Marvel Unlimited — the company’s all-you-can-read subscription comics service — is getting overhauled today with a new logo, an updated app, a more streamlined design, improved search, and more.
And as part of the relaunch, Marvel is also announcing an addition to the service: “Infinity Comics,” a new line of exclusive comics that have been specifically designed for the vertical form factor of a modern smartphone, with scrolling panels that fill the entire width of a phone or tablet screen.
Marvel is investing big on Infinity Comics, too. It’ll launch with 27 comics available today, with plans for over 100 by the end of the year. Infinity Comics will be exclusive to Marvel Unlimited subscribers, but they’ll be fully in-universe (meaning that anyone who wants to keep up on the full adventures of Marvel’s superheroes will want to make sure to check them out).
There are some big names attached to the project, including the Jonathan Hickman-led X-Men Unlimited and Skottie Young’s Giant-Size Little Marvels. Infinity Comics will also feature new Captain America, Black Widow, Amazing Fantasy, Deadpool, Shang-Chi, and Venom / Carnage comics, with plans to roll out new issues on a weekly basis. For now, Infinity Comics are only available on the Marvel Unlimited apps on iOS and Android, although the company plans to add a web reader for subscribers in the future, too.
While Infinity Comics are the biggest change, Marvel Unlimited is also getting a fresh design to go with it. The design is an almost Netflix-style look that features a big marquee for major events and tie-ins, scrolling carousels of recommended content, storylines, characters, and creators, and new reading guides for guiding newcomers to comics or for following a crossover event. The Marvel Insider loyalty program is also now integrated into the app, where members can earn points for starting (and finishing) comics.
The relaunched app also aims to make browsing and following comics and creators easier and more enjoyable. Starting today, subscribers will be able to locally download an unlimited number of comics, instead of the previous limit of just 12 issues. Users will also be able to save an entire series or run of issues to their libraries with one tap, instead of having to laboriously save individual issues.
Another major addition is the ability to follow specific comics, creators, or characters. If you’re a fan of Al Ewing’s Immortal Hulk line, for example, you’ll be able to follow Ewing and get notified whenever he has new books out on the app. Or if you want to keep up with every Spider-Man comic, you’ll be able to follow the character and easily find whenever there’s a new book available.
As of today, Marvel Unlimited features over 29,000 comics and costs $9.99 a month or $69 a year, which makes it a pretty good deal for Marvel fans looking to read absolutely every Marvel comic. That said, despite the relaunch, Marvel is still keeping the service’s biggest caveat: it operates on a three-month delay from when comics are first published in print and digital to when they’re available for subscribers in the app.
In addition to the redesign, Marvel Unlimited is including a new subscription tier. The “annual plus” subscription costs $99 year and has a few extra perks, including membership kits, promises of in-person event invites, and a 10-percent discount code at Disney’s online shop.