Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Watcha reading on Marvel Unlimited?

I recently subscribed to Marvel Unlimited. I paid 70 bucks for a year, which works out to less than 6 dollars per month, and for my money, I get access to 15,000 or so comics. I doubt if I'll ever buy another Marvel comic or trade or even get one from the library since they are all accessible on my phone.

What am I reading now? I started with FF and Avengers and X-Men from day 1. MU seems to have complete runs of these, although some annuals are sadly absent. I also am occasionally reading Journey Into Mystery and Tales To Astonish and Tales Of Suspense, also from the beginning.

There is so much here, and I love this app! I have read some negative reviews - such as download problems, and the fact that some series are incomplete (such as Daredevil and Defenders.) I haven't had any download problems, and I am getting so much for my money I am finding it hard to complain about what isn't there.

I hope DC doesn't follow suit and come out with a similar app, because then I'd never get anything done...

Seriously? Am I the only person who subscribed to this?

Ok, I basically started reading X-Men and Avengers and FF from day 1. Then I realized, there is a lot of stuff I have never read before, like Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man stories) and Journey into Mystery (Thor) and Strange Tales (Human Torch) and Tales of Suspense (Iron Man.)

Basically, I read all the comics for a given year (Right now I am working on 1963.) After that, I'll read all the Marvel comics I am interested in that were published in 1964.

Interesting (possibly stupid) thing about Strange Tales. Johnny Storm has a secret identity! However, he lives with his sister, and everyone knows she is the Invisible Girl, yet no one is supposed to know he is the Human Torch. I don't think they really thought that one through...

Still loving Marvel Unlimited...

Oh, and one complaint (my transistors are drained I need to recharge) about the early Iron Man (my transistors are drained I need to recharge) stories. They (my transistors are drained I need to recharge) seem to have Tony (my transistors are drained I need to recharge) whining about something, but I've (my transistors are drained I need to recharge) forgotten what it (my transistors are drained I need to recharge) is...

I love the idea of reading all the Marvel books from a given year!

MU does let you look at all of the titles that were released in a given year, which is a nice feature. I started reading Sgt. Fury's Howling Commandos, but I just can't get into war comics.

At first, I was reading some off the off-beat titles from the beginning, such as Journey Into Mystery and Tales to Astonish and Tales of Suspense. The stories were mostly in the horror genre, and also didn't appeal to me, so I skipped to where those magazines started with their superhero stories.

The most fun thing about this is seeing the first appearances of our heroes and villains. It's pretty cool seeing how everything started.

It amazes me how many people got their powers from radioactivity. There must have been fissionable material on everybody's coffee tables back in the '60's.

I was certainly surprised to find out that Daredevil got his abilities by being hit by a radioactive truck...

I've also noticed, if it weren't for flagpoles, half of the Marvel heroes would have gone splat at some point...

I've been using this app for a few months, and am now better qualified to give an accurate assessment. (Interpretation - I'm gonna whine.)

There are download issues. Sometimes, I go to download the book I want, and it just won't. No big deal, I download something else, then try again later. And then it works. I don't change devices or location or servers, it just works then.

Also, awhile back all of my "recently read" books disappeared. I have no idea why. I am reading through Marvel, year by year, so it wasn't tough to find where I was in all the books I had in my "recent" list, but it was annoying.

Also, I bought a tablet. Much easier to read than on my phone, but....none of the stuff on my "homepage" is there. I guess that information is saved on each device, and not on the server? This is really stupid, btw.

Currently, I am reading through 1966. Really fun reading the old stories, and am enjoying it a lot. I do really like the app, and the price, but there certainly are some flaws.

Oh, and I want to mention one of the high points. There is an early Thor story, and the villain is the Absorbing Man. Then, he could absorb (duplicate?) other's powers as well. Anyway, Crusher Creel ends up in Asgard, and starts absorbing power from everyone. He kicked a lot of Asgardian butt, and it was great. It took Odin to take him down, though.

Honestly, I really don't understand why Odin is often proclaimed to be all-wise, when he seems like a big jerk most of the time.

