive. Some others include:
* 4 (the fantastic four series)
* Agents of Atlas
* Alpha Flight v3
* Amazing Fantasy v2
* Amazing X-Men
* Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
* Avengers Forever

And while these aren't complete, they are a running stream of comics:
* Amazing Spider-Man #1-87
* Amazing Spider-Man #500-533
* Amazing Spider-Girl #0-13
* Avengers v1 #1-71

And I can't be bothered searching past the A titles for more. Suffice it to say there's a lot of complete titles while others at least have quite a few comics in a run.

[Grapeweasel]

I don't know if that really is their motive. While Grapeweasal's list is extensive, it isn't exhaustive.

My list was made up of the runs finished up by the last massive update.

[John Lynch]

My list was made up of the runs finished up by the last massive update.Fair enough.

For those who have yet to read Spider-Man: Origin then check it out (http://www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/titles/Spider-Woman~colon~_Origin.2005.1). Its a great read despite whatever is happening in Secret Invasion!

[shazam2271]

I was just wondering if anyone that was subscribing to the Marvel Digital Comics would be kind enough to post spoilers of the new exclusive digital only web comics. I would be appreciate it. Thanks,


Shazam2271

[Aziz Abbasi]

I go to the free samples (http://www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/free) section daily to read some comics before rushing to get some issues of characters I'm not sure I'll like, there are some selections of "Pick of the Week"/Classic/Modern/Big Screen/Kids.

It is always good to go there and I advice you to do the same. Zooming the page is a horror so to read I advice you to wait for the page to be fully loaded and use the words magnifyer because you can't use it on the bubbles if the page isn't fully loaded.

[Beni]

I've tried the free ones but it is tough to read having to scroll so often.

[John Lynch]

I've tried the free ones but it is tough to read having to scroll so often.A whole lot of pirates would disagree with you on that one.

[Grapeweasel]

Not to shill, but Marvel is offering a 10% discount on an annual subscription through December 1st.

[Step into the GT]

I was thinking of ordering the Marvel Digital comics, but i have have some questions.

1. How large is the selection of comics?

2. Is it cheap-er than buying about 5 issues a month at a comicbook shop?

3. Is the number of issues you can look at unlimited?

4. Do you just pay a certain amount for month?

5. Would you say it is worth it?

[drwho]

If you havent read the silver age issues it is definitely worth it. If you have I will still say its worth it.

[Elegance Liberty]

I just got around to reading Thor #337, which is one of the free comics.

... I'm REALLY dissappointed.

http://www.comicboards.com/app/show.php?msg=thor-2008123117440019
^ That's pretty much my feelings on the matter.

If that's how all of their older comics look, then I'm glad I'm not paying for the service.

(I know it seems like a silly thing to gripe about, but I am an artist, after all)

[ComiXFanBoy]

Not to shill, but Marvel is offering a 10% discount on an annual subscription through December 1st.
there are plenty of online stores that offer 20-40% off each month

[leeisl]

there are plenty of online stores that offer 20-40% off each month

So which works out cheaper at the end then?

[John Lynch]

1. How large is the selection of comics?Over 5000 is the number we were last given a few months ago (you could probably calculate it, but I'm lazy).


2. Is it cheap-er than buying about 5 issues a month at a comicbook shop?Yes. If you only read 5 issues a month, you're paying $2 an issue.


3. Is the number of issues you can look at unlimited?Yes.


4. Do you just pay a certain amount for month?You can either pay $10 each month, or pay $60 once a year.


5. Would you say it is worth it?Definitely. However don't just take my word for it. Go here (http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/titles/) to see a list of every comic it has. Or go here (http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/calendar/) to see what comics are produced in this 5 week period (2 weeks passed, 3 weeks to go). If you find that list has (on average) 1 comic per week that you would want to read, I think the subscription pays for itself.

[Biablo]

Hi

I am thinking of doing the digital comic service, i was looking on the X-men series list and i saw there are some missing issues in the list, its also in more series like Amazing Spiderman, Thor and more, any reason why and is there a way to get them?

thanks

[RolandJP]

Marvel should look into Animated comics. That tehnology combines illustrated storytelling with movie like voice talents and sound effects. I had a special showing of some of the watchmen stuff from xbox360 and I am legend blu-ray ani-comics and the teens loved it.

