It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s right it’s Marvel Unlimited Plus time!  I started subscribing to Marvel Unlimited as a birthday gift and it just so happens that the new Unlimited Plus box comes out within days of my birthday so when I do get a the new box it really is brand spanking new.  For this unboxing I want to do two things, first I want to have a classic unboxing of this years box but afterwards I want to reflect on the last two years boxes and discuss what their value is today.  But first comes first, lets get to the unboxing!

Here is a closer look on the outside of the box art which has a gold theme this year.

So let’s open it up!  Inside there is a little space for the comics and letter and underneath the flap is where the Marvel Legends figure, pins and patch are

First up is the boring part, the letter!  It describes whats in the box and has a little state of the union address about the past year and how things are going.

Next up is the comics!  As with the last two years we get three exclusive variant cover issues.  Last year the comics were by the same artist but they did not interconnect which was kind of disappointing since they did in the 2015 box.  This year the cover to interconnect once again and they create an epic fight scene against Thanos.  Looks like Marvel is once again following tradition of ignoring the characters they don’t have the movie rights to as there are no X-Men or Fantastic Four on any of these covers.

In this years box we get the following comics:

• Edge of the Venomverse Issue 1
• Spider-Men II Issue 1
• Guardians of the Galaxy The Telltale Series Issue 1

Next up we have the pins and patches.  The patch is pretty cool, it is a Skottie Young version of Thanos.  The pins are a little disappointing, they are the heads of Captain America and Spider-man.  They are decent quality enamel pins but feel a little lazy and not near as cool as the Eye of Agamotto pin from last year.

Lastly we have the Exclusive Marvel Legends Tony Stark figure.  It looks fantastic.  The tie is actually separate piece of plastic from the suit and overall its a very well made figure.  It’s hard to believe they haven’t made a just Tony Stark figure before this so it is cool that this is really an exclusive and not just a different paint job of a figure that was already out like last year’s Captain Marvel figure.

A slight note on the Tony Stark figure.  While this is a new figure, it is clearly made from parts of figures they have previously release.  The body is from the Marvel Legends Chameleon Figure with the head from the Marvel Legends Civil War 3 Pack.  It’s not a huge deal but is a little disappointing that is isn’t a truly original figure.  The 2015 R.E.S.C.U.E. figure was 100% original and a completely new mold and character that had never been released.  It would be nice to get something on that level in these boxes.

Final Thoughts?

Overall I liked this box a lot.  Between the three years I’ve been a Marvel Unlimited Plus member I would rank this box second, better than 2016 but not as good as 2015.

Marvel Unlimited / Marvel Unlimited Plus, is it Worth it?

How many comics do I have to read before I start saving money by using Marvel Unlimited?  Pretty simple, if you are just getting the Marvel Unlimited Subscription ($60 per year) you have to read at least 15 new release comics to get your money’s worth out of it.  If you are getting Marvel Unlimited Plus you have to read 25 new release comics to get your money’s worth out of it.  There are approximately 20 new release comics added to the Marvel Unlimited app every week, which is 1,040 new comics per year.  If you read just 2.5% of the new released comics within a year you will have paid for your Unlimited Plus (1.4% for just Marvel Unlimited) subscription for the year.  That is just new release comics.  Marvel also adds back issues to the app weekly as well.  In general the total number of comics added per week is generally 50, which is 2,600 new comics a year.  If you don’t want to commit to a full year you can try it on a monthly basis for $10 dollars a month and see if you like it before you buy a whole year of service.  Generally around San Diego and New York Comic Con you can get a month of service for pennies or free.

What are the Differences Between Subscriptions

The chart below will show you the differences between the Marvel Unlimited and Marvel Unlimited Plus subsciption

Basically Marvel Unlimited Plus gets you the yearly box along with 15% off digital comics, 10% off merchandise from marvel.com and access to events.  The events are members only panels at San Diego, Chicago, and New York Comic-Con.  If you are lucky enough to go to these Comic-Cons the events are suppose to be really cool.  They show you some art and talk about upcoming comics and will generally give out exclusive variant comics to every one who attends.  If you don’t live in New York, Chicago, or New York you are kind of out of luck.  I was able to go to a free screening of Dr. Strange for myself and a friend in the city I live in last year courtesy of Marvel Unlimited.  I’ve only received one of these invitations but it was really cool and an extra bonus from my subscription.