Digital Comics and those Marvel Redemption Codes
When I first started buying comics the idea of digital comics just seemed odd to me. I get it, I do and I read e-books because they're convenient so why not do the same for comics? There are drawbacks to this which I'm sure are obvious. Comics are hard to read on a tiny screen and are better suited for a tablet or laptop. I stil wasn't on board until I signed up on Comixology, Marvel and even DC. The sales. If you don't know what I'm talking about let me tell you about the amazing sales that exist from these guys. If you read comics at all you should go the digital route. Trades are expensive, but once in a while I stumble across sales that are too good to pass up. I got the entire trade collection of Metal digitally for ten bucks. The entire collection. When you go digital sometimes there are some classic trades that allow newer readers to check out classic series, or characters cheap. When I go out and take my tablet with me I have a ton of comics at the ready if I get bored. I'm not lugging around comics in my bag or running the risk of damaging them by taking them out of their long boxes. I like to alternate between real books and comics so having my tablet loaded with books is important because sometimes you don't want to have random conversations with strangers.
I now have a Chromebook Flip and I love it because I have the option of using it as a lap top or a tablet. It's a bit too large to use as a tablet for long, but comics look real good on its large HD screen. I'm a writer too so having this portable piece of tech makes it easier to write and I can take it wherever I go. The point here is that for me reading digital just adds to my collection. When I can snag Crisis on Infinite Earths for less than five bucks, I'm going to buy it. When you read digital, the sales are too numerous to mention. Using Comixology for all things digital is really all you need. You can read stuff from almost every publisher and they even offer digital only exclusives. I hear what you're saying. "It's not the same man, you can't hold the book in your hand so it doesn't count." It does though. Imagine the space you would have to clear for all those trades you just picked up digitally? I have a huge collection. Huge. Having some of this in digital format is just way easier than owning them in their printed dead tree forms.
If you're still on the fence about going digital just take a look at those places that offer digital titles. There are some freebies too just to get your toes wet in the digital pool. It's not meant to replace your local comic book store. It's just a way to add more stuff and is used in addition to the printed comics we all know and love. We need our local stores so for me to go all digital makes no sense and it should never be an option. If you read comics, you probably have a pull list so going all digital wouldn't help you anyway. You're going to miss a lot of great books and worst of all. there are a lot of awesome comic book covers that are begging to be seen by you and others.
Now, here's where people are going to tell me I've lost my mind, and sure, it's a possibility. Marvel offeres up something called the Marvel Insider. What I like about this is that they offer points that you can use to redeem for stuff like digital comics. In your Marvel comic you'll find a little sticker that you can peel off and you have a free digital copy of the comic you bought. By redeeming that code you get 200 points and a digital comic. I have a lot of comics in my pull that are Marve titles l so I get a lot of points. Now, I also realize that most comic readers are on the verge of having a stroke because I just peeled off the sticker. Am I lowering the value of my comic by doing this? Maybe, but I like the fact that I have digital copies of my Marvel issues no matter where I am. It makes no sense to buy 15 Marvel books and not get the points. Am I the only one that does this? Sometimes, I get five hundred points just for buying a title I planned on buying anyway so I win!
Would I do this if there was a digital offer for my Batman #89 or 90? No, and I don't redeem the codes for the variant covers. I'm not a total psychopath and have to draw the line somewhere. If you know a comic is going to be worth money odds are, you want to keep it as pristine as possible. Keep your sticker intact and buy a second copy. I do. Most of the time I buy both the variant and regular cover anyway. The digital copies are a great way to take your comics with you if you're on vacation or have a few minutes to kill at the coffee shop. It makes me wonder though if those digital copies I've used my points on are worth the removal of a sticker. I'm pretty sure other people do ti because I've vought a few comics with the codes removed. I also have forgotten to redeem codes and they've expired.
What it comes down to when it comes to the digital codes is do what you want. It's your comic, you paid for it so why would you listen to what people tell you anyway? The codes are meant to be redeemed and it's a great thing that Marvel does. It's like a hug and a handshake from a trusted friend. When it comes to comics we all do different things. We should be bagging and boarding our stuff but I get that some people don't because they don't want to. People don't like the coldness of digital comics while others only buy digital. When I started collecting I wasn't even a big fan of Marvel but over the last two years I have to admit they're killing it. There is a bit of overkill (House and Powers of X I'm looking at you), but as a comic fan and reader I am digging all the cool options I'm given as a fan.
With these other options and offers it's giving everyone a chance to read comcs which is great right? As society progresses we move further and further from the printed word on slabs of dead trees. New readers are discovering comics through the digital stuff and those awesome 100 pagers from Wal-mart. I remember people lost their minds when those came out, but I went out searching for them and now get them from my local comic book shop. Those 100 pagers are awesome and feature new stories mixed in with the old content. For collectors there's at least a reason to check these out even if you already own the issues the stories are pulled from.