[NeoStar9X]

No. The main complaint is that there is almost no complete creative run, or even complete multi-part story or mini-series on the site. I don't mind reading through Marvel's viewer, I don't mind that some books are occasionally a bit pixellated - but I do mind shelling out money for a service which deliberately removes key issues in a story - hoping that I'll then go out seeking a back issue or trade.

It's bad.

1000 issues added? I wonder how many of those actually fill in those gaps? I'm willing to bet not many...

Pretty much. On rethinking I can deal with gaps if say that gap was an arc or a single issue. However there are some gaps where an entire middle of an arc is missing. Take New Avengers for example. They have issues 1 to 18 up then it skips to 26 and goes through to 28 then it skips to 31 and goes to 35 then skips again to issue 43. What!?!?!?!

Issue 18 is in the middle of the Collective arc for example. It would be one thing if the last issue before the skip was the end of an arc. That's easy to deal with. Especially since Marvel does small recaps. However gaps in the middle of arcs are horrible. I'm looking over series I might want to read to see if there aren't gaps in the middle of stories. What they are doing with Ultimate Spider-man is really weird as well. If this is some ploy to make you read other titles while waiting for issues to be added there are better ways of doing it I think.

Still if you can deal with that it seems a good deal. I think I'm going to finally sign up for at least one month to see how things go then decide if I'll stick with it. There are some things that are fully collected or enough of the series is uploaded that I do want to read.

[John Lynch]

Still if you can deal with that it seems a good deal.I simply skip comics where they have such gaps. There's still more then enough for me to read.

[NeoStar9X]

If anyone that has signed up for this is there something else available to you afterward that can only be seen once you are a member? For example labels showing which series are complete? An ability to vote for what titles get added? A reason perhaps explaining how it's decided what gets released and when? Etc?

[Grapeweasel]

I've tried the free ones but it is tough to read having to scroll so often.

That's like saying you've tried comics but it's tough to read having to turn the page so often...

[TradePaperbackTraitor]

That's like saying you've tried comics but it's tough to read having to turn the page so often...

No it's not. It's not the same at all. When you turn a page you see the entire page as it was mean to be seen. With the digital version, you have to scroll down to capture the panels. It's a pain for artists that like to spread their panels in all sorts of directions.

Digital comics are nice in theory but I have yet to see them work out for me. I agree with people who say it's idiotic how Marvel purposefully skips large chunks instead of posting digital downloads in sequential order.

I've always though the industry should go to an E-Reader comic device. Something with a vertical LCD screen the size of a normal comic book page, Wi-Fi access to all companies and all past issues, and a large hard drive. The music industry has already digitized everything, movies are almost there, most video games are downloadable these days, and even the book industry now as its own devices like the Kindle. Don't know why comics are so far behind on this. They need to get with the digital times or lose out to other entertainment mediums.

[Grapeweasel]

I don't know how you're viewing it.

To me it looks like an open comic with a 2 page spread.

No scrolling required.

[CMBMOOL]

With the recent news of Spider-girl, being relaunched as a digital comic, it got me think this question....

Do anyone think that the digital comics aspect of Marvel.com cheapens the experience of buying the actual comic and reading it in person ?

What are your feelings about Marvel adding the digital versions of their latest comics ?

[John Lynch]

No I don't think it cheapens it. Digital Distribution is my preferred method of getting my comics.

For those interested, I got into comics first because they were free (and legal) when I read them online. I then started to find comics that were actually good as well as being free and online. Then I found comics that were great, but had to be paid for.

I didn't read Marvel or DC's comics at all. They were milking 60-year old franchises that should have been left to die a long time ago. I had no interest in that regurgitated old crap. Then I learned of Marvel's Digital Comics initiative which had just been renamed from Dot Comics. It was free, so I gave it a shot. It was actually quite good, but the library was abysmal, so I gave up on it.

Then I watched Fantastic Four. I thought it had good potential, so I recheked Marvel's Digital Comics initiative again. Still pretty abysmal. However I then learned there were other ways to read Marvel's comics online. I did this, and eventually branched out into DC. However I quickly began seeking ways to buy the comics at my local newsagencies. After a few months they finally began carrying them. After a while I then discovered a comic shop and I was not only able to purchase the comics online (because finding a comic shop in my local area is unfortunately an impossible task), but they didn't have the two-month delay the newsagency had, and it was a couple of dollars cheaper.

