Marvel Unlimited, the company’s digital comics subscription service, is shutting down after 19 years.
Marvel announced Monday that it is launching Marvel Comics, a new digital comics app that will house more than 35,000 current and classic titles featuring Spider-Man, the X-Men, Captain Marvel and more from its extensive library. The new platform is built and operated by Webtoon and will launch Nov. 16.
The Marvel Comics app library will feature comics spanning Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century Studios titles at launch, with stories from Disney’s other brands — like Pixar and Disney Animation — expected to follow. The new app will support both the traditional page-based comics format that mirrors physical books and the more mobile-device-friendly vertical-scroll format. (Marvel Unlimited also featured vertical-scroll comics under its Infinity Comics banner.)
Those attending New York Comic Con this Thursday through Sunday can get an early look at the new app at the Marvel Comics booth (#2435).
With the arrival of the new Marvel Comics app, Marvel Unlimited will “sunset” on Dec. 7. Marvel Unlimited has been the company’s in-house digital hub for its comics since its launch as Marvel Digital Comics in 2007. Subscriptions and payment information from Marvel Unlimited will not automatically carry over into the Webtoon-operated Marvel Comics, and Marvel says those whose paid subscriptions will be cut short because of the shutdown can expect a prorated refund on or around Nov. 16.
Marvel Unlimited members who sign up for Marvel Comics will be able to import their current library and reading history into the new app once it’s launched. The steps required for that process have not yet been detailed, but the company says these members will have until Dec. 21 to access their Marvel Unlimited library to ensure the transfer was successful.
Marvel Comics will offer two subscription tiers: The base-tier membership will run $9.99 per month or $69.99 annually for access to the app’s full catalog, with new issues of ongoing titles added as early as three months after print release. For those who would rather not wait that long to read newer comics, Ultimate-tier members will be able to access new issues as early as a month after its print release. Subscriptions for that tier will run $12.49 a month or $99.99 a year. Marvel is currently offering a special $59.99 “founder member” price for the first year of an annual Ultimate-tier memberships for those that preorder the service.
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