Today sees the release of Empyre #1, and the kick-off of Marvel’s (albeit delayed) first big event storyline of 2020. To celebrate the occasion, Marvel Comics has released a digital director’s cut edition of Empyre #1. For the regular retail price of $5.99, readers get 125 pages of content, including the 30-page first issue and loads of bonus material.
Included in the director’s cut, along with the story itself, are the full script for the issue by writers Al Ewing and Dan Slott, the inked artwork by artist Valerio Schiti, colored pages by color artist Marte Gracia, as well as a gallery of the numerous variant covers for the issue (oh, I hope it includes the “On Sale Wednesday” variant! That one’s my favorite). The physical edition of Empyre #1 also includes some design artwork by Schiti, so look for that to make an appearance in this edition as well.
Empyre #1 is the latest notable Marvel comic to get the digital director’s cut treatment. Other titles to receive digital director’s cuts include House of X #1, Absolute Carnage #1, Strange Academy #1, and X-Men/Fantastic Four #1. Where Marvel used to release print editions of these expanded editions, providing them digitally is a much cheaper and quicker way to provide extra value for their digital customers, and maybe to drive process junkies who wouldn’t have otherwise bought the issues digitally to do so in order to get the bonus content (especially since, as of the last few of director’s cuts, physical buyers redeeming digital codes haven’t been getting the bonus features).
The digital director’s cut of Empyre #1 is available via Comixology now. Be sure to check back later today for our full review of the issue as part of this week’s Marvel Rundown.