Literally days after this discovery, Marvel launched what is now called Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited. So I immediately began getting my comics either through Marvel's digital offering, or from the comic shop.

So without digital comics I would not be reading comics at all.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

It doesn't cheapen it for me. But the current distribution model simply does not work for me. I read the majority of my books at times when I'm not connected to the internet. On a bus or on a train. Or at home and the sofa or in bed, rather than at my PC.

I can't do that an read marvel Digital Comics. Because they won't embrace the .cbr or .pdf format, which frankly is the only way to view such files properly on a portable in the palm of your hand or on your lap device.

Until they change their habits I won't be changing mine.

I subscribed to the first year of Marvel's digital product. I only read a handful of books, sadly. In part due to the reasons above and in part due to the terrible archive with its intentionally missing issues.

[agrich]

Of course it does. I have no interest in reading comic books on my computer and I suspect I never will.

But, I suppose there will eventually be enough people (like Lynch above) who started reading comics in digital form that it won't be a problem for them, while people like me who grew up buying them at the local grocery store will eventually be outnumbered. Similarly, eventually there will be enough people used to watching movies on their computers or in their homes that there won't be any huge movie theatres left, either. Eventually there won't be any newspapers, either, because everyone reads the news on their computer (like movie theatres, newspapers are already dying out).

[Westgarth J]

I usually only read stuff on my computer that I can't actually go out and buy as a physical book or collection, so yes and no: Yes because it's not my preferred method of reading comic books, and No because otherwise how would I get to read (for instance) Rom the Spaceknight or Godzilla King Of The Monsters?

Because of the lack of a universally-accepted reader format, the move to fully-digital will remain a pipe-dream, and what digital reading that does take place will be as a matter of convenience and/or ease rather than commitment to the format.

[ComiXFanBoy]

not for me. i like laying on my back when i read my comics. thats not fun with a laptop. also when i have to drop a log taking a laptop with me is a pain. a comic is easier

[CarlosTheDwarf]

Hello all - I'm new here, so forgive me if this has all been addressed before (I did a search, but I didn't find what I was looking for).

So - my questions re: Marvel Digital Comics are - how long does it take "new" issues to come out. Do they tend to wait a few months after street date? (I can't imagine they'd compete with their "paper products") Is there a method to what they release and when? When you subscribe, I assume you're just browsing online, not actually downloading files, correct?

I'm kinda shocked that all of these questions weren't aswered right on Marvel's Digital Comics web site. Last question...for those of you who subscribe(d) - is it worth it?

[esc0]

If you're just starting out like I was when I got it, then yea its worth it to read old issues but the software they use sucks and it takes to long for the new issues to come out so I'd say subscribe, read as much as you can and then cancel and don't bother going back until they fix it and start adding new issues much faster.

I'd give it a C+. High grade because Marvel have been the only smart ones to start using digital comics.

[drwho]

It is definitely worth it if you havent read the older issues. If you are looking for new series with complete runs I dont think its worth it too much. They skip issues in storylines and there doesnt seem to be any method as to how they add the issues.

[YouthofToday]

I don't subscribe, but you can go to the site and see everything that is available. You can look at current series and see what issues are out there to kind of get an idea how fast they get put up there.
There a bunch of free issues up, so you can take a look at those to see what the viewer window is like.

[CarlosTheDwarf]

Thanks guys.

I looked at the site to see which issues they offered, but it seemed like such a pain in the arse to cycle through their books. I'm kinda hoping there's a better interface once you subscribe...but I'm guessing not.

The previews they offer look and work OK, but I think it'll bum me out that they aren't offering complete runs of stuff. I know it's a work in progress, so maybe I'll check back with them in a year or so.

I'd love for them to offer the newest issues a lot sooner, but I can see why they wouldn't.

It's a shame...this could be the wave of the future if they do it right. It would save a lot of trees. Then again, I'm kinda old school, so I'd miss the printed versions something fierce. But my kids...they won't have the nostalga for paper product like I do. I wonder if they'll just be (legally) downloading thier comics each week...

[CaptMonkey]

I'm a subscriber. It's really great for catching up on older storylines. Like someone else said, it's not the best for reading new stuff. I think I read somewhere that they don't intend to put anything on there unless it's been over 6 months since it was released. I imagine they're trying to still get as much money off of the single issues and they trade as possible before they post it.

