Question of the Week: Is Marvel Unlimited Still Worth it in 2016?

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• Okay, it's 2022, I'm an Android user and late to comics.
  I LOVE MU. I've been using the guides and, to date, have only had to buy (via Comixology) one issue that might have been there but was totally unfindable.
  Admittedly, I'm starting from scratch and so the latest issues are not an issue (made sense in my head), but I wholeheartedly recommend this service.

• No.. Marvel Unlimited is not worth it.. and here is two good examples of why. Randomly selected content. Yes if you want to read every series since 2005 then go for it.. But most of it is unreadable crossover mega crap anyhow. There's very few good series especially with Bendis writing so much (and every one sounding exactly the same). So give me some diversity and some older comics.. not just new crap.

  https://goo.gl/photos/mP4eQe7pBF7Zbsfb8

  • There's a tremendous amount of material from before 2005 as well.

    • Now that it FINALLY tracks what you've read, it might make it easier to follow along a particular series for a while, then drop back to a different one, rather than (as I've been doing) reading everything available in order.

      It took a little while to get going, but I'm really enjoying the Nick Fury vs Shield book from 1988. The Winter Soldier film has shades of it.

      I want Nick Fury to look and sound like Sam Jackson though. Sorry for old-school Nick Fury fans LOL.

• I'm INCREDIBLY frustrated by how broken the Marvel Unlimited website is, and by the fact there's no Windows "app" version.

  The iOS version is kinda-sorta pretty decent now. It FINALLY even marks stuff as read, and lets show only read or only unread stuff. I assume that's in Android too, and I assume that that's server side, syncing what you've read.

  The website however doesn't show what you've read...if it's keeping track of that server side (please, please tell me it is...) they don't bother exposing that on the website.

  Even worse, navigation is just utterly horrific. It's pretty simple to choose a year and then sort as you like on iOS...there's ZERO ability to do that on the website.

  It's frustrating multiple times over. I'd LOVE to be able to read Marvel Unlimited on a normal PC, but I realistically can't. Even more than that, I literally have no reason to buy anything but a Surface tablet anymore EXCEPT that Marvel obnoxiously doesn't support them. I *literally* bought an iPad Pro *ONLY* because of MU support. I really, REALLY wish that when I go to replace my iPad 2 I could replace it with a Surface...

  For that matter, I wish Marvel would put MU up on Amazon's store. You'd think it wouldn't really require much work since it's basically just Android. Some of those Fire tablets are pretty decent as limited use tablets, for the price.

  As long as I'm complaining, all versions need an option to dial down brightness below a devices minimum brightness. That's SUPER common in iOS reading programs, to the point where I THOUGHT all of them supported that, but MU doesn't. (I guess what they're doing is lowering the brightness to its minimum, and then simulating lower still through making the colors darker...which does help some!)

  • Hey, yeah, the website is terrible. However, the android app is quite good, and you can get free android emulators (like http://en.bignox.com/) that make the whole experience a lot better than the web viewer. It's how I view MU on both my computer and my Windows hybrid that I take when I travel.

    Cheers!

• $69/year price??? Where is that?

• Marvel unlimited can be useful if you want to read new comic that you didn't read before.

  I start reading Spider-gwen last week, each issue cost 4$ and there 12 so far so it will cost 48$.

  But even that marvel unlimited will not gave me the last 6 issues i still get 6 issues for 10$ a month so i saved 14$ (24$ of 6 issues - 10$ monthly fee)

  I can't say how many times i gave up on read ongoing title for knowing how much it will cost.

  Right now i plan to read ms. Marvel it will cost me 83$ wow
  But with marvel it will cost me 10$ + last 6 issues price 24$ = 34 $ save 50$ so i think it great.

• Is the Marvel Unlimited website supposed to automatically save what comic you last read like the app does? It doesn't do it for me and it's really frustrating because I have to remember which issue number I last read.

  • @Bobby

    Sorry my "May 7, 2016 at 10:06 pm" post didn't help you, or my other one for that matter. And I don't know why this site doesn't show me stuff I post until after I post again. Any help with that Dave?

  • Figures.

  • @Bobby:
    It could just be that I don't have an understanding of how this site is run, but my reply should've posted by now, unless it takes more than 8 hours from posting. But, also, Apple was involved on my end, so there's that. In which case, if this post actually gets posted, then this will mostly be somewhat repeated but not exactly in the same order.

    I couldn't find anywhere on the website that looked like the app for "just read" items, after I sign in I would think it would show me that but takes me to a page to have me sign in, so can't help you there. Also just realized that my first reply that hasn't posted yet has more to do with what I said back in February. Sorry I couldn't help. Now I'm off to reply to my earlier post to announce the solution for a poorly designed app.

