Ben Preiss
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Marvel comic book heroes like Spiderman, The X-Men, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, et al have long ago stopped being the realm of just comic freaks and most have made it to the big screen with big success (Iron Man is on the way, see Video). So it should be no surprise, except to the purists, that Marvel has gone digital. For the hard core this will be like Dylan going electric but who cares, this is a milestone.  Spider-Man may spin a good yarn in comic books, but Marvel Entertainment Inc hopes that he finds the World Wide Web equally comfortable.
The publisher said on Tuesday that it will start a Web site that will feature access to thousands of its comic books and the famous heroes who populate them, from Spider-Man and the X-Men to the Fantastic Four and The Avengers.
Marvel will charge subscriptions -- $4.99 a month if people sign up for a year, or $9.99 a month if they don't.
"This is a major new piece of my overall publishing plan," Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Publishing, said in an interview.
"It's a different entertainment experience, online versus reading a book."
Marvel plans to offer access to 2,500 comics, Buckley said. It will make 250 available for free to entice people to pay up, but for a limited time, a company statement explained.
The Digital Comics Unlimited site then will add 20 additional books a week, including a mix of new and vintage comics.
(reuters)References: pcworld, reuters Filed In: |