Also, if you do try it, do yourself a favor and set the reader to "smart panels" mode. This way, you just press a button and it zooms to the next group of panels in sequence. It will also do things like zoom out for splash pages. It's much easier and has a more natural feel than scrolling around the page with your mouse.

And while there doesn't seem to be much of an order to how they're adding things, they do add new books every week day, so there's always new stuff being added.

[Grapeweasel]

I actually think they publish too many new titles.

Reading digital comics got me back into buying regular comics, so I've pretty much bought everything since the program started.

Otherwise, I'm very satisfied.

People complain about the interface, but it works fine for me.

And too many people seem to complain about titles that aren't available instead of admiring the great number that are.

[CaptMonkey]

And two many people seem to complain about titles that aren't available instead of admiring the great number that are.

I have to agree. While a few things are missing, the majority of comics from the past few years that I wanted to read are available. It's already saved me a good bit of money from not buying those trades.

[Grapeweasel]

And while there doesn't seem to be much of an order to how they're adding things, they do add new books every week day, so there's always new stuff being added.

Theoretically, they give you 25 new titles a week: 20 paid and 5 free.

The 20 paid seem to be well thought out and usually connect to a run or fill a gap.

It's the 5 free ones that are all over the place and unconnected. Those are the one that make the gaps seem strange and wider than they are.....

[NeoStar9X]

I had hoped things had improved but guess not. I just wish they would explain why there are so many gaps in series. It's understandable for them to put a 6 month wait or maybe even a year wait on recent issues but there is still some stuff out that isn't even finished or that are simply missing an issue in the middle of a story arc or collection. Random incompletes as well. This is even with stuff where the trade isn't easy to get anymore I believe so at times it throws out the idea that they leave things incomplete because they want to you buy the actual trade.

[glennstl]

Hi,
I am looking for opinions about Marvel.com's digital comics site. I am desperately trying to find ways to keep reading Marvel comics despite the $3.99 price tags. They are just getting way too expensive for me. After buying a bag and board for new issues and paying tax, a lot of Marvel comics have been costing me $4.50 for one issue! In a month's time, it is just getting out of control.
So, I was hoping to read them online. Does anyone have any opinions or feedback on the digital comics? How often do they post them? I don't want to wait 4-6 months to read the new X-Men or Spider-man issues. Do they post newer issues pretty quickly, or is it all older?

I looked around on their site and am worried about that. For example, I only found Agents of Atlas # 1-6 of the mini-series. They are on number 7 or 8 of the regular book for example?

Is it worth purchasing a membership?

[jeffb1982]

it's not designed to be with the current issue so if I don't mind being behind and not reading everything u might want to it is fine. It is more for back issue reading

[Grapeweasel]

I don't know if it's going to be a regular feature or not, but they've actually posted a couple of complete comics that haven't been released yet. I think they're posted for a limited time, but that's how I read Dark X-Men: The Beginning, Uncanny X-Men: First Class 1, Ms. Marvel 41, and a couple of other titles....

[NeoStar9X]

Hi,
I am looking for opinions about Marvel.com's digital comics site. I am desperately trying to find ways to keep reading Marvel comics despite the $3.99 price tags. They are just getting way too expensive for me. After buying a bag and board for new issues and paying tax, a lot of Marvel comics have been costing me $4.50 for one issue! In a month's time, it is just getting out of control.
So, I was hoping to read them online. Does anyone have any opinions or feedback on the digital comics? How often do they post them? I don't want to wait 4-6 months to read the new X-Men or Spider-man issues. Do they post newer issues pretty quickly, or is it all older?

I looked around on their site and am worried about that. For example, I only found Agents of Atlas # 1-6 of the mini-series. They are on number 7 or 8 of the regular book for example?

Is it worth purchasing a membership?

Unfortunately you'll have to endure a wait for majority of the titles. They have been recently it seems providing comics that can only be read on their Digital Service. So it's a combination. You have your older comics that they continue to add all the time. The current titles however have a a several month wait. Then you have brand new comics that are provided on the service that don't have their own physical issues. Spider-girl is one such title I believe that also ends up being reprinted in the Spider-man family book or whatever it's called now.

