Marvel and VeVe make comics an Augmented Reality

On Sep 2, 2022

Marvel is celebrating their 83^rd year and has partnered with NFT platform VeVe. They dropped Spiderman comic book covers on the VeVe NFT market on August 29. These covers feature such beloved characters as Spiderman, Venom, and also their young variants, by noted Marvel artists Salvador Larroca, Edgar Delgado, and Skottie Young, among others. Some of these are “incredibly limited editions” and 1 of 1s.

Three of these covers, Brian Stelfreeze’s “Black Panther #25”, Sara Pichelli’s “Miles Morales: Spider-Man #25”, and Skottie Young’s “Amazing Spider-Man #1” covers have been released through a silent auction, with bids beginning at $1500.

Users of the VeVe app use the app’s currency ‘Gems’, to participate in auctions or to buy NFTs. These Gems can be bought with fiat or cryptocurrency via OMI. However, the Gem to Fiat (USD, GBP, etc.) system is currently in beta and only accessible by some members, creating an effectively closed marketplace.

The VeVe app is a platform where NFTs can be sold and traded and uses the Immutable X blockchain. Immutable X is a Layer 2 Ethereum solution that has a proven track record in securing NFTs within its decentralized ecosystem. While it costs to bridge to the Immutable X blockchain, transactions on its layer 2 system are incredibly cheap. This allows NFTs to be traded at cost, rather than needing to swallow large transaction fees every time. Whether you’re in it to save money or for carbon-neutral trading, this is a win. As a result, the collectible market on VeVe is trading at volume.

Saxon Sawai, an actor and early adopter of VeVe and the VeVe app talked with NFT Youtuber WillGoesMeta on his channel.

He stated he bought several Captain America Mightys, from the first Marvel release of Captain America as an NFT in August 2021. Saxon goes on to say that people “hated on” the model because it wasn’t a full-sized model, like the second release of Captain America. Regardless, the model gained in value because of its position as the first release, and of the 28,888 minted, Saxon Sawai has #41.

For those curious about the future uses of digital assets, VeVe offer a blend of the digital and the real in their in-app Augmented Reality mode. You’re able to set a platform in the real world to place your comic book on and you can read it as if that mint-condition first edition were really there in front of you.5 AR comics are only one possible use of the AR facility in the VeVe app, 3D models can also be placed in the environment. This functionality allows collectors to pose with their ultra-rare collectibles and flex both their market savvy and their wallets.

With Marvel and Disney expanding their merchandising into the NFT space, we can expect a wealth of other IPs to follow suit and bring their collectibles onto the blockchain. Both early adopters, and VeVe themselves, are looking forward to the upcoming NFT drops, as well as a growing interest from fans of the IPs.