Marvel Unlimited, formerly known as Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, is an
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...
service by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
that distributes past issues of their
comics
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
via the
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
. The service launched on November 13, 2007, and now has more than 30,000 comic book issues in its archive.
[Marvel Comics Opens Vault with Digital Archive](_blank)
from ''Wired'' News[Marvel launches digital archive](_blank)
from BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
History
Marvel first began releasing comics over the internet in 1996 with
Marvel CyberComics. This was later replaced by DotComics under the tenure of
Bill Jemas
Bill Jemas is an American media entrepreneur, writer, and editor, known for his tenure as president of Fleer Entertainment Group during the 1990s, and for his work as vice president of Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2004. During his time at Marvel, Jem ...
.
[Marvel Unveils Digital Comics](_blank)
Newsarama, December 14, 2005 This would grow to a size of dozens of comics by 2002,
but would later be limited to a mere 12 comics by 2004.
Marvel Digital Comics was first announced in 2005 as a replacement to its DotComics;
however, it utilized the same
Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid ...
-based interface with only minor updates, while decreasing the comics available from 12 issues to 4 issues.
At this time,
Editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
Joe Quesada
Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books ...
speculated on the possibilities of adding animation to the comics, which would be realized in 2009 with the release of
Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional Character (arts), characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and original version is Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Jessica Drew (later impersonated by Veranke), the second ve ...
as a
motion comic
A motion comic (or animated comic) is a form of animation combining elements of print comic books and animation. Individual panels are expanded into a full shot while sound effects, voice acting, and animation are added to the original artwork. Tex ...
.
[Marvel Moves Into Motion Comics With Spider-Woman](_blank)
from Wired News
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fran ...
, August 18, 2009
Marvel's Digital Comics only grew modestly, reaching over 24 comics in April 2006
[House of Ideas to fans: more Marvel digital comics are here!](_blank)
Revenant Media until finally it relaunched in November 2007 as Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
TechNewsWorld, November 13, 2007 Unlike earlier initiatives, Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited was a subscription service with over 2,500 comics available to subscribers, with new comics added on a weekly basis. A small portion of the library was made available for free in an attempt to entice viewers to subscribe to the service through either its monthly or yearly plans.
In response to fears from comic sellers,
Dan Buckley
Dan Buckley is an American publishing executive, who is known for his work as Publisher, and then as President of Marvel Entertainment since January 2017.
Early life
Dan Buckley was raised in upstate New York and later a New York city resident. H ...
promised that there would be at least a six-month delay from when a comic is published in print and when it is made available on Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited.
[Marvel pops comics online, hopes fans pay](_blank)
from Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
However
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
modified this policy in 2008 with the release of ''Secret Invasion: Home Invasion''. This was released online first as a tie-in with the
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight-issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008. The story involves a subversive, long-term in ...
event.
[Free! Read SECRET INVASION: HOME INVASION!](_blank)
from Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
...
Digital comic exclusives would be broadened to include non-event comics. The initial release of exclusives included a
Fin Fang Four
Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as an extraterrestrial creature resembling a dragon. The character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #89 (cover ...
story by
Scott Gray and
Roger Langridge
Roger Langridge (born 14 February 1967) is a New Zealand comics writer, artist and letterer, currently living in Britain.
Biography
Langridge originally came to public prominence most notably with the ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' series ''The Stra ...
, ''Marvels Channel: Monsters, Myths and Marvels'' by
Frank Tieri and
Juan Santacruz
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanis ...
, ''
American Eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
: Just a Little Old-Fashioned Justice'' by
Jason Aaron
Jason Aaron (born January 28, 1973) is an American comic book writer, known for his creator-owned series '' Scalped'' and '' Southern Bastards'', as well as his work on Marvel series ''Ghost Rider'', ''Wolverine'', ''PunisherMAX'', ''Thor'', and ' ...
and
Kid Colt
Kid Colt is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first is a cowboy whose adventures have taken place in numerous western-themed comic book series published by Marvel. The second is a ...
by
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''.
Career
While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...
.
On October 13, 2009, Marvel launched an upgraded version of the comic viewer, dubbed the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited Reader 3.0. The new digital comics reader added a number of new features including full screen mode, thumbnails for all pages, and easier ways of finding books related to the one being read.
[Marvel Digital Comics Reader 3.0 Debuts Today](_blank)
from Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
...
It then published a daily series of "lost" ''
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
''
comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
s that were actually modern creations written by
Karl Kesel
Karl Kesel (born January 7, 1959, Victor, New York) is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics. He is a member of Periscope Studio and is best known for his collaborations with fellow artis ...
. A three-part
Galacta story was also published digitally following it winning the vote to see which was the most popular story in ''Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular''.
