Marvel and reading-subscription service Scribd announced yesterday that comics lovers everywhere can finally read all they want for $8.99 per month.
Marvel is one of several comics publishers to join Scribd in the venture. Other partners include IDW/Top Shelf, Archie Comics, Valiant, Dynamite, Top Cow, Zenescope, and Boom! Studios. That’s good news for fans of alternate titles as well as Marvel acolytes.
Scribd
With these partnerships, Scribd has added over ten thousand titles to its database. Marvel fans will have unlimited access to hundreds of collected editions of classic titles, including Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, the Hulk, Daredevil, and Deadpool. They’ll also have access to recent Marvel titles like Rocket Raccoon and Runaways, as well as hits from other publishers like Noelle Stevenson‘s Lumberjanes and Gail Simone‘s Red Sonja.
IDW fans also fare well. The company’s Top Shelf imprint will be donating classic titles like Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, True Blood, Power Puff Girls, The Last Unicorn, GI Joe, Godzilla, and The Rocketeer, along with adaptations of classic Star Trek episodes like Harlan Ellison’s iconic City on the Edge of Forever. They’ll also feature recent hit series including Joe Hill’s Locke & Key and 30 Days of Night.
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Scribd will also feature acclaimed graphic novels like Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s classic From Hell and Renée French’s The Ticking.
This is the first time a general online subscription service has offered a wide variety of comics in an all-you-can-eat format. Comics-specific site Comixology added user subscriptions for new releases and bundled collections for old titles in 2013, but it doesn’t have a monthly unlimited reading pass. Amazon‘s Kindle Unlimited feature ($9.99/month) offers random comics titles to readers, but the offerings are primarily self-published titles and quality control is non-existent.
Scribd’s partnership with Marvel represents a major step forward for the company’s online offerings, and it puts Scribd slightly ahead in the increasingly crowded landscape of monthly eBook subscription services. As part of the deal, Scribd is offering special collections of curated, themed content, as well as the normal run of backlogs and categories.
“This partnership gives us the opportunity to not only bring devoted comic fans into Scribd’s world of unlimited reading, but also to introduce the entire Scribd community to the world of comics,” said Julie Haddon, Vice President of Editorial and Marketing at Scribd. “We’re excited to broaden our subscription service so that readers can discover more than books.”
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From Marvel’s press release, here are some of the highlights on offer:
· Top Characters – Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, the Hulk, and more
· Classic Comics – Classic runs of the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil and more
· Major Creators – Mark Waid, Ed Brubaker, Brian K. Vaughan, Grant Morrison, and many more
· Hit YA Titles – Ultimate Spider-Man, Runaways, Young Inhumans
· Award Winners – Acclaimed graphic novels by artists from Alex Ross to Moebius
· Curated Collections – Classic Marvel Moments, Heroes of Color, Spotlight on Jack Kirby, and more
And here are some main titles from a few of the other publishers on Scribd’s gargantuan list.
Scribd
Archie: Archie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Fox: Freak Magnet
IDW/Top Shelf: Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, True Blood, Power Puff Girls, The Last Unicorn, GI Joe, Godzilla, Star Trek: City on the Edge of Forever, Locke & Key, 30 Days of Night.
Scribd
Dynamite: Dracula, The Green Hornet, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Red Sonja, Jennifer Blood, Miss Fury
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Top Cow: Witchblade, The Darkness, Wanted, Mysterious Ways, Tales of Honor
Valiant: The Death Defying Doctor Mirage, Unity, Archer & Armstrong, Shadowman
Zenescope: Grimm Fairy Tales, Hit List, Quest, Neverland
Scribd subscriptions are $8.99 per month, with free previews for the first month.
Photo via Scribd | Remix by Aja Romano