After just over two years, the DC Universe streaming service has officially come to an end. But much like many characters from the pages of DC Comics, DC Universe is far from really dead and buried! The platform that once served as a one-stop-shop for all of your favorite DC Comics content like movies, television, web series, and digital comics is rising like a phoenix from the ashes of its former self as the all-new DC Universe Infinite.
DC Universe Infinite went live this past week on January 21, 2021, and officially replaced the old DC Universe application with a newly updated version of the app that has been reborn as a massive digital comics library subscription service. While all of the DC Comics movies and television series are now removed from the service, it now boasts a vastly expanded digital comics library with over 25,000 DC Comics comic books and graphic novels available for fans to read on their favorite device either through an app or directly through the DC Universe Infinite website.
The original DC Universe subscription service launched in September 2018 and was built to be largely a streaming service with a number of original live-action and animated series based on DC Comics characters like Titans, Young Justice: Outsiders, Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, and Harley Quinn. It also had a respectable back catalog of DC Comics television series and films from the Warner Archive that made it an excellent service for fans of the DC Comics brand and its many characters including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
While the service was generally well-received by those who subscribed, the service struggled to find its footing or as large of an audience as Warner Media had hoped for. People liked what they were seeing from the service, but many felt that it was not enough original content to make the subscription service worthwhile amid all the different services available.
Fans of the service’s original series will be glad to hear that virtually all of them have made their way over to Warner Bros’ new HBO Max streaming service. Titans, Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, and Young Justice all have new seasons set to arrive on HBO Max within the next year or so.
The one exception is Swamp Thing, which unfortunately was dead in the water before it was even given a real chance. The show, which was produced by James Wan, had its production shut down and its episode order cut from 13 episodes to just 10 for the show’s first season before the premiere episode had even been released. By the time the second episode of the series was available for audiences, the show had been unceremoniously cancelled entirely. Ironically, audiences seemed to love the show and there have been several petitions circulating trying to get it brought back for another season.
Previously the digital comics seemed almost like an afterthought. But in a move that should bring them back to their roots, the newly rebranded DC Universe Infinite has shifted its focus entirely to those digital comics. The service is set to feature books from all the corners of DC Comics history, with titles from Vertigo, Milestone Media, and DC Black Label in addition to plenty of books from the mainstream DC Universe. This subscription service will continue to add new content to its library as time goes on, offering subscribers earlier access to new digitalfirst titles and original content exclusively available on the service.
More details were available about early plans for the service In the official press release from Warner Bros, which said the following:
Starting at launch, the platform will continuously add selections from DC’s iconic labels, Vertigo, DC Black Label and Milestone Media, the platform will also feature new comic releases six months after their in-store releases, as well as, Digital First titles available three months after launch, and brand new comic titles exclusive to DC Universe Infinite.
For those of you who are already subscribed to DC Universe, congratulations! Your account will automatically transition to DC Universe Infinite and you can continue to use your same login information to access the newly revamped service. If you are using an iOS or Android device, however, you will be required to update your application before the new service will be accessible.
The DC Universe Infinite service is available for use online at DCUniverseInfinite.com, and is available as an application for iOS and Android devices. The service is priced at $7.99 a month, or $74.99 for an annual yearly subscription (which breaks down to around $6.25 a month, an annual savings of $20.88 over monthly subscription costs). DC Universe Infinite launched last week in the US and is expected to expand to be available globally later this year.
Are you planning to subscribe to the DC Universe Infinite digital comics subscription service? Or would you prefer to read your comics the old fashioned way on printed paper? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for more great DC Comics updates!