The biggest bully gets to pick the titles.

Thanks for the update Lance. I've had mixed digital experiences, and hadn't tried this one.

Thoth, what other digital services have you tried?

Honestly, I'm astonished that DC hasn't come out with a similar app, but then, I don't know if Marvel is making much money on this either.

I've been using a book service called Scribd, which is not a "comics" service per se, but recently signed a deal with Marvel and some smaller publishers to offer some of their material. Most of the Marvel stuff that I've read so far has been kind of recent but there's a handful of old stuff on there. Since I have basically not been actively reading comics for several years it's been kind of nice getting back to it. I'm not really thrilled about a lot of what I've been reading but there's been some pleasant surprises too. It sounds like it has a comparable problem with the Marvel service, which is that it can be very frustrating attempting to start a new book. Sometimes it times out several times before it actually works.

So, I've been reading the Marvel stuff for awhile, and am now up to 1972!

Here are some random thoughts. As if I have any other kind...

The first issue of Luke Cage was quite good! I wish they had more of these, but there's only one issue on the app.

I try to read all of the titles in a given year, but some I just have no interest in. Like Captain Marvel. Or Dr. Strange - I have never liked mystical heroes because their powers are so poorly defined.

I actually read Night Nurse, and didn't hate it. There was too much cheesecake for something that was supposed to be about female empowerment, though.

I am a little sick of the preachy stuff. There are a lot of stories in the early 70s about racism and sexism and I am unconvinced that I want those issues addressed (constantly) in my comic stories - especially in such a heavy-handed manner.

I have also decided that I don't care much for Gerry Conway's stories. I know he was being taken advantage of, and was writing a bazillion books a month, but that still doesn't make me like the writing. His stuff sounds so...well, like this:

"You can make the salad, Tony Stark, but after you've cut all the carrots, and there are no more carrots, what will you do then? WHAT WILL YOU DO THEN???"

I dunno. Maybe some Italian dressing? Far too melodramatic for me. Yes, I am aware I am (probably) more sophisticated at 51 than I was at 12, but still, it's a bit much.

By and large. though, still loving this app. I can't believe I have more comics on my phone than in my basement.

I read an interview by Levitz (when he was still in charge) that DC wouldn't do this unless they found a way to monetize it.
I'm not sure how profitable Marvel finds it.

I do know that my local comics shop is pissed about it - and, as a result, they give more attention to DC, Image and indy books.

I started Marvel Unlimited as a post-divorce Christmas gift to myself. I really got into it for awhile, but I haven't looked at it in a couple months. Marvel Unlimited is better curated than Comixology but I've been focused on other projects - and the comics seem to be suffering.

Ya know, I've wondered how much digital is impacting the brick-and-mortar comic book shops. Does anyone have any input?

As far as I'm concerned, if they're willing to give me all the comics I can read for about 6 bucks per month, my business is theirs. It's like putting crab Rangoon on a Chinese food buffet. Crazy, but I don't have any problem taking advantage of it.

Ok, now I'm reading 1974. Here are some random thoughts.

Thunderbolt Ross just was not portrayed as being terribly bright. He has gone up against the Hulk time and time again, and yet...

He KNOWS how effective bullets and bombs and stuff are against the Hulk, and he knows that gas is very effective. Then, a few issues later, he's fighting the Hulk with bullets and bombs again. Seriously, T-Bolt, think about it for a minute.

I have never been a Dr. Strange fan. I've never liked mystical heroes. However, there is a run of Dr. Strange that started in 1974. I always read the first issue in a series, even if I think I'm gonna hate it, and I'm glad I did. This issue was exceptional, in both story and art. I don't know if it maintains the quality of the first issue, but I'm going to find out.

I skipped over the Captain Marvel series that started in 1968. I went back and decided to give it a shot. It is actually very good!

By and large, still loving the Marvel Unlimited app. I typically read at least 1 comic per day, so it still seems like quite a good deal to me. I could be their spokesmodel...