Marvel Comics' Axel Alonso: New App Augments Reality [Video]
Marvel comic book heroes are jumping off the page with some new digital features. — Marvel Entertainment, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Co., is adding augmented reality to its comics using a new “Marvel AR” app for iOS or Android …
Context & Ripple Effects
Marvel had already brought its catalog to the iPhone in 2009 and offered an iPad reading experience in 2010. The new app builds on that early iPhone distribution by making the mobile device part of the comic experience rather than only a reading surface.
It also arrives after mobile augmented reality gained attention as a handset capability, giving Marvel Entertainment a cross-platform use case for iOS and Android.
First-order effects
- Marvel Comics readers on iOS and Android gain augmented-reality features tied to Marvel comics through the Marvel AR app.
- Marvel Entertainment must support comic releases with app-based material as well as its established iPad reading experience.
Second-order effects
- Supporting both iOS and Android prevents the AR experience from being exclusive to one mobile ecosystem, putting Marvel's execution of the companion experience—not handset access—at the center of differentiation.
- Marvel's digital-comics operation gains another reason to connect individual issues with its mobile apps, increasing the value of maintaining both distribution and interactive features.
Third-order effects
- If publishers repeat the model, comics can shift from self-contained pages toward companion-app products, with ongoing software support becoming part of editorial packaging.
- Augmented reality's role in comics will depend on whether the added experience proves durable enough to justify producing and maintaining content across multiple mobile platforms.
The trend: Comic publishers are extending digital distribution into mobile companion experiences that add interaction around the page.