Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, marvel, MVL

What Happens When Marvel Season One Graphic Novels Get Digital Codes

The news today that Marvel will extend its $3.99 digital codes inside every Ultimate comic to the upcoming Season One graphic novels recalls a conversation I had at New York Comic Con with a Marvel staffer.

Asking about whether the Season One books were indeed intended to be exploited by the Disney distribution system, offering as they were Earth One style revisions of classic tales and characters , telling the origin stories again for a new audience, he corrected me in saying they were actually intended more to appeal to the digital audience – and will be promoted to that endeavour at the time of publication.

The books have been written and drawn to be more iPad friendly – no double page spreads but larger panels to suit a smaller page size, with no guided view necessary to read the text.

And indeed it seems that Marvel would like to share that experience with their print readers too. Hence the decision to shrinkwrap digital codes within all the new volumes coming out next year.

One side effect may also be a trading market in the digital codes, similar to what occurs in the DVD/Blu Ray market when firms also offer similar download codes. And a $25 cover price might be enough for people to seek to buy and sell the digital download code for around $5 say. Which might help make the cover price more attractive.

Another is that by shrinkwrapping books to kep the dogital code safe inside, one stops any kind of browsing in store. Which is rather ironic considering these books were intended to target new audiences.

The books are Fantastic Four: Season One by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and David Marquez for February, X-Men: Season One by Dennis Hopeless and Jamie McKelvie in Marc, Daredevil: Season One by Antony Johnston and Wellinton Alves in April, and Spider-Man: Season One by Cullen Bunn  and Neil Edwards for May.

Of course

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