Axel Alonso Welcomes You To AvX #1: Marvel’s AR App Is Cool!

With this week’s or next week’s (depending on your retailer, I guess) release of Avengers Vs. X-Men #1, Marvel’s new AR App debuts.

The “AR” stands for Augmented Reality, and what it does is unlock bonus footage when you use your camera-enabled, Apple or Android, phone or tablet.

Throughout the comic, readers will see an AR icon (below) on various pages. When you hover your device over the page, with the App enabled, the camera automatically picks up on the image, and unlocks exclusive content (similar to Shazam with audio).

For instance, the cover to AvX #1 reveals a trailer motion-comic of sorts for Avengers Vs. X-Men.

One of the opening pages sees Marvel EIC Axel Alonso welcome you to the series.

Other reveals include John Romita Jr. pencils and inks, a deleted/unused scene, and a certain creator remarking about his favorite seen involving Nova! And more!

I used an iPhone 4, and the images did look a bit blurry, but I bet this looks amazing on the new iPad with the Retina Display. And you have to be steady with the device otherwise you may lose the content, and then it has to start all over. You can also double tap on the bonus content to isolate it for better viewing as well.

The AR App definitely brings a new element to reading comics. I’m not sure if Marvel will eventually release the content for those who do not have such a device, as just from using the App on the first issue of AvX — it definitely leaves you wanting for more and it’s really darn cool!

Download the App for free over at marvel.com/ARapp