Comixology’s Marvel Comics app closes on June 2nd. Users will be redirected to Marvel Unlimited.
Marvel recently announced that the Marvel Comics app operated by Comixology will be permanently shutting down next June. Thankfully, comic book fans who have purchased in-app issues will still be able to access them through the Marvel Unlimited app, which is directly operated by Marvel. This closure follows several difficult months at Amazon (owner of Comixology since 2014) with multiple layoffs that would have severely impacted the comics division.
Comixology’s Marvel Comics app closes June 2
The Marvel Comics app will close on June 2, exactly. Exactly one month before that, on May 2, it will no longer be possible to make any in-app purchases. All purchases after this date must be made through Marvel Unlimited. Users will also be transferred to the latest.
Android users who have bought comics digitally through the Marvel Comics app have little to do. Their comics usually appear directly in Marvel Unlimited. This is because the Android app already requires a Marvel account to work. But iOS users will need to take a few more steps. First, you’ll need to open Comixology’s Marvel Comics app on your iPhone or iPad. Then follow Marvel’s instructions to link your Marvel account to the old app. After that, old purchases should be visible in the Marvel Unlimited app.
Users will be redirected to Marvel Unlimited
You don’t need a Marvel Unlimited subscription to access your purchases made on the old app, but to encourage you to subscribe to its services, Marvel is offering a $5/month promotional rate for the first year with an UNLIMITED code, compared to $10/month at the regular rate, or $70/year. Marvel Unlimited is a bit like Marvel Comics’ Netflix and features over 30,000 episodes from the Marvel Universe. As with a Comixology-managed app, there is typically a delay of about three months before a release available in the physical version becomes available digitally on the platform.
While Marvel has apparently gone to great lengths to make this transition as smooth as possible, this situation illustrates the potential chaos that can ensue when digital content needs to switch platforms. The end consumer is never the owner of this content, and when platform companies mismanage their applications, license or reprioritize, it is the consumer who gets sidelined, hoping that such and such a company wants to succeed in the interest of its customers. The trust factor to keep in mind whenever you buy digital content, be it a comic, game, movie or anything else.