Some X-Males comics now characteristic a QR code behind the guide that hides a “bonus web page.” These new hidden pages have set off a big debate on-line amongst comedian readers and followers over what counts as bonus content material and comedian preservation.
When you look on-line proper now, you’ll discover individuals suggesting that Marvel goes to be locking the final web page of all future comics behind a QR code. That’s a reasonably wild declare! As such, a few of these tweets have gone semi-viral amongst comedian guide followers, resulting in lots of people assuming that that is the case. Nevertheless, that’s not fairly the complete story right here, even when the reality remains to be a controversial mess that’s led to loads of on-line debate.
Earlier this month, Marvel began doing one thing totally different with a few of its new X-Males-related comics. On the very finish of July 10’s X-Males #1 by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, readers encountered a big QR code printed on one of many final pages. When you have been to scan this code you’d unlock a bonus comedian web page teasing future occasions or villains. (Within the case of X-Males #1 it revealed extra details about a brand new group of baddies launched within the comedian.) This QR code bonus web page popped up in another latest X-Males comics.
Why Marvel is doing QR-hidden bonus pages in X-Males
In keeping with Marvel Comics VP Govt Editor Tom Brevoort, this isn’t the comedian firm slicing content material from books, however as a substitute including a bit of additional content material whereas avoiding spoilers, as he defined on his private Substack.
[The QR code page] was a bonus web page to start with, an additional web page—we didn’t cut back the contents of X-Males #1 with a view to do it,” stated Brevoort. “And it gave us a web page whose contents we might conceal till the day of launch, thus avoiding any early spoilers.”
The editor additionally confirmed that Marvel was going to be doing comparable QR bonus pages in future X-Males comedian launches as a kind of a “modern-day equal of that ‘Issues To Come’ web page that ran within the first challenge of the Claremont/Lee X-Males #1.”
So this isn’t a case of Marvel slicing the final web page from a guide and hiding it behind a QR code—as comedian guide writers have confirmed—as a substitute, it’s a bonus web page, one thing further.
Nevertheless, some followers don’t agree. They see these bonus pages as vital to the general story and as such these “extras” are certainly the final pages of a comic book guide. It doesn’t assist that one among these QR pages wasn’t obtainable when the comedian was first offered. I additionally perceive of us not desirous to learn comedian pages on their tiny telephone screens after they have spent cash on an precise bodily comedian guide so as to add to their assortment. It’s bizarre and never ideally suited.
There’s some excellent news. In keeping with Brevoort, when these points are collated collectively for a later launch—as Marvel at all times does with comics—the bonus pages will probably be included and never hidden behind a QR code.
Because of this many years from now, individuals gained’t must hope a URL remains to be working to see yet another web page in a bodily comedian guide. The Marvel editor even advised that in the event that they do a second printing of a comic book with a QR code web page, they could embrace that bonus web page within the comedian as a substitute, as at that time spoilers gained’t matter.
That’s all good to listen to and may imply that comedian preservationists gained’t must print off a digital web page from an internet site to protect historical past.
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