Marvel giving free digital comics to Starbucks customers

Starting April 23, 2011, Marvel plans to give full access to the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited library to anyone connecting to the Internet thorough a Starbucks server. Why would Marvel be giving away such a large volume of content for free? In a word, exposure. 

While it's fair to say that comics are becoming a more mainstream medium these days, they are most definitely not as popular as competing media like television or novels. The key to putting comics in the limelight is building a large, diverse fanbase, and that is where the Starbucks deal comes in. 

Starbucks is so ludicrously popular that promoting a product inside one is bound to bring in new customers. When it comes to comics, however, simple advertising often falls short. What draws readers in are the stories and beloved characters. There are very few self-respecting Marvelites that would say "no" to reading almost anything with Deadpool in it (hence why he's had four of his own series running simultaneously before).

As Starbucks' official release said:

Known for engrossing stories and a library of more than 8,000 characters, Marvel Comics gives Starbucks customers unlimited, free access to its full library of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine and others await to captivate as customers explore the comic realm and imagine fighting villains with a cup of coffee in hand.

This deal will not allow customers to download comics, but it will let them read the over 8,000 titles available through Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited while connected though Starbucks' server. This move could bring some much-needed exposure to the comic book world and give the medium a leg-up to center stage.