rocket1312

I don't know if anyone is aware of this, but Scribd (an e-book subscription site) added comics to their library this month. They've got stuff from Marvel, Archie, Valiant, IDW, BOOM!, and Dynamite. Their Marvel selection isn't nearly as comprehensive as Marvel Unlimited, but they do have some stuff that MU doesn't have. This is because in addition to some single issues, Scribd mostly carries collected editions. For example, there are a couple of older X-Men trades available on Scribd that obviously include the entire storyline whereas MU only has the Uncanny X-Men issues available. It also makes reading the crossover stories easier because all of the issues are in order and you don't have to jump around from series to series.

I'm not too familiar with the other publishers so I can't say what is and what isn't missing. I do know that I've already loaded up my queue with the original Laird/Eastman Ninja Turtles, the original Marvel Transformers, the Parker novels, and John Byrne's Next Men. I'll probably jump into the new revamped Valiant at some point as well. Oh, and I should mention that it should be pretty easy to find a free 3 month trial (normally $9 a month) with a quick google search. I haven't tried the Android app yet, so I can't comment on how it compares to Comixology or MU or Kindle, but I'm happy to give it a whirl for a couple of months for free.

Marvel Unlimited is what has gotten me back into comics this past year. Despite its flaws I think it's the best thing to happen to comics in a long time. That said, I do wish I could read non Marvel stuff once in a while without bleeding my wallet dry. It looks like Scribd might be just the thing to compliment MU. Of course DC and Image still have yet to buy in. I don't really expect Image to go the subscription route (they make too much money on trade sales), but DC's got to budge at some point? Right? Hopefully Scribd will have some success and others will follow suit.

Trevor

I really hope to be able to enjoy this someday. But even if I stopped buying today, I have enough unread purchased content to last a decade. Why pay to rent when I should enjoy what I've already paid for?

And even without the current collection, half the charm of the hobby for me is the collecting aspects. Just reading it isn't enough, I need to own it.

But still, part of me would love a brain transplant and to get rid of everything and just use the public libraries and these two streaming services.

rocket1312

I can understand the need to own, but the cost of comics just isn't justifiable to me. Even dollar issues from Comixology is too much. There are series that I love (and own in multiple formats) that I've never read more than once. Over the last 9 months or so I've read hundreds of comics on Marvel Unlimited. Plenty of it was stuff that at one point I was convinced I needed to own. And you know what? As soon as I was done reading it I no longer cared about owning. I just wanted to get to the next story. Obviously Trevor, in your case, there's no going back. Like you said, you already bought the stuff. There's no reason to pay again just to rent, but for anyone else out there on the fence on digital subscription, I can't recommend it enough.

Trevor

They really are a good deal; MU, Scribd, and video streaming services like Netflix.

If I could do my life over again, I'd avoid ownership of 'things' and just use public libraries and streaming services for all my books, comics, and movies.

I'd use the tens of thousands of dollars I'd save on unique experiences like vacations and conventions and signed art.

But yeah, too late for me. My OCD is firmly in place and I'm all about the minutia of collecting.

Spiderbite

So are these old comics or recently released comics?

rocket1312

Some old. Some new. It's kind of hard to say because the organization of it all is kind of non-existent. At the very least I know some of the Valiant stuff goes through this past summer. There's also a couple of issues of Walter Simonson's Ragnarok which are from this past fall.

Trevor

Anyone use Scribd?

Their $10 a month premium membership includes a bunch of perks that appear to make it a really good value. Reminds me of the once killer deal streaming bundle VRV.

you get:
TuneIn Premium
Mubi
CuriosityStream
conTV +comics
a d a couple other services


https://www.scribd.com/perks