Marvel has been operating their digital comics app for Android and iOS for close to a decade. Their digital content is powered by Comixology, which has been hit especially hard during the recent round of Amazon layoffs. Marvel has announced that they are shuttering the Marvel Comics app on June 2, 2023, and it will cease to exist. Everything is going to be transitioning to Marvel Unlimited, which is a monthly subscription platform that Marvel operates itself.
Marvel Unlimited has over 300,000 comics and graphic novels. New comics should be published on Unlimited later. Instead, users must wait three to six months after they first hit comic book shelves at physical locations. Whereas the big selling point of the main Marvel app is the comics were available to buy as soon as they came out.
What about all the comic books you bought on the Marvel app? Will they fade away into the ether? No, you will still have access to them. For comic users using the Marvel Comics app for Android, have an effortless transition: do nothing, and your comics should appear in Marvel Unlimited. That is because this app requires a Marvel account for registration. However, if you use the Marvel app for iOS, there are a few extra steps. First, open the Marvel Comics app on your iPhone or iPad. Then, follow Marvel’s instructions to link a Marvel account to the old app. After that, your old purchases should appear in Marvel Unlimited. You do not need a subscription to read your comics.
Waiting three months or more after a comic comes out to read it on Unlimited could be better for comic book fans who want to stay invested in issues that just came out; luckily, there are still alternatives. Marvel Unlimited users can purchase comics directly through Amazon. Other Marvel digital comics and graphic novels will also be available on Google Play Books, Apple iBooks, Nook and select digital library services. “We are working on more options for digital comics readers, and more information will be available in the coming months,” the publisher said. Additionally, fans can use redemption codes they received from print comics purchased in comic book shops to access digital copies of their books on Marvel Unlimited beginning on May 2, 2023.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
