Update: This promotion has ended. The issues below have returned to their regular pricing.
Okay, so I’ll admit that I’m a bit late to the party on this, but Marvel is currently giving away 12 digital comics collections. You can read them for free on Marvel’s Marvel Unlimited service, but you can also go to the Marvel Comics app, Comixology, or Marvel’s digital comics store and claim them to own for free. The books range from classics to newer releases, but it is a solid lineup of titles featuring some of Marvel’s most iconic characters. This is actually the second set of free comics Marvel has released recently, but even if you missed out on the first set these are all worth picking up. The books offered for free now are listed below.
1. Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 1
This volume collects the very first Spider-Man stories ever told. This single volume contains Spider-Man’s origin and features the first appearances of The Chameleon, The Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, The Lizard, Electro, and others. It also contains Spider-Man’s first meeting with the Fantastic Four, multiple cameos by the team, begins to establish Spidey’s friendship and rivalry with the Human Torch, and includes Spider-Man’s first fight against Doctor Doom. We also meet a lot of Spider-man’s supporting cast including Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, and Flash Thompson among others. The collection contains Amazing Fantasy 15, issues 1-10 of Amazing Spider-Man, along with an introduction from Stan Lee, a behind the scenes look at the making of Amazing Fantasy 15, and some unused cover artwork. This is where it all started for one of Marvel’s most iconic characters, and my favorite superhero.
2. Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates Vol. 2
Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates was new to writing comics when he relaunched Black Panther, but in this second volume you can see he is becoming more familiar with the medium of visual storytelling. His pacing improves and he continues building on the lore of Wakanda he established in earlier issues. While his first volume focused on Wakanda as a nation at war, this volume explores more of Wakandan mythology. I just read both volumes for the first time and enjoyed them. If you liked the Black Panther movie and are looking for a place to jump into the comics, Coates run may be a good place to start. I’m looking forward to reading more of his run in the future.
3. Captain America: Sam Wilson Vol. 1
This was probably my least favorite out of all the comics on this list. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the idea of Sam Wilson taking on the mantle of Captain America, but I don’t think it is executed well here. This is a fun story overall, and there is a lot to like. The comic makes good use of characters like D-Man and Diamondback as well as other callbacks to classic Captain America stories. The dynamic between Sam and Misty Knight was enjoyable and seeing Sam grapple with what it means to be Captain America was interesting, but this comic was very political and unlike some other political comics on this list the writers agendas just felt forced in, were not subtle at all, and, for me, really got in the way of the story. But that’s just my opinion, give it a read for yourself, there is still a lot to enjoy here.
4. Captain America (2018) Vol. 1 Winter in America
This is the second series by Ta-Nehisi Coates on this list. I mentioned earlier that you could feel Coates was getting more comfortable writing comics in his second Volume of Black Panther, and in this Volume of Captain America he has really hit his stride. His more serious and political tone is a perfect fit for Captain America, and while this comic is political, it is handled in a way that naturally fits into and enhances the narrative instead of distracting from it. This comic will make you think, but the politics never distract from the action. Coates understands that Steve Rogers is a man out of time forced to live in our modern world. He builds off of the events of the Secret Empire storyline, in which Hydra took over the world led by an evil alternate Steve Rogers, to further alienate Steve from the rest of the world. The story is engaging and well paced. If you enjoyed the Captain America movies, particularly The Winter Soldier, then you will find a lot to like here. I’m really looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.
5. Doctor Strange (2015) Vol. 1 The Way of the Weird
This volume is a great jumping on point for Doctor Strange. Jason Aaron opens with a one page recap of Doctor Strange’s origin story then jumps straight into the weird and wonderful world of his life as the Sorcerer Supreme. Then, pretty quickly we are introduced to Zelma Stanton. Zelma is a librarian with a magical problem who will learn all about the magical world as the Doctor guides her and the audience through his daily life in Marvel’s mystical world. The story is interesting and Aaron’s take on Strange and his supporting cast is a lot of fun to read. He manages to show how the magical section of the Marvel universe can be wonderful and funny, but also hark, creepy, and haunting. I will warn that this volume ends on a major cliffhanger that will definitely leave you wanting more.
6. Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne Vol. 1
This volume is a great example of why I love the Fantastic Four. John Byrne understood that while the FF are superheroes, before that, they are explorers and adventurers, and above all else, they are a family. He manages to balance cosmic scale scifi stories with narratives that are very character driven. His stories read a lot like the classic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby stories that started it all, and feature some really great artwork as well.
