Marvel Comics New Initiatives at SXSW Blow Up The Internet!

Marvel Comics made many big announcements at SXSW on Sunday. They continue to try and trick fans into reading their digital comics and it sort of worked- I spent hours downloading last night.

Marvel announced they will have over 700 numbers 1’s available for free download on the Marvel and Comixology app until Tuesday, March 12th at 11 P.M. EST! Marvel plans to give readers a sample of their comics, so they can get you addicted and you will buy all the issues. The comics available include most of the Marvel Now #1s, as well as a good heap of one shots. Also available for free, if you are willing to search for them, are Thor #600, Uncanny X-Men #500, and Wolverine #300. This would normally upset me because Marvel is giving away stuff I had to pay for, but I just got 52 comics for free, baby!

Comixology could not handle the demand and the increased traffic  caused their site to crash multiple times in the past day. With patience, most could get the comics free, but it took me hours and a lot of frustration to get my books. Rumor has it that the deal may be extended to help with the demand.  Update: At 5 P.M. today, ComiXology announced they were pausing the promotion for the time being but promised that those interested would get their free comics.  They have a form you can fill out here so you can receive updates on how to get your free comics.

It was also announced that Marvel’s digital comic line, Infinite Comics, will be releasing a comic every Tuesday starting in July. The first series to be available weekly is the 13-part Wolverine: Japan’s Most Wanted by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour, with art by Paco Diaz. Infinite Comics aims to take advantage of digital capabilities and it is available exclusively for the Marvel Comics App. Since it was launched last year at SXSW, its titles have never come out regularly. The first story will drop two weeks before The Wolverine hits theaters and will feature The Hand, Silver Samurai and Sabretooth. Past issues have cost between $.99 and $1.99. I cannot tell you if this format is cool or not because I refuse to buy any comic not printed on beautiful Newsprint paper. I yearn for the days when special effects were chromium or die cut covers!

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Also announced, was Marvel’s Project Gamma, in which digital comics will feature “adaptive audio” while you read. This means there will be a score playing with no loops that goes at your reading pace. Personally, I think this is the stupidest idea ever because I hate sound playing when I read comics. There is nothing worse than reading your new comics on the L train and the dude next to you is blasting his 2 Chainz.

What do you Fanboys and Fangirls think about these new initiatives? Were you tricked into the Digital Abyss?

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Jay Deitcher, LMSW(@mrdeitcher) is an educator on comic history and runs successful Free Comic Book Day events yearly.  You can see his incredibly energetic and clever YouTube video’s on his channel here.