Hopefully in the future they might provide issues on the day the physical copy releases or be forced into doing it if the Longbox service takes off once it's relased in two months. With their new titles they are providing it looks like they can do it.

The one huge positive about their service is that it's subscription based. So if you are a fast reader you can read a LOT in a month's time if you pay by the month ($10 I believe). Though as said you'll be behind current stories.

However if you read off and on (been thinking this might be the best way to take advantage of the service) the service is good. So when you go back in a few months time you can just pick up where you left off and some new issues might have been added to the title you were reading plus tons more older material.

I just wish they broke things down event wise. Note which comics and titles were released before "insert event" was released.

[FrogMan]

Has anyone downloaded and read any of these? I haven't seen any topics on them anywhere (but then the search function never works for me on here).

I'm talking about the new material stuff, like Made Men and MODOK. I've been thinking of getting a subscription, but wanted to read some reader reaction stuff before I made my decision.

And if anyone is reading them, can you please tell me about the American Eagle story? I've been dying to read that!

[Grapeweasel]

The Exclusive Content is never exclusive.

Everything eventually winds up in print form.

[Grapeweasel]

If you can afford to subscribe, you should.

But it's weird, because I love it and hate it.

Because what's there is great, but it could be so much better.

[Expletive Deleted]

The American Eagle story was reprinted in the "Assistant-Sized Spectacular" mini-series. Like Grapeweasel said, if you don't mind waiting a few months, the web-"exclusive" content usually comes out in print in some form.

As far as the DCU (heh) in general goes, I'm not a fan of paying for access rather than for content. I've heard good things, but it's not for me.

[painnotpleasure]

I have just recently signed up for the yearly subscription for Marvel.com. I was wondering what people think of it now, as opposed to a few years ago. I noticed they've upgraded from 5000+ to 9000+ comics. I am assuming they have also made it easier to read the digital comics as I have found it easier to manage after reading from posts from a few years ago saying they needed to improve it.

Also, I still see that there's missing issues in a lot of series. However, I am confused when you find that issue under "Comic Books" instead of "Digital Comics". There's usually a price from $0.00 to $1.00 or so. I realize that they haven't put that issue up digitally, but I was wondering what this means and how it works (as I don't see an option to purchase the comic). I have also read on other forums of people getting comics through the mail, do they still offer this feature? Any updated information would be greatly appreciated.

[painnotpleasure]

I apologize for bumping the thread, but does anyone have any information regarding the "Comic Books" section on marvel.com (mentioned in my post above), and if you can receive comics in the mail? If so, how does this work?

[Beacon]

I have just recently signed up for the yearly subscription for Marvel.com. I was wondering what people think of it now, as opposed to a few years ago. I noticed they've upgraded from 5000+ to 9000+ comics. I am assuming they have also made it easier to read the digital comics as I have found it easier to manage after reading from posts from a few years ago saying they needed to improve it.

Actually I’ve found the new interface to be even more disorganized and slower than it was before.


Also, I still see that there's missing issues in a lot of series. However, I am confused when you find that issue under "Comic Books" instead of "Digital Comics". There's usually a price from $0.00 to $1.00 or so. I realize that they haven't put that issue up digitally, but I was wondering what this means and how it works (as I don't see an option to purchase the comic). I have also read on other forums of people getting comics through the mail, do they still offer this feature? Any updated information would be greatly appreciated.

Marvel actually has several different digital programs (and their site doesn’t do the greatest job separating them).

The first is Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. This is a library of around 9000 comics that you can access for a monthly/annual fee. They tend to be older (usually at least a year old) and there are a LOT of gaps. Additionally you can’t read them on a lot of tablets because the reader is flash-based.

They also have iTunes apps where you can buy individual issues for your iPad or iPhone. These tend to be a lot more recent but still generally lagging behind the print comics. I’m pretty sure they sell individual issues from third party digital comic apps like Comixology too.

Oh and they sell individual issues on the PSP … though why anyone would read them that way is beyond me.

As far as I know they still offer print subscriptions but you can’t get back issues from them.

[painnotpleasure]

Actually I’ve found the new interface to be even more disorganized and slower than it was before.



Marvel actually has several different digital programs (and their site doesn’t do the greatest job separating them).

The first is Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. This is a library of around 9000 comics that you can access for a monthly/annual fee. They tend to be older (usually at least a year old) and there are a LOT of gaps. Additionally you can’t read them on a lot of tablets because the reader is flash-based.

