I noticed that this functionality was enabled about a month ago, but apparently the company is just now making an official announcement. You have to have either a Marvel Comics or Comixology account to activate the free digital copy, but it’s exactly the same download you’d get when paying for the digital copy alone. Essentially, Marvel places a code inside the physical copy that can be redeemed through Marvel’s website.

The two companies also announced that the “free digital copy” Marvel has been offering on some of its physical issue comics will now be available on Comixology.

The deal with Marvel is for multiple years, and does not include sales of graphic novels, which have traditionally been treated more like regular books in the digital space. Now nyone who wants to buy a digital comic book from Marvel or DC must use either Comixology’s line of mobile apps (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire) or go through the publisher’s own digital store. Comixology currently has a similar deal to sell exclusive single issue comics with DC, the industry’s second largest publisher accounting for nearly half of all comic sales. But the new deal with Marvel means the few people who weren’t already using the service will probably start. What does that mean for comic fans? Well, a great deal of people already use Comixology to buy digital comics, as VentureBeat previously pointed out in our guide to digital comics.

Avengers comixology