Original Marvel Comics Going Online

An anonymous reader writes "In a tentative move onto the internet, Marvel is putting some of its older comics online Tuesday, hoping to reintroduce young people to the X-Men and Fantastic Four by showcasing the original issues in which such characters appeared. The publisher is hoping fans will be intrigued enough about the origins of those characters to shell out $9.99 a month, or $4.99 monthly with a year-long commitment. For that price, they'll be able to poke through, say, the first 100 issues of Stan Lee's 1963 creation "Amazing Spider-Man" at their leisure, along with more recent titles like "House of M" and "Young Avengers." Comics can only be viewed in a Web browser, not downloaded, and new issues will only go online at least six months after they first appear in print. Dark Horse Comics now puts its vibrant and large images of 'Dark Horse Presents' up for free viewing on its MySpace site. DC Comics has also put issues up on MySpace, and recently launched the competition-based Zuda Comics, which encourages users to rank each other's work, as a way to tap into the expanding Web comic scene."

Comments

No downloading?

[HalifaxRage]

"Comics can only be viewed in a Web browser, not downloaded" - except for the fact that they have already been downloaded. Print screen, anyone?

Hmm...

[rde]

In the long term, this is of course a good thing. However, the idea that issues 1-100 of X-Men will encourage anyone to take it up is, at best, optimistic. Let's face it; they may have been good at the time, but nowadays they're extremely dated. Of course, it does have Iceman looking like a snowman and Cyclops being called 'Slim' which might be good for a laugh, but overall I don't think they'll encourage many people.

Oh, from the article:
Even as their creations -- from Iron Man to Wonder Woman
Ahem.

Re:Hmm...

[CRCulver]

Of course, it does have ... Cyclops being called 'Slim' which might be good for a laugh, but overall I don't think they'll encourage many people.

See? Cyclops was called "Slim" and he wore shades, predating that great alter-ego of your rap hero Eminem by almost four decades. </pathetic-attempt-to-make-1960s-pop-culture-relavant-to-today's-youth>

Re:Hmm...

[GammaKitsune]

As a member of today's youth, I can assure you that most of us who visit /. find 1960's pop culture far more stimulating than Eminem.

Re:Comics will be on Bittorrent anyway

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but what will make Marvel stand above the bittorrent traffic is that you can view comics in mint condition whereas you can only get good to fair condition comics from bittorrent.

Human Torch, meet Server Torch

[$RANDOMLUSER]

Hey, True Believers, the response to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited has been so overwhelming, we're just doing a bit of routine maintenance to make sure you have a great experience! We'll be back shortly. Thank you, Marvel.com.

Flame on!

Re:Can't Be Downloaded?

[Sciros]

The comics sucking too much for anyone to bother.

Re:Can't Be Downloaded?

[Funkcikle]

What's to stop people from screenshotting the pages and placing them into a pdf?

A visit from Dr.DMCA and his sidekick Kopyright Kid, of course.

Re:Comics will be on Bittorrent anyway

[somersault]

Comic book guy, is that you??!

My new comic book villain

[Anonymous Coward]

Is this anti-hero called StanLee Man, he gives artists a very basic idea and takes all the credit for their work. Does anyone think Marvell will be interested?

Re:Comics will be on Bittorrent anyway

[Anonymous Coward]

Marvel should have a Photoshop-style Mint, Good and Fair filter to degrade the content according to the subscription price...