For those who aren’t familiar, Hoopla is a digital content service for libraries.  They have streaming video, audio books, ebooks and comics.  A lot of comics.  Archie, DC, Dark Horse, Dynamite, IDW, Image, Oni, Titan, Valiant, etc.  But until today, they didn’t have Marvel.

Everyone figured there was only so long Marvel could hold out without taking Hoopla’s money and Marvel finally went live on their app today.  The press release says over 250 collections, but only 61 of them were live when I checked just now.  More will be on the way.

If you aren’t familiar with Hoopla, it’s well worth your time to click on their link below and see if your library participates.  They’ve assembled a pretty deep set of comics that’s all but guaranteed to outstrip what your library stocks in print for recent releases.

Official PR follows:

hoopla digital (hoopladigital.com), the category-creating mobile and online service for public libraries, today announced a new agreement with Marvel Entertainment that adds over 250 collections and graphic novels to the service. Through this agreement, patrons of participating public libraries can now borrow Marvel works like, THOR: GOD OF THUNDER VOL. 1, BLACK PANTHER: A NATION UNDER OUR FEET BOOK 1, CIVIL WAR and X-MEN: THE DARK PHOENIX SAGA via hoopla digital on their smartphones, tablets and computers.

Marvel content arriving on hoopla digital includes heroes and villains that have been a part of Marvel’s blockbuster films and acclaimed television shows, including THE AVENGERS, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, SPIDER-MAN, DAREDEVIL, PUNISHER, and THE RUNAWAYS. Marvel’s collections add to hoopla’s catalog of more than 600,000 movies, TV shows, music albums, eBooks, audiobooks and comics.

“Through this agreement, we are building a digital home for comic book fans where they can find all their favorite characters and have instant access to hundreds of acclaimed works – all with a library card. No collection would be complete without the iconic work of Marvel Entertainment,” said Jeff Jankowski, founder and owner of hoopla digital.

hoopla digital’s comics experience showcases Action View, a one-of-a-kind, immersive digital reading experience that allows for full-page and panel-by-panel views of comics and illustrations.

“We’re thrilled to be part of hoopla digital and to expand our reach to library patrons across North America. It’s a terrific way to connect with our fans and engage with a broader audience on a platform that provides a unique experience for comic book readers through innovative technology,” said Marvel’s Julie Gerola, VP/GM of Marketing & Digital Operations.

To begin accessing Marvel content, library-card holders of participating public libraries can download the free hoopla digital mobile app on their Android or iOS device or visit hoopladigital.com.

hoopla digital has partnerships with more than 1,600 public library systems across North America including Boston Public Library, Free Library of Philadelphia, Chicago Public Library, San Francisco Public Library, Los Angeles Public Library, and Edmonton Public Library.

Want to learn more about how comics publishing and digital comics work?  Try Todd’s book, Economics of Digital Comics

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Good to see Marvel finally on there. Hopefully it’ll draw some attention to the service. For me personally, with the variety of stuff available it’ll be a while before I take out anything from Marvel, especially since I think almost everything is available in print from my local library (although obviously many smaller libraries won’t have the catalog depth of a place like Toronto). Hopefully in the future they’ll add some more classic material. Of the books on there now, I think only two are from the 20th century (DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN and X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX). DC has added some great older material recently, including their recent Jack Kirby books.

    I wish there were a way to combine all the best features of various readers, though. I like some aspects of Hoopla, but a few things are clunky. The other major library system I use, Overdrive’s Libby, has a few excellent features as well, including some implementation of chapter breaks and bookmarking which are very useful when you get to books over 100 pages, but is missing a few useful features.

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