In March 2013, Marvel announced that the service would be renamed from Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited to Marvel Unlimited, and that the service would expand to
iOS devices
Comparison of models
Legend
Supported
Unsupported (64-bit CPU)
Unsupported (32-bit CPU)
iPhone systems-on-chips
Timeline
Geekbench benchmark scores
Note: Hardware reviewers have commented that these benc ...
.
On October 19, 2020, Marvel announced the six-month release delay would be shortened to only three months with over 28,000 Marvel comics available on the service.
''Marvel's Infinity Comics''
''Marvel's Infinity Comics'' were announced on September 9, 2021, which are digital comics exclusive to Marvel Unlimited. These comics release weekly and differ from the standard page turn by using a vertical scroll to advance reading. ''Infinity Comics'' launched with 27 series excusive to the service. In September 2022, Marvel announced that within one year "the Infinity Comics lineup has grown to over 350 issues".
Graeme McMillan, for ''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
'' in September 2021, wrote that "given the fact that the Infinity Comics eschew the traditional digital comics page for the vertical scroll format popularized by incredibly success webcomic platform
Webtoon
Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones.
While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...
, it's likely that Marvel and parent company Disney are also looking to attract an established comics audience that has so far stayed away from Spider-Man's friendly neighborhood—Webtoon has more than 15 million readers daily, a number that significantly dwarfs Marvel's own fanbase in terms of its comics output".
McMillan called the launch a "mixed bag" in terms of the quality of the various series with ''
It's Jeff!'' the standout title.
McMillan commented that "if Marvel sticks with the program, there's the potential for some great work down the line—once everyone has figured out just how to make it all work".
''It's Jeff!'' went on to be nominated for
Best Digital Comic at the 2022
Eisner Awards
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
; it was the only Infinity Comic to be nominated.
In July 2022, ''
Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to:
People
* Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer
* Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian
* Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ma ...
'' reported that "Infinity Comics titles break into the top 10 of most read issues on Marvel Unlimited, which has over 30,000 comics, on a daily basis" and that C.B. Cebulski, editor in chief of Marvel Comics, "says that Infinity Comics help broaden Marvel’s audience to a generation that consumes everything on screens". Also in July 2022, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' highlighted that Marvel was one of the older brands "experimenting with online offerings. Marvel has developed its own 'digital first' stories, including its Infinity Comics, which uses a vertical scroll.
..Executives at Marvel said they plan to expand Infinity Comics with a focus on creators and characters from diverse backgrounds, which the company hopes will help reach new readers".
Nicholas Brooks, for ''
CBR'' in August 2022, highlighted that Marvel Unlimited is "offering readers a new era of funny comics" and breathing "new life" into the comedy comics "genre by way of their Infinity Comics.
..Thanks to Marvel Unlimited's efforts to venture into comedy comics, the subscription service has offered a much-needed change of pace for the company overall. While these characters may not necessarily fly off the shelves, that doesn't mean they lack the substance to entertain and become fan favorites in their own right. These new Infinity Comics allow fans to take a breather from the world-breaking stakes of superhero comics and enjoy a bit of good old-fashioned humor". Colin Mooney, also for ''CBR'' in August 2022, commented that Infinity Comics "don't tend to get much attention from comic book fans en masse", however, the ''
Marvel Voices: Young Avengers'' Infinity Comic "is a comic that deserves attention: despite being limited by its scope, this comic packs in a lot of content for which Young Avengers fans have been waiting".
Other Marvel digital comics outlets
In addition to its Marvel Unlimited app, Marvel began releasing digital comics for the
iPhone and
iPod Touch
The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a music pl ...
through a number of retailers including Panelfly, and . Unlike Marvel Unlimited, these comics are available for purchase as single issues.
[Marvel Comics now available via comiXology, iVerse, Panelfly and ScrollMotion apps](_blank)
from Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
, October 29, 2009 In addition, it was announced in August 2009 that Marvel's comics would be released for the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
in December 2009.
[Marvel Comics Coming to the PSP](_blank)
from InfoWorld
''InfoWorld'' (abbreviated IW) is an information technology media business. Founded in 1978, it began as a monthly magazine. In 2007, it transitioned to a web-only publication. Its parent company today is International Data Group, and its siste ...
, August 18, 2009[Marvel Digital Comics Coming to Sony PSP](_blank)
from Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
...
See also
*
DC Universe Infinite
DC Universe Infinite is an online service by DC Comics that launched on January 21, 2021 and primarily distributes past issues of DC-published comic books over the internet. It is a relaunch of the former DC Universe streaming service, after its ...
References
External links
*
{{Marvel Comics
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Comics
American webcomics
Webcomic syndicates
Subscription services
Internet properties established in 2007
2007 in comics