Marvel Free Digital Codes Program Changing Drastically

[bralinator]

In fact, it's no longer worthy bothering with, in my opinion.

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/01/06 ... s-instead/

Essentially, as it stands today, whenever you buy a floppy of a Marvel book, you got a code to redeem a digital copy of the same book so you could sell the book or the digital code or just read the book on your table or smart device and bag & board the book. Now, the complimentary copy of the book you bought, will no longer be offered, instead it will be a copy of a the first issue of a book they are promoting a trade for that week. So any Marvel book you buy the first of February week, all the digital codes inside will be for Civil War II #0 and Logan #1, in order to promote the print trades coming out that month. The next week, the codes will be for the next trade Marvel is promoting.

So, it used to be “$3.99 buys you a 22-page comic plus a free digital download of that issue.” Then it turned into “$4.99 buys you a 20-page comic plus a free digital download of that issue.” Now it's turned into “$4.99 (or sometimes $5.99) buys you a 20-22-page comic plus a free digital download of an issue you've already read or never wanted to."

Do you think it's a smart marketing scheme? Rather than re-reading the book you just bought, they're encouraging you to read something ELSE that will force you to buy MORE to finish that story. How many people are supplementing their buying habits by selling those digital codes? And some people were rationalizing Marvel's higher price points by considering the free digital code part of the bargain.

What is Marvel thinking? Anyone see this differently? I'd like to hear other opinions on it.

https://news.marvel.com/comics/57835/ma ... al-comics/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowit ... c0de53e702

[JohnMayo]

Wow. Not a smart move.

[erickowabunga]

Please, everyone, give your feedback on this. It is very important that not only Marvel receive your feedback, but that retailers hear your feedback as well. Those of us that are members of the ComicsPro group meet annually with the publishers and distributors to talk about what is working and what doesn't work. Believe it or not, Rebirth was in some part spawned by these very meetings - retailers stating that consumers did not like the direction the books/stories were headed.

The more examples of why certain portions of the industry cause pain for the end consumer, the easier we can hope to affect change.

[drew]

I guess marvel is saying you are paying 399 from other publishers and not getting a digital copy so why should they provide one