Marvel Comics has launched a new subscription-based comic service on iOS called Marvel Unlimited. The service delivers 13,000 back issues of a wide variety of Marvel comic books, with more to come over the next six months. Subscriptions are $10 per month, or a "limited time" 12-month subscription for $60.

All of the comics in Marvel Unlimited are at least six months old, to avoid competing with the day-and-date sales of new comics as they get released. Those are available through the Marvel Comics app.

Marvelunlimited
Gizmodo tested Marvel Unlimited out, and had positive things to say:

Having played with it a bit, the HTML5 reader isn't the fastest or most responsive, especially on pinch-to-zoom (which you can see in the video), but it's mostly acceptable. Still, it's a long way from the smoothness of native apps like the Comixology Marvel app, Kindle or iBooks. Marvel said it's a "trade off for having the same reader and experience in the app as you have on the web." It displays in very high res (via progressive download), even when you haven't downloaded the full book for offline reading. Marvel couldn't confirm if the resolution is the same as the retina-level Comixology books, but they looked tack-sharp as a full page.

The comics available through MU are all at least six months old, and while Marvel wouldn't commit to every title making it into the service, SVP of Marvel Digital Peter Phillips told us most major titles "should be in there at six months; we're pretty timely with that."

One of Gizmodo's biggest complaints was that users can only download six issues for offline reading, not nearly enough to read on a plane flight, for example. A Marvel spokesperson said the company was "listening" to reader feedback on the subject. He also noted that this is "phase 1" of Marvel Unlimited, and more would be coming later this year.

Marvel Unlimited is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

Meandmunch Avatar
138 months ago
That is freaking awesome. I spend almost $60 a month on a handful of issues. The netflix of comics has arrived.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Snowshiro Avatar
138 months ago
Problems

A tip for anyone signing up.

If, like me, you sign up on the website and capitalize your username (e.g. capital 'S' in Snowshiro) and then try logging into the iOS app to link to your account, it doesn't work.

You have to use the lower case version of your name (e.g. 'snowshiro'). Don't put any capital letters or it rejects your login. This had me confused for quite a while. It's made worse by the fact that everywhere else in your account management section your username *is* capitalized.

So far, the deal itself is awesome (pretty much all the comics I can ever read) but the developers have made some very poor choices such as the one above. Also if you choose the "forgot password" option, it sends your current username and password in plain text in an email. This is a pretty poor way of doing it. It also only had one password box (no password confirmation) when I signed up, so if you mistype your password on signup, you're completely screwed because you can't login, and you can't change it.

Love the idea, but some of the implementation is amateurish and they should hire a better development company.

Edit: The iPad app is also extremely amateurish.

* Views that don't line up properly with the screen
* Unable to view full comics full screen in either orientation without a stupid big info bar at the top and big borders.
* Personal library that "loses" stuff you've downloaded already
* Some functionality completely broken, e.g. all your comics disappear when switching between list and cover view.
* Information windows riddled with HTML character codes instead of text
* A scrollbar for quickly moving through pages that seems to have a mind of its own and often goes in the opposite direction to the way you're dragging
* "Smart panels" (zoomed cell by cell progression) that seem to have been defined by a chimp using it's tongue.
* Several random crashes in the first half hour of use.
* Some pretty weird UI decisions (like the toggle button for read offline)


Really pisspoor development. Marvel need to fix this stuff quickly before it damages their reputation. As an iOS developer myself, I'm unimpressed. It's "tolerable" in that I can at least read stuff, but the overall presentation is buggy, rushed and unworthy of a great name like Marvel.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 for All iPhones and iPads

Tuesday September 26, 2023 12:47 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates, with the software coming five days after the releases of iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1. Today's iOS 17.0.2 and iPadOS 17.0.2 updates arrive as build 21A351 and can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Note that iOS 17.0.2 was previously made available for iPhone...
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 1

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:57 pm PDT by
Just a week after releasing iOS 17, Apple has seeded the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers. iOS 17.1 adds some features that Apple promised were coming to iOS 17 in the future, plus it refines and improves some existing features. This guide covers everything new in the first iOS 17.1 beta. Apple Music Favorites You can favorite songs, albums, playlists, and artists in the iOS 17.1...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Concerns Highlighted in Two More Reports

Thursday September 28, 2023 6:25 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max overheating concerns continue to make headlines this week, with the topic highlighted by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. Both of the reports document anecdotal complaints from customers, and outline potential causes, but it's unclear how many devices are actually affected. Bloomberg said the overheating could be caused or compounded by the iPhone's setup...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issues Likely Due to Thermal Compromises, Not 3nm Node

Tuesday September 26, 2023 9:12 am PDT by
Complaints about heat issues with the iPhone 15 Pro models are not related to TSMC's 3-nanometer node that was used for the A17 Pro chip, according to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says that overheating could be caused by "compromises made in the thermal system design" that allowed Apple to cut down on the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro models. Kuo says that the reduced heat...
iPhone 15 USB C Port Keynote

Some USB-C Power Banks Fail to Work With iPhone 15

Thursday September 28, 2023 2:06 pm PDT by
Apple added a USB-C port to the iPhone 15 lineup this year, allowing it to work with USB-C cables, USB-C power banks, and more. It turns out that some USB-C battery packs are not working properly with Apple's iPhone 15, resulting in charging issues. As highlighted on Reddit and the MacRumors forums, not all existing USB-C power banks can be used with the iPhone 15 models, perhaps due to the...
Mac Gaming

Apple Explains How Game Mode Works in macOS Sonoma

Wednesday September 27, 2023 2:24 am PDT by
In macOS Sonoma, Game Mode prioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming purposes on Macs. For those unfamiliar with Game Mode, Apple on Tuesday published a support document providing more information on how to use the new feature. Game Mode optimizes your gaming experience by giving your game the highest priority access to your CPU and GPU, lowering usage for background tasks. And it...