On January 21st, DC Comics will launch a brand new streaming service for comics readers, DC Universe Infinite, replacing the successful at integrating the DC brand, it made searching for specific comics difficult and time-consuming. However, DC Universe Infinite fixes all of the problems from DC Universe, while also adding in some fantastic new features that make the service worthwhile at a price of $7.99 a month or $74.99 a year.
DC Universe Infinite benefits from the fact that it is geared towards fans of all levels, making it easy for everyone from a newbie looking to check out the comics behind a recent DCEU film to a seasoned reader who knows the exact issue of Swamp Thing that they want to find. Abandoning DC Universe's dark background, Infinite puts bright cover art front and center. The homepage of the app is broken down into different sections such as Dive Back In (for recently read books), Most Read Series, Trending Series, New To Read, and New & Popular, showing how DC has anticipated the needs of fans with Infinite's design. The Dive Back In bar is a great addition, particularly for those juggling between different books and storylines.
New & Popular also spotlights storylines adapted into the DCEU, smartly integrating two different sides of the DC brand without leaning too heavily on the films. Fans left curious about 1984 can immediately find a curated list of stories on the app's homepage. In addition, these sections highlight the best of DC's library on Infinite, with large buttons showing off the artwork for must-read stories like Batman: Year One and The Death and Return of Superman. With this in mind, fans will not have to go digging in order to find essential comics.
Aside from being much more accessible than DC Universe, Infinite boasts new features for fans to fine tune the experience they want from the service. Readers can add comics into their own s' library, and then create custom lists to organize them however they want to. Filters allow fans to search comics by art style, genre, and story length, which help meet a variety of needs readers may have. The service introduces a Dark Mode that can be scheduled to ease strain on the eyes, making it easier to continue binge-reading into the night. Additionally, fans are able to change appearance of the app's icon on their device by selecting from a number of characters available, while an elegant widget feature for iOS shows covers from last opened comics right on their device's homepage.
Infinite's appeal makes it very easy to spend a lot of time on the app reading some of the finest stories in comics. In a way, this aspect makes it perfect for the isolation that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on the world. With Infinite, DC finally has a service that allows fans to immerse themselves in a world of comics in a way that DC Universe, ironically, never could. While the success of the new service remains to be seen, the future looks to be very bright for DC Universe Infinite and fans everywhere.
