As we reported yesterday, Marvel Comics is now the final major comic book publisher to suspend the release of digital copies due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. With Diamond currently unable to print physical comic books, retailers (most of whom have been forced to close anyway) have nothing to sell, so making comics available digitally could prove disastrous for them.
Now, we have no idea when things might change, but both Marvel and DC Comics have alluded to eventually releasing titles on their own apps and comiXology depending what happens moving forward. With this pandemic eating into most of 2020, chances are that will eventually take place too.
In the meantime, however, Marvel has today confirmed that from now until April 7th, the Marvel Digital Comics Shop is holding a storewide By One Get One Free sale. It appears as if this purchases will need to be made through their website rather than the app, though, as fans are being told to use the code MARVEL2020 at the checkout to take advantage of this offer.
"Check out the current critically acclaimed runs of your favorite Marvel heroes!" reads the official press release. "Witness Matt Murdock’s struggles as guardian of Hell’s Kitchen in DAREDEVIL by Chip Zdarsky, see what’s new with Spider-Man in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN by Nick Spencer, and dive in to an all-new era for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in AVENGERS by Jason Aaron."
"Looking to escape to a galaxy far, far away? Learn startling revelations about the Skywalker saga with STAR WARS: THE RISE OF KYLO REN, a four-issue series chronicling Ben Solo’s tragic path to becoming Kylo Ren," it adds.
This is definitely a pretty cool offer, but a lot of fans remain annoyed and disappointed at the decision to not release digital copies of new titles in a time when we could all do with some escapism.