They also have iTunes apps where you can buy individual issues for your iPad or iPhone. These tend to be a lot more recent but still generally lagging behind the print comics. I’m pretty sure they sell individual issues from third party digital comic apps like Comixology too.

Oh and they sell individual issues on the PSP … though why anyone would read them that way is beyond me.

As far as I know they still offer print subscriptions but you can’t get back issues from them.First off, thank you responding. Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is what I had subscribed to for a year, and I feel it's perfect for me as I am reading the Silver Age for the first time. I do not like the gaps in the major titles, and it does suck that you're unable to back comics up, but for the most part I have enjoyed it.

I do feel that browsing from comic to comic is fairly slow, but actually opening the comic (and having it fully load) is only about 10-15 seconds for me, and I am liking the smart panel navigation.

I was looking into the Itunes app, but it doesn't seem worth it if you can't read a lot of them because the reader is flash-based. I will look into Comixology too. Thank you for clarifying the print issues as well.

While the Marvel Digital Comics Subscription doesn't seem ideal for a lot of comic book readers, I think it's ideal for someone like me whom is interested in reading a lot of the older stuff that I had never gotten a chance to read. Thank you for all the information, it's greatly appreciated.

[Beacon]

I do feel that browsing from comic to comic is fairly slow, but actually opening the comic (and having it fully load) is only about 10-15 seconds for me, and I am liking the smart panel navigation.

That’s actually what I meant; it is REALLY hard to find any individual issue … assuming they actually have it at all.

(And the site does a really poor job differentiating between the MDCU comics and the individual digital issues they sell)


I was looking into the Itunes app, but it doesn't seem worth it if you can't read a lot of them because the reader is flash-based. I will look into Comixology too. Thank you for clarifying the print issues as well.

I’m not sure I was that clear.

If you want to read comics on an iPad then the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited subscription WON’T work because the MDCU reader is flash-based and most tablets don’t support flash. If you want to read comics on an iPad then the Marvel iTunes app WILL work because it doesn’t use flash (but you still need to buy the individual issues).


While the Marvel Digital Comics Subscription doesn't seem ideal for a lot of comic book readers, I think it's ideal for someone like me whom is interested in reading a lot of the older stuff that I had never gotten a chance to read. Thank you for all the information, it's greatly appreciated.

MDCU is great for reading older material (and even a lot of things from the time in the early 2000s before they collected EVERYTHING) but it’s going to be frustrating for anyone who wants the instant gratification of reading new comics now.

[painnotpleasure]

That’s actually what I meant; it is REALLY hard to find any individual issue … assuming they actually have it at all.

(And the site does a really poor job differentiating between the MDCU comics and the individual digital issues they sell)I agree it's difficult searching for an individual issue through their current setup. I found it easier if you just google the issue you want (and add marvel.com and/or digital comic), it'll come up as the first result. I know there should be an easier way, and that it shouldn't be necessary. It's a lot faster though, and that's what I've been doing when searching individual issues.



I’m not sure I was that clear. If you want to read comics on an iPad then the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited subscription WON’T work because the MDCU reader is flash-based and most tablets don’t support flash. If you want to read comics on an iPad then the Marvel iTunes app WILL work because it doesn’t use flash (but you still need to buy the individual issues).
Oh, I had misinterpreted. Thank you for clarifying


MDCU is great for reading older material (and even a lot of things from the time in the early 2000s before they collected EVERYTHING) but it’s going to be frustrating for anyone who wants the instant gratification of reading new comics now.
I understand, and I could see why that would be frustrating. Thank you for clearing everything up, I appreciate it.

[Grapeweasel]

If you're a new subscriber, you can use the promo code 2MILL2011 to get 30% off your first year through 7/11/11.

[painnotpleasure]

If you're a new subscriber, you can use the promo code 2MILL2011 to get 30% off your first year through 7/11/11.
Oh wow, thanks. Where do you enter the promo code?

[drwho]

just joined. i havent been a member in about 3 years but its pretty cool how they filled in alot of the newer issues that i missed. they have fear itself saved me 30 bucks just with that. its kind of cool that the newer series have decent sized runs and not large gaps in it. for awhile i thought this service sucked because of all the holes in the runs. turns out im gonna save like a 1000 dollars in comics.