The ComiXology app is going away in December, but the company will remain. Is the original Beast returning in the pages of Marvel‘s X-Force? More Free Comic Book Day titles have been revealed.
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Episode Transcript:
ComiXology App going away.
Original Beast returning?
Free Comic Book Day titles revealed.
This is Comic Book Club News for November 16, 2023.
ComiXology App Going Away In December:
Users of ComiXology, an app that once upon a time dominated online comic book sales, were probably alarmed at the email Amazon sent on Tuesday, November 14 to users of the service. ComiXology has merged with Kindle, and the app will officially go away on December 4.
It’s not all bad news, though. ComiXology will still have a dedicated webpage on Amazon for the time being. ComiXology Originals will continue to be published. And if you subscribe to ComiXology Unlimited, you’ll still be able to use the service. The big change is the mobile app, which will move your ComiXology library to a “Comics & Manga” tab on the Kindle app.
In addition, Kindle has added several features including the ability to hide titles, or group issues, volumes, and omnibuses of the same series together.
A statement from ComiXology’s General Manager Jeff DiBartolomeo provided to The Beat gives some of the reasoning behind the change. Specifically, 93% of Amazon users who read and purchase graphic novels and comic books already use Kindle, not ComiXology. So why keep two apps around when one is infinitely more popular?
And besides, it’s not like ComiXology is going away entirely, it’s just being whittled down into an anemic version of its former self, which is exactly the sort of thing massive businesses like Amazon love. Oh wait, hold on. Uhoh.
Is The Original Beast Returning In X-Force?
Just in time for certain theatrical movies, the old-school, fun-loving version of X-Men character Beast might be returning to comics. In what Marvel is calling a “character redefining turn for X-Men icon Beast,” at least on the cover of X-Force #49 it looks like the classic look is coming back to the House of Ideas.
Here’s the solicit text, via Marvel: “In a simpler time, the bounding Beast partnered up with Avenger Wonder Man! But after Beast’s fall from grace, is there any chance these two can see eye to eye? In a last desperate attempt to take down Beast, witness the return of…Beast?!”
The issue is written by Benjamin Percy, with art by Robert Gill, and continues the story that is currently being told in issues of the title that have essentially turned the jokey academic into a mass murdering war criminal. In fact, in recent arcs, Beast has not only cloned himself, a la Age of Apocalypse character Dark Beast but also created a small army of feral Wolverines.
So how will Beast be redeemed? And are we really getting Beast and Wonder Man back together? Or does Percy have one last twist of the knife for X-Men fans? We’ll have to find out when the issue hits stores on February 21.
Free Comic Book Day Titles Announced:
It’s still not May, but news about Free Comic Book Day is coming fast and furious. We already knew that Marvel would be highlighting their upcoming Blood Hunt event, but now we know all the titles on the Gold Tier, aka the top tier of sponsorship which was selected by the Free Comic Book Day selection committee.
Titles include the aforementioned Blood Hunt book from Marvel, which will be paired with a preview of the X-Men‘s new status quo. The publisher will also release a paired Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man book debuting a new hero, and the return of the Green Goblin. Meanwhile, DC Comics will release a book, but right now its contents are TBA.
Some other intriguing offerings include BOOM! Studios’ The Worlds of James Tynion IV, which will reprint some of his horror stories. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book from IDW that promises a “new era” for the turtles. Transformers & G.I. Joe: Welcome to the Energon Universe will tell three new stories from the titular titles, as well as Void Rivals. And Papercutz will release Disney’s Encanto & Turning Red: The New Adventures, which is sure to be a hit with the kids.
There’s plenty more to come as we head towards the May 4 event. For a sneak peek, check out Diamond’s Previews catalog, on sale on November 22.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And Amazon would never do anything bad… Right?
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