As part of their SXSW2013 celebration, Marvel is offering over 700 first issue digital comics, for free. Yes, this includes X-Men, Avengers, Spider-Man and other popular characters.
You can “buy” them from either Marvel’s Digital Comic store or through Comixology.
Proof that this is a popular promotion? I couldn’t get the comic store to open online, and when I opened my ComiXology app, it gave me an error message (no Internet connection). Yes, I have a connection. Unfortunately, everyone else was trying to get their comics, and it looks like we all crashed the site.
Don’t worry. You still have until Tuesday, March 12 to grab your comics. Even geeks have to sleep sometimes, right?
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[Updated at 10 pm EST, 11-Mar-2013] Apparently this promotion was much more popular than either Marvel or ComiXology expected it would be. The unfortunate result? You’re not getting any free comics today, kid. If you visit the Marvel site and attempt to access the promotion, you’ll be directed to a blog post reading:
Marvel fans assembled in record numbers to take advantage of the landmark Marvel #1 digital comics sale! The demand has been so overwhelmingly positive, in fact, that a number of technical issues have arisen with our technology partner in getting the more than 700 free issues to each of you. When we have further updates from our partner, we will share them.
The ComiXology site offers a bit more information. Here’s what it says:
We expected a high degree of excitement for the Marvel initiative – and had believed ourselves prepared – but unfortunately we became overwhelmed by the immense response. We’re still struggling to keep our systems up. The result is that you aren’t getting your comics when and where you want. We don’t like letting you down. Our teams are working around the clock to resolve these issues so that you can have the experience you’ve come to expect.
The ComiXology site also offers a form where you can enter your email address, and receive notification when the promotion is back up and running again.
