Amazon just blew my mind with a new $5.99 unlimited comic book service
At launch, the Comixology Unlimited plan includes the first volumes of popular titles like "The Walking Dead," "Attack on Titan," "Saga," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8," among many others.
There's even a 30-day free trial, so you can try it on your phone or web browser.
A Comixology spokesperson tells Business Insider that this is all about helping readers find an entry point into the medium, with a focus on partnering with publishers to fill the service up with first volumes and introductory storylines.
"CU is about giving the new reader the very best entry point," says Comixology's Chip Mosher. "We'll be cycling through content periodically."
That means that while it's unlikely that Comixology Unlimited will get the whole run of "The Walking Dead," it'll constantly be refreshed with new hotness. The goal, it seems, is to provide a cheap way to give readers a taste of the next big thing in comics, and then reel them in to pay for the next books in the series.
No matter how you slice it, this is a big huge deal. The first volume of "The Walking Dead," just for example, costs $9.99 on its own from the Comixology store. Getting it for $5.99 a month, plus access to all of those other great comics, is an incredible value.
Participating comic book publishers include Image, Dark Horse Comics, and Fantagraphics, all big names in the world of independent comic books.
Absent from the list of participating publishers are Marvel and DC Comics, the two biggest names in comic books: Marvel has its own, separate Digital Unlimited app for $10/month; DC has yet to launch this kind of binge-reading plan.
Still, while big-name superheroes like Spider-Man and Batman aren't included in this plan, Comixology Unlimited includes access to lots of independent titles that are more than worth your time.
Just off the top of my head, "Locke and Key," "Lumberjanes," and "The Wicked and the Divine" are all incredible, and they're all included in the plan.