New milestones  were reached this week in the use of comics in promotion:  Action #1 was the “Pick of the Week” for free downloads at Starbucks; there were free comics at Sears stores; and Card.com began selling prepaid Walking Dead Visa debit cards.    

Starbucks gives away cards with download codes in its stores, and this week, the free item being offered was a download of Action Comics #1 by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales redeemable from Apple’s iBooks store.  It’s a nice tie-in with the opening of Man of Steel this weekend, and with this week’s news about Action #1 (see "'Action Comics' #1 brings $175,000").  And perhaps most significantly, it’s the first time a digital comic has been a Starbucks Pick of the Week. 
   
Sears began giving away free copies of All Star Superman #1 (both print and digital) with purchase to Sears reward club members this week.  Other perks included access to film footage at the rewards Website, and a Man of Steel sweepstakes.








And this week