Nerds At Home: SDCC 2011 Coverage – Marvel’s day-and-date initiative.
Starting in August, with the beginning of the #SpiderIsland story arc, Marvel plan on making more of their monthly titles day-and-date digital. For those who aren’t so in the know, day-and-date means that a title gets released (legally) digital the same day as it’s released in your local comic shop.
Earlier this year, DC announced that their 52 new #1’s would have a day-and-date release. Marvel seems to have their own initiative.
All of #SpiderIsland will be available day-and-date digital, from the main story in Amazing Spider-man, to the tie-ins. Marvel have also stated that later in the year, around November, X-men titles will also be going day-and-date. New X-men titles are launching after the Schism storyline. It seems like Marvel will either make these new, relaunched, #1’s day-and-date, or beginning the release at the start of the second story arc.
A quote from Marc Storm, Assistant Editor for Marvel.com:
We’re not just throwing the day-and-dates out there, the initiative will synch up with new story-arcs.
Also part of Marvel’s digital comics initiative includes the eventual day-and-date release of The Avengers titles, around the time the movie hits next summer.