Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Marvel Comics | Tagged: iron man, qr code

QR Codes Return To Marvel Comics In A Different Way

Marvel Comics has found a new use for QR Codes... the latest delivery mechanism for the digital versions of their comic books.

Published Mon, 04 Nov 2024 19:02:09 -0600

by Rich Johnston

Comments

Article Summary

Marvel Comics use QR Codes for digital comic book pages, starting with "X-Men: From The Ashes."
Controversy arose over QR Codes replacing pages, sparking debates among fans and collectors.
Some stores sold comics early, prompting QR Code use to prevent spoilers and maintains release integrity.
Despite initial backlash, QR Codes were limited to launch titles, not a widespread change.

Marvel Comics has found a new use for QR Codes… the latest delivery mechanism for the digital versions of their comic books. Rather than going to a website and typing in a code, now the QR codes will take you right there. Maybe.

It was Bleeding Cool who first revealed that all the X-Men launch issues for the From The Ashes launch would have a QR code in the back of the comics for a "free bonus page". It seemed an off choice as the QR code actually took up a whole page, that could have had the page in it. It was meant as a fun thing, an extra coda, a post-credit scene, the creators asked to provide an additional extra bit, something to amuse and tease the troops. We got one for X-Men #1, we then got one for Phoenix #1, and then we got one for NYX #1 – although we had to wait till long into the afternoon in the UK – and 24 hours after the Australian digital market had been able to download their copy of the comic – to be able to read it.

The reason was also given that this prevents people being able to scan in certain pages in advance. Since Marvel Comics switched their distribution from Diamond to Penguin Random House, comic stores receive their comics up to a week in advance of the sale date rather than one day, which has seen some stores just sell copies when they get them, especially without the old Diamond Mystery Shopper street date compliance scheme.

Some people liked it, lots of people didn't, some collectors worried that their collections would be missing a page and that the QR codes in question would stop working at some point. But then a number of websites and YouTube channels started going down the outrage grift rabbit hole. Claiming that Marvel Comics was putting this in all their titles, rather than just the launch issues of the X-Men books. That all Marvel comic books would now be missing the final page, and you'd have to go and download it elsewhere. And it was some kind of scam to gather data or get people to switch from buying comics to reading them digitally.

And so at San Diego Comic-Con, it was one of the most discussed and gossiped about aspects in the late night bars amongst comic book creators, many of whom also seemed to have gone down the rabbit hole and believed that Marvel was going to do this to all their comics. But it played out for the first wave of launch titles from X-Men: From The Ashes… and was never heard of again, like comics being polybagged with trading cards. Until now… just in a very different way.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!