Marvel's iApp and Free Comics

There’s a part of me that still doesn’t really believe it. You get some snazzy new device and all of a sudden Marvel are throwing free comics at you. FREE. Comics. Two words that usually only occur once a year are now getting a pseudo-regular update. And I love it. Hit the jump to see what I think of the Marvel iApp and which free comics I’ve downloaded already.

Marvel Via Comixology

The Marvel iPhone and iPad application was launched earlier this year to coincide with the release of the new Apple personal media revolution, the iPad. It was a canny business move as it made the news (or at least the news I read) and it seems to have taken off relatively well with word of mouth spreading (or at least the mouths I hear from).

The Marvel iApp is brought to you by the good people at Comixology, a company that have their own comic app for downloading and reading and who deal with plenty of other comic companies. They have made a Marvel specific application and though this means the casual Marvel wandering customer won’t be shown some of the other cooler stuff comics has out in the wild it also means they’ll feel safe and confined in their Marvel app and hopefully branch into the Comixology one later, which I highly recommend, and might post about later.

The app is easy to download, doesn’t take long, and is pretty easy to use. I only got an iPhone a few weeks after the app went live and I had never used a comics app before. I found the interface of the Marvel app extremely simple  to use. Once you sign in, it’s quick, easy, sends to your email for confirmation, then you can start downloading comics and saving them on your phone to read whenever you want.

You can view the 'Featured' comics, a selection of choice titles that Marvel think any reader would enjoy. You can touch to read a blurb on the issue, see creator details, and then buy if you so desire. There are plenty of ways to browse through the titles but my favourite column quickly showed itself with one word, a ‘Free’ under Mjolnir.

Free Comics For Sale

There are free comics in the Free comics column and you want to know which ones I got? Ha, trick question. I downloaded them all. Wouldn’t you? Let’s roll off the titles quickly, Amazing Spider-Man #546 (first issue of Brand New Day), Astonishing X-Men #1, Captain America #1, Fantastic Four #570, Hulk #1, Invincible Iron Man #1, New Avengers #1, Runaways #1, Super Hero Squad #1, Thor #1, and the first issue of Claremont and Miller’s Wolverine.

I don’t know about you but I think that’s a pretty impressive list of free content. Sure, I already owned plenty of those issues, but I figured if I had them on file then I could show them to my nephews or something. There’s always time to trap new fans. So, that’s 11 comics for free just for turning up, over $30 for free.

Each of those comics is interesting because they’re great jumping on points. Someone who was on the fence about Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four would surely be won over after reading his first issue, for free. We’ve got a gateway to pages written by Joss Whedon, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, J. Michael Straczynski, Brian Michael Bendis, and the always awesome Brian K Vaughan. Those are some great words, and the art to match is just as good.

Jeph Loeb’s Hulk has certainly divided plenty of fans but it was something I was always interested to read, even if I would never pay for it. This time I didn’t have to. And I didn’t even mind it, I can see how it would work as a comic for kids. This app is the perfect gateway and by making the first few hits free they’re surely going to get a few new eyes into the pages.

The actual reader for the comics is interesting. I don’t mind it, though it would never be my preferred delivery system. You have the option to only read the panels, or you can first look at the page to get a better sense of the composition of what you are reading. I prefer that method, then the sliding transition between panels is pretty smooth and effective and the dialogue is easy enough to read, considering it is on a small screen. The art obviously doesn’t show perfectly but you get a very close idea of how good it really is.

Free Comics Updated, and Taken Down

It appears that the previous comics mentioned have now all been taken off the free list. To enjoy them you'd have to pony up some of your own cash, which is kind of fair enough. If you missed out, sure, it sucks a little, but it's nice that Marvel even consider throwing out free content, even if it is just older stuff. But you don't have to despair and turn away from the application. There are new free comics in their place and the section has been updated a few times over the past month or so.

The other week they updated the free catalogue and I’ve just gotten my digital hands on an issue of the Black Widow Saga, and three Iron Man issues from various years, including work from Bob Layton and Joe Casey. At first, I thought Marvel were only going to dangle the lure of those first few issues they had up, and that would have been fair enough, but now that they’re offering more I feel more inclined to come to the party. I feel it is only fair to buy a few issues and complete a few of the runs I’ve started for free, or even a few runs that I locate of interest elsewhere in the app. The price sees them come in well under trade prices, or I could simply sample first issues of runs and then get the trades from my LCS. Marvel are being good to me, I plan on returning the favour.

They have also added the first Garth Ennis issue of Ghost Rider this week, as well as some X-Men and New X-Men, which I have never read, so they seem committed to bringing us new content to lure in readers, and more importantly buyers. I'll be interested to keep an eye on the Free section of this app and see what slowly makes the grade.

Conclusion

If you have an iPhone or iPad then you owe it to yourself to download this app and get amongst the fun. It’s a different way to get your fix, and I’ve had it get me out of a few binds while waiting for the wife while out. It’s smooth and easy to use and who knows how much more free content they’ll come out with in the coming months, Which brings me to a closing question, which comics do you think would be appropriate to offer for free on the Marvel app? I’d go with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz or perhaps Garth Ennis’ first Punisher in the Max universe. What would lure you in?

Related Posts