7. Hulk: Planet Hulk
This is one of my favorite Hulk stories. The Illuminati, a secret team of heroes including Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange, Charles Xavier, Tony Stark, and others decide that the world and the Hulk would be better off if he were no longer on earth. They trick him into a spacecraft set to land on a peaceful world where he can finally be left alone, but the craft instead crashes on Sakaar, a savage world where the Hulk is enslaved and becomes a gladiator. A lot of thus story was adapted into Hulk’s storyline in the movie Thor Ragnarok, but this is a Hulk book, and he is really given the time to shine here. This is definitely worth a read for any Hulk fan, and if you aren’t a Hulk fan, then this story might change your mind.
8. Miles Morales Vol. 1 Straight Out of Brooklyn
This book is a good jumping on point for readers who are new to Miles Morales Spider-man and old fans as well. This takes place after Miles has been moved over from the Ultimate universe to the main marvel universe and give a brief explanation of his new condensed origin early on. The story has Miles writing in a private journal for his creative writing class, and uses that as a way for Miles to catch the reader up on his life as Spider-man and his thoughts and feelings about what is going on in the book. We get to know Miles supporting cast and see him interact with characters from the larger Marvel universe. He meets the Rhino early on in the story and they develope a pretty fun dynamic. It’s everything you love about a Spider-man story, but new and fresh at the same time, and that’s what is great about Miles Morales. The book’s ending definitely leaves you wanting more.
9. Secret Invasion
This was a huge event for Marvel. Shortly after the end of the Civil War event, Electra is killed and revealed to be a Skrull imposter. Already fractured relationships between heroes are shattered as everyone begins to suspect those around them are super powered skrull imposters. Friends are revealed to be foes as this event has marvel’s heroes and the audience constantly asking themselves “Who can we Trust?”
10. Secret Wars
Not to be confused with the original Secret Wars event,(Although there are some familiar themes and players here) this is the story of the end of the Marvel Multiverse. Jonathan Hickman built up to this book for years throught his runs on Fantastic Four, Avengers, New Avengers and other books. Universes have been pitted against each other for Survival until all that is left in the multiverse is The main Marvel universe and the Ultimate Comics universe and now they are colliding. This is the end of everything. Or, is it? A handful of survivors find themselves on Battleworld. A patchwork planets divided and ruled over by God Emperor Doom. This a pretty solid standalone event, but it is an excellent payoff if you have been reading Hickman’s other runs.
11. Venom by Donny Cates Vol. 1 Rex
Donny Cates take on Venom is an interesting one. Venom is kind of a hard character to nail down. The symbiote has been portrayed as everything from a cannibalistic super villian, to a goofy antihero, to an accepted Avenger and Guardian of the galaxy. He has had several different hosts, but now he is back with his original host Eddie Brock and Cates manages to make Venom into a heroic character that is still scary. He also manages to change the origin of the Klyntar (symbiote race) while keeping the still recently established lore around the Klyntar intact. He also introduces us to new villain Knull, and seamlessly tie him into the larger Marvel Universe’s established mythology. My favorite part of the book is the interaction between Venom and Miles Morales. Venom has a history with Spider-Man, and Miles has a history with Venom, but Miles isn’t Venom’s Spider-Man and Mile’s Venom was from another universe so their first meeting is really fun to read. Overall this is an interesting read and a good place to jump into Venom’s story whether you are a fan or are checking out the Lethal Protector for the first time.
12. Ms. Marvel Vol. 1
So, this one is a little trickier to find. For whatever reason it doesn’t show up in the free collections page, but it is still free and shows up with a quick search for Ms. Marvel. Ms. Marvel introduces us to Kamala Khan. She is a big Avengers fan and Captain Marvel’s biggest fan. She is basically an example of modern fandom. She has posters everywhere and writes fan-fiction online. She is also Marvel’s first mainstream muslim superhero. It is interesting to see Marvel tackle her Pakistani-American family and friends. This us the story of Kamala finding out she is an inhuman, that she has superpowers and deciding what that means and who she wants to be. It is a fun lighthearted read with a lot of humor even in the background art. Kamala has become a popular and important character in Marvel’s comics and has had her own show announced on Disney+. This book is the perfect way to check out the character, and what better time to do it then while it is free.
I really enjoyed reading or re-reading all 12 of these stories over the past couple weeks and encourage you to head over to Comixology, the Marvel comics, or Marvel’s digital comics shop and claim these titles while they are available. There is no better price than free, and you can enjoy these books whether you are a longtime fan or someone who is just getting into comics. You can claim the first 11 books online here and can claim Ms. Marvel Vol. 1 here or you can pick them up on the Comixology or Marvel Comics apps. Grab them while they are free and enjoy!