Marvel Unlimited Plus: Definition, Price, Advantages and Disadvantages

Comic books have long been available digitally. It all started with webcomics. Then came Comixology, which made select print comics available digitally. For a long time, the big two have been in the digital fray, particularly Marvel Comics with Marvel Unlimited. It is Marvel Comics' primary digital channel, having been launched in 2007 (after a few previous, less popular platforms). If you've been debating Marvel Unlimited for the previous 15 years or haven't looked at it in a while, you might be thinking if it's worth it.

WHAT EXACTLY IS MARVEL UNLIMITED?

Marvel Unlimited is Marvel Comics' subscription-based digital comic book platform. The software provides unrestricted access to thousands of comic books through a mobile device, tablet, or computer. The service is available at three different price points.

• Monthly for $9.99 each month
• Annually for $69.99 per year
• Annual Plus is available for $99.99 per year.

The Monthly and Annual plans are identical other than price. Annual Plus includes several tangible items that change each year. It currently includes:

• Limited Edition Hasbro Marvel Legends Captain Kate Pryde figure
• Spider-Gwen pin by Scottie Young
• S.W.O.R.D. patch
• X-Men (2021)
• Sinister War (2021)

The Annual Plus membership also includes invitations and access to Marvel events, as well as a 10% discount on certain items at shopDisney.com.

WHICH COMICS ARE AVAILABLE?

There is no way to provide an exhaustive list of all the comics available on Marvel Unlimited. There are literally thousands of issues dating back to Marvel Comics' inception. The men behind the scenes appear to be constantly striving to digitize ancient titles from years, if not decades ago, while new titles are available on the service as soon as three months after release. Most comics are available at your local comic book shop six months after they are released.

Some may see this as a hassle or a dealbreaker, yet it actually benefits comic book stores. Want to read the latest thing that all of your fellow nerds will be discussing? Get yourself to your local comic book shop and support it.

Along with new issues, Marvel MAX titles are missing, likely to ensure the app maintains a 12+ rating on the Apple App and Google Play stores. Some antique and rare titles are also missing, although you never know when they will be available because they are continually scanning difficulties.

IS IT SIMPLE TO USE THE INTERFACE?

The iOS and Google Apps are both a joy to use. The entire collection is searchable, but you may also explore by writer or artist, title, character, or entire storylines. This means you can find all of the issues to which your favorite author or artist contributed. You can also search for not only prominent issues with your favorite character, but also strange and obscure issues in which they appeared.

The Reading List box is my favorite part of the interface. The team at Marvel Unlimited have compiled extensive reading lists of major and minor plot events from the past few decades. Because large crossover events with several titles can be difficult to keep track of, these lists have organized these events chronologically so that you can read each issue in the crossover in the correct order. It takes a little more clicking to achieve this because finishing one issue pushes you to read the next in that series, but it's not too difficult to press back a couple of times to get back to the reading list.

Tablets are a natural fit for reading comics because some of them approximate the original print size. If you have a larger tablet, such as an iPad Pro, the pages are even larger than in print. There is also the option to read one panel at a time, which is useful when reading on a small device such as a phone or watching a two-page splash.

Issues can also be downloaded for offline reading, which is useful if you're about to board a plane or go somewhere with spotty Wi-Fi. The apps also allow you to save content to your own library for later reading and recall what you've recently read. This includes if you, like me, switch between several programs. I can always resume from where I left off.

However, the computer interface leaves a lot to be desired. In the same way, you can search by series, character, creator, or event. Those Reading Lists are also available. This interface, however, does not allow you to store anything or remember what you were reading last. The entire experience can be confusing as well, bouncing you between the login screen and the Marvel Insider page, which is just attempting to sell you on brand-new titles that aren't on Marvel Unlimited.

Advantages of Marvel Unlimited Plus

• Thousands of comics to read A low-cost, all-you-can-read membership
• Comics do not require constant internet access to be read. Apps sync between devices and operating systems.

Disadvantages of Marvel Unlimited Plus

• It is missing the most latest releases.
• Crossovers can be difficult to read due to limited offline reading
• The online interface is perplexing.
• Disparities between operating systems
• There are no parental controls available.