Digital is not the devil and if you redeem those codes for a free issue you're not a monster. You're allowing your collection some alone time. If you have an entire run of Daredevil those digital issues are easier to pull up on a tablet than it is to pull fhem from longboxes. When people read this I'm sure they'll flip a little when they discover I'm a reader of comics and collect just for the fun of it. I know my budget so I'll never own those rare expensive graded comics so I read what I like but I also take care of them. There's nothing I like more than discovering more people out there who not only collect comics but actually read them too.
I now have a Chromebook Flip and I love it because I have the option of using it as a lap top or a tablet. It's a bit too large to use as a tablet for long, but comics look real good on its large HD screen. I'm a writer too so having this portable piece of tech makes it easier to write and I can take it wherever I go. The point here is that for me reading digital just adds to my collection. When I can snag Crisis on Infinite Earths for less than five bucks, I'm going to buy it. When you read digital, the sales are too numerous to mention. Using Comixology for all things digital is really all you need. You can read stuff from almost every publisher and they even offer digital only exclusives. I hear what you're saying. "It's not the same man, you can't hold the book in your hand so it doesn't count." It does though. Imagine the space you would have to clear for all those trades you just picked up digitally? I have a huge collection. Huge. Having some of this in digital format is just way easier than owning them in their printed dead tree forms.
If you're still on the fence about going digital just take a look at those places that offer digital titles. There are some freebies too just to get your toes wet in the digital pool. It's not meant to replace your local comic book store. It's just a way to add more stuff and is used in addition to the printed comics we all know and love. We need our local stores so for me to go all digital makes no sense and it should never be an option. If you read comics, you probably have a pull list so going all digital wouldn't help you anyway. You're going to miss a lot of great books and worst of all. there are a lot of awesome comic book covers that are begging to be seen by you and others.
Now, here's where people are going to tell me I've lost my mind, and sure, it's a possibility. Marvel offeres up something called the Marvel Insider. What I like about this is that they offer points that you can use to redeem for stuff like digital comics. In your Marvel comic you'll find a little sticker that you can peel off and you have a free digital copy of the comic you bought. By redeeming that code you get 200 points and a digital comic. I have a lot of comics in my pull that are Marve titles l so I get a lot of points. Now, I also realize that most comic readers are on the verge of having a stroke because I just peeled off the sticker. Am I lowering the value of my comic by doing this? Maybe, but I like the fact that I have digital copies of my Marvel issues no matter where I am. It makes no sense to buy 15 Marvel books and not get the points. Am I the only one that does this? Sometimes, I get five hundred points just for buying a title I planned on buying anyway so I win!
Would I do this if there was a digital offer for my Batman #89 or 90? No, and I don't redeem the codes for the variant covers. I'm not a total psychopath and have to draw the line somewhere. If you know a comic is going to be worth money odds are, you want to keep it as pristine as possible. Keep your sticker intact and buy a second copy. I do. Most of the time I buy both the variant and regular cover anyway. The digital copies are a great way to take your comics with you if you're on vacation or have a few minutes to kill at the coffee shop. It makes me wonder though if those digital copies I've used my points on are worth the removal of a sticker. I'm pretty sure other people do ti because I've vought a few comics with the codes removed. I also have forgotten to redeem codes and they've expired.
What it comes down to when it comes to the digital codes is do what you want. It's your comic, you paid for it so why would you listen to what people tell you anyway? The codes are meant to be redeemed and it's a great thing that Marvel does. It's like a hug and a handshake from a trusted friend. When it comes to comics we all do different things. We should be bagging and boarding our stuff but I get that some people don't because they don't want to. People don't like the coldness of digital comics while others only buy digital. When I started collecting I wasn't even a big fan of Marvel but over the last two years I have to admit they're killing it. There is a bit of overkill (House and Powers of X I'm looking at you), but as a comic fan and reader I am digging all the cool options I'm given as a fan.
With these other options and offers it's giving everyone a chance to read comcs which is great right? As society progresses we move further and further from the printed word on slabs of dead trees. New readers are discovering comics through the digital stuff and those awesome 100 pagers from Wal-mart. I remember people lost their minds when those came out, but I went out searching for them and now get them from my local comic book shop. Those 100 pagers are awesome and feature new stories mixed in with the old content. For collectors there's at least a reason to check these out even if you already own the issues the stories are pulled from.
Digital is not the devil and if you redeem those codes for a free issue you're not a monster. You're allowing your collection some alone time. If you have an entire run of Daredevil those digital issues are easier to pull up on a tablet than it is to pull fhem from longboxes. When people read this I'm sure they'll flip a little when they discover I'm a reader of comics and collect just for the fun of it. I know my budget so I'll never own those rare expensive graded comics so I read what I like but I also take care of them. There's nothing I like more than discovering more people out there who not only collect comics but actually read them too.
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