  • No. It's poorly structured. You're gonna have to find what works for you. I was going through "What's New" and saving everything, which grew my library to over 5,000 comics which froze my app and made it useless. I finally DID have to delete 4000 comics in order to get the app to work. It's still kinda slow but WAY better than with 5,000 in the library.

    Since there is absolutely no convenient option to delete from your library when you finish reading, the best way I found to keep my library low is I use an iPad with the Internet browser logged into my Marvel account and set the page for my library and showing 50 issues a page. Then I have the MU app open and decide which comics I want to read and put them in my "read offline" library (12 comic limit). And then, as I finish, depending on what I'm reading I have a spreadsheet app open and as I finish comics I put them in there as listed in the MU app so I can search for what I've already read. Then I go back to the browser and delete the comics from there. Much easier than scrolling through an unorganized listing in the MU app.

• MARVEL:
  While I still would love to ENJOY the app, in it's current iteration I am having too many problems. Unfortunately no one will take responsibility for the problems. If only Reed were here to show them how to do it. You tell Marvel about the problem, they blame the device OS or your internet. You tell Apple about the problem they blame the app or your internet (haven't checked it at other wi-fi spots just hotspot from phone. But still what's the point? If I did find a place that worked, what? I can only read comics sitting on a hard chair at Starbucks?) I believe I have one solution to my problem but it involves deleting my library, and I'd hate to delete 5k+ comics only to find out that's not the problem. Currently in the process, as I'm writing this, of updating the iPad with latest iOS as Marvel states to do and will see if problems persist.

  Right now the biggest problem with my app is it's not productive at all and is never consistent, if I'm especially lucky, I can make it through 2 or 3 issues before I have problems, but that's only if I have them in my offline library where the problems are still present just not as often. I can't read straight from library without having it happen often.) Not exactly sure when it started maybe a year or so ago. Basically it just keeps crashing or has a big lag in loading stuff rendering the experience unenjoyable, frustrating and practically unusable. Right now my current process is once I see that the app stops working which is at least once or twice an issue it takes so long that it's just easier to close the app and restart it. However the problem doesn't end there because if the app hangs up and you close it and restart it, then it hangs up on the app splash screen on the start up so I have to wait a few seconds before I have to close that one and start it again which then loads into the app. I have to do the same thing when adding issues to the library. I usually can only add 4 to 5 issues before it crashes and I have to do the double restart to continue adding.

  It would be nice if you could search your library to delete comics you've read since there is no "comics you've read" section in the app. Or even an option to delete it from your library once you've read it like the option to remove from offline library and if you delete it from your library have it be marked as "already read" so you don't waste time reading something over unless you want to.

  How about making the library work like the browse section where you can search for a title but also be able to sort by title a-z, release date (not that those are exactly accurate) to make it easier to select what you need to delete from your library instead of searching through your library to delete a series, finding the first issue you want to delete and then have to scroll through 40 comics until you get to the next issue to select and repeat until you select all the ones you want to delete. Just makes more sense to have a search option to make that easier. Also with the smaller series or collections like Marvel Zombies have a "delete all" option. Search Marvel Zombies. Oh, look there's Marvel Zombies Vol. 1, Vol. 2, etc. I've finished Vol. 1, let me select Vol.1 to delete all instead of having to go in and find all issues from Vol. 1.

  How about importing your Marvel app purchases into Marvel Unlimited so you know which ones you already purchased and don't end up purchasing twice, for whatever reason you would do that since mostly everything I bought on Marvel app is free in Marvel Unlimited.

  And how about the ability to subscribe to a certain issue where when new issues are added they are automatically added to your library so you don’t miss any?

  OK, so I've updated my OS to the latest and it still doesn't work. Since I'm not ready to delete 5k+ comics only to find out that still doesn't help the app. I have found another solution that does work as seamlessly as the app should but am reluctant to say it so it also doesn't suffer the same fate as the app. Just be happy I won't have to cancel my sub.

• How can I see my progress when reading on browser?
  Why the issues I read on browser doesn't show up in the mobile app?

• Hi I just read your article and I must say, I am now interested (well at least 80%) in subbing for MDCU. Just one quick question though, regarding the reading order for the events and the tie-ins, is there like an option where I can put it in order or a recommended reading order?

  • Marvel Unlimited doesn't have any sort of "custom playlist" feature in-app. That would be completely awesome, but not an option yet.

    In terms of event reading orders, within Marvel Unlimited you can filter by a pre-selected number of major events, and then MU will order those comics based on released date. So for example, if you want to read Civil War, you simply select that event, and MU will give you those comics in an order of their choosing.

    Now, on occasion, those orders don't quite match up with the chronological order of events (release date doesn't always follow story order), or they might miss a few comics. That's why you'll see all sorts of Marvel reading orders on Comic Book Herald. I recommend giving them a look as you get started.

    Enjoy the comics!

• Unfortunately, I believe that I'm not getting certain issues to download because I refuse to update the iOS on my iPad3 from the crappy iOS7 to the crappier iOS8/9. I'm sure if I did, I wouldn't have any problems getting them to download. But the problem issues appear to come through on my iPhone 5 with iOS6.1 just fine, except hard to read, but doable. So I can't really fault the Marvel service. I'd rather fault Apple for holding people hostage with forcing upgrades on older products that the new iOS's won't work on so everyone HAS to buy a new, faster iWhatever that can handle the latest iOS. So I still stand by the Marvel Unlimited service as totally worth the price.

• I've been using Android App since December of 2013, and I rarely have problems. I used on my HTC Evo, and it was tough with the screen. I still read the entire AvX event and much more on my phone. Loved every second of it.

  I side loaded on my Kindle Fire HD and that has been awesome. Every Google play update of app I would transfer new .apk to my tablet and download. Works awesome, no problems.

  I now have the HTC One M8 and I read mostly from my phone. The new landscape reading update is on point. Even for smaller phones, you can turn your phone sideways, just scroll down to read. Awesome addition.

  I read comments while in app, and people complain that specific comic won't load, yet it works fine for me. Never understood it, but I'm not complaining.

  Overall, I will continue to use this awesome app. In the whole scheme of comic world, six months is nothing. I have no problem waiting. My friends don't read comics, so it's not like I need to keep up with someone. I'm more than good.

  Marvel support is not bad. I'll check to see what comics are supposed to release every Monday. Sometimes a comic that's supposed to be there isn't. I'll throw an email, and a few days later I get a response and the comic is up.

  I recommend to everyone who loves Avengers and all that. Good starting point is Avengers vs X-Men, then Marvel Now!, All-New Marvel Now!, then Avengers Now!, which is where we're at now. Or you can wait after Secret Wars and start fresh with new Marvel Reboot All-New All-Different whatever.

  Enjoy!

  Joe

  • Great feedback, Joe, thanks for sharing!

• Hello! I had a very specific question about the Marvel Unlimited subscription: will it enable me to read all the Uncanny X-Men comics, and the surrounding titles related to the X-Men story lines and universe? If not, how could I affordably do this?
  Thank you!

  • For the most part. But there have been several times where I've run into reading Deadpool. And to see what happened during a section it said to check out X-Men #77. Went to read that one and was not available. Only went to like #50 then continued in the hundreds somewhere. But, still, for the price, I can't not pay for it. If you want every issue, check the library if everything you want to read is there. But I would just pay $9.99 once and try it for the month. But that's how I got hooked now I can't stop.

• I purchased it a year ago and never looked back. There is ALWAYS something to read, so much that it’s almost overwhelming.

  That’s where Dave here at Comic Book Herald comes in. Whenever I’m conflicted, I come here and sort out my priorities.

  I will probably be a subscriber the rest of my life unless I become rich enough to purchase physical copies… but still, the risk of ruining them!

  Also, this makes a great gift.

  Currently starting the Venom reading guide, thanks Dave!!!!

• I purchased it a year ago and never looked back. There is ALWAYS something to read, so much that it's almost overwhelming.

  That's where Dave here at Comic Book Herald comes in. Whenever I'm conflicted, I come here and sort out my priorities.

  I will probably be a subscriber the rest of my life unless I become rich enough to purchase physical copies... but still, the risk of ruining them!

  Also, this makes a great gift.

  Currently starting the Venom reading guide, thanks Dave!!!!

• It's 2015 an the Marvel Unlimited app still lacks a proper landscape mode. On comiXology I almost exclusively read in fit-to-with even though I have an iPad (the old non-retina one) because I don't have perfect vision and I like to see details.
  Also panel-view is pretty much broken on Marvel Unlimited, in almost every issue there are several panels with dialogue cut which makes it unreadable (I don't have this problem on comiXology).
  And the worst thing is that the pages are too heavy compressed.

  Yes, it's cheap and I won't cancel the service because I cannot buy every trade/omnibus out there, but Marvel Unlimited leaves much to desire.

  • While writing this I noticed that there was an update yesterday and MU now supports fit-to-width <3

    • Haha yes, it JUST happened. Haven't played with it too much yet, but the latest update appears to be significant.