Marvel Shutting Down Their Digital Comic Website

Marvel Comics seems to be streamlining their digital comic presence. They sent out an email notifying users that “the Marvel Digital Comics Shop at comicstore.marvel.com will be closing on June 2, 2020.” The associated help file has more detail: Digital comic purchases should be made through the Marvel Comics app for iOS or Android or through ComiXology.com. Basically, the Marvel website where you can buy and read online comics won’t be supported after this month. Also,

preorders and series subscription will not be available on the Marvel Comics App. All preorders and series subscriptions for digital comic and collections on the Marvel Digital Comics Shop released after 6/1/20 will be canceled. Preorders and series subscriptions of Marvel digital comics will still be available at www.comixology.com and purchases can be read in the Marvel Comics App if your Marvel account is synced to a comiXology account.

I haven’t been following how many Marvel employees have been laid off or furloughed during this pandemic, so I don’t know if lack of people to support the technology is a factor, but this strikes me as similar to a publisher wanting to get out of the subscription mailing business in the old days. If you’ve got a vendor willing to handle the hassle for you, let them do it.