Posted in: Comics | Tagged: digital, marvel

Inside Tomorrow's Marvel Books, A Page Explaining New "Bonus Digital Content" Deal

Published Tue, 31 Jan 2017 19:40:34 -0600

Last updated Fri, 03 Feb 2017 10:48:24 -0600

Earlier this month, Bleeding Cool told you all about Marvel's plans to stop giving away free digital copies of their comics with purchases of a physical copy, a move that didn't go over very well with some fans. As a consolation prize, Marvel is offering free digital copies of past Marvel comics, which Marvel themselves get to choose, which was, perhaps, not the great consolation Marvel's PR department hoped it would be. DC Comics, capitalizing on Marvel's situation, used an offer of free digital copies to soften the blow of a one dollar price hike soon after, and came out the PR winners for it, at least in the eyes of some.

Attempting to put a positive spin on it, Sales Director Jim Nausedas said, "One of the free bonus digital comics offered in February will be Civil War II #0 in time to promote the CIVIL WAR II collection on sale that month… Then, each week, new bonus digital codes, available only in your local comic shop, will offer fans additional pathways into the Marvel Universe, promote Marvel's monthly trades, and create repeat retailer customers and Marvel readers for life."

The following promotional image was also released at that time:

In tomorrow's Marvel comics, the first to feature the new arrangement, a printed page looks quite similar:

The page has been spotted in various comics, including Darth Maul #1. Additionally, the page in every issue spotted so far is exactly the same, so no hope even of different offerings across different lines of books. Whether you're reading X-Men, Star Wars, or Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, what you get is a single issue of the following storylines, with the hope that once hooked you'll shell out more for the rest: Civil War II, Captain Marvel: Civil War II, and Wolverine: Old Man Logan. Three issues, whether you buy one Marvel comic per week, or thirty. Well, for the first week, at least. After that, it's just two digital issues per week instead of three.

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