2014 in Review has ended, but there are still tons of things Multiversity’s staff loved in comics from the year. As we approach the end of the year, Multiversity’s staff will share one thing a day they loved from the year, highlighting anything from a comic, creator, cover, comic shop, app, or anything really. As long as it involved comics, it can be featured. We hope you enjoy.
In 2014, I had a bit of a change in my reading experience. While I still enjoy Marvel Comics, particularly some of the non main thread books (“Ms. Marvel”, “She-Hulk”, “Superior Foes of Spider-Man”), I’ve come to the realization that a lot of my favorite comics from them aren’t the ones from today, but the ones from years past. I’ve had a great time reading new favorites or catching up on classics, and I’ve done it without having to pull a single book out of a longbox. How did I do that? Well, I said hello to my new best friend: Marvel Unlimited.
Originally launched in November of 2007, this app collects thousands and thousands of old Marvel comics into one place either for reading on the cloud or for downloading up to 12 titles at a time to read offline. It collects everything from newer titles – new releases are added in six months after their release – to classic runs, as the app features the beginnings of books like “X-Men”, “Fantastic Four”, “Avengers” and more, and it’s either for $9.99 a month or $69 a year.
For me, this means I can read damn near anything I can think of on a whim, and that is something I do. Always wanted to read Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee’s “Thor: The Mighty Avenger”? Oh, hey, it’s on there! Just watched “Guardians of the Galaxy” and want to reread the “Annihilation Conquest: Star Lord” mini that set all that off? Let’s do it! Yearning to read Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s supremely awesome “Old Man Logan” story despite the character’s death? Marvel Unlimited! It’s an amazing tool to catch up on comics from throughout the 75 years of the company.
I’ve loved doing that this year, and it’s become my favorite place to read Marvel’s comics despite the fact that I only read them on my smart phone (which, admittedly, is not the best possible experience). Of course, that might change soon, as I asked Santa (crossing my fingers!) for an iPad Air to read them on, which I have to imagine will make my love affair with the app all the more torrid, especially with grand plans of reading the entirety of “Uncanny X-Men” in the new year.
If you have a tablet or smart phone and are an avid Marvel fan, I wouldn’t say this is something you should check out. I’d say this is pretty much a necessity, as it packs the history of the House of Ideas into one glorious app. Sure, there are some parts of runs that are spotty and its read offline mode isn’t nearly as good as it could or likely should be, but for the person who wants to read old favorites without diving into a metric ton of longboxes (perhaps literally), this is something you need in your life. I know it has made my comic reading experience in 2014 all the better, and I for one would love to see a similar option from other publishers, especially DC.
