Marvel Hates How I Read Comics

Marvel Comics announced they will be ending their same issue digital redemption program beginning in February, or at least I am pretty sure they have. Their press release, which has made the rounds since January 6th is fairly obtuse, and doesn't outright say they are ending the current system, but it sure seems that way.

Bleeding Cool is more convinced that the "buy physical get digital" program is at an end. I'm unhappy about this and so are others apparently.

Up until February I was able to buy a comic at the store and get a free digital version of the same purchased issue as well. Marvel initially indicated that this two-fer was compensation of their $4 price compared to DC's $3.00 price. It was also an attempt to lure older readers into the digital format. It has done that in some degree for me. I now re-read my marvel books digitally, although there are limits to that system, as well but that is for another post.

The motivation behind Marvel's strategy is directly related to me and how I read comics. By cutting off my digital supply of current issues I will be forced to re-read my hard copies, which is a pain as they are bagged and stores, or buy the trades of those issues.

I will never like the idea of buying digital only, although I am forced to in some formats, like video games and software. I am especially opposed to digital only in comic books, since one of my underlying motivations in buying is the amassing of a library of comics. While factually not true I still think the comics will be valuable someday, and they will as long as I can pass them to my great-great-great-grandchild. Digital comics will never have value.

Meanwhile I am at a collecting impasse. Marvel already provided me with a great jumping-off point at Everything Ends/Secret Wars, and I now fully regret not taking it. With the February end to my digital back-issue catalog, I will deeply scale back my Marvel pulls.

Marvel did succeed in their initial goal of getting me into digital comics, although my reluctance to buy digital only and the loss of a steady stream of digital books in my Comixology collection will probably stop me from continuing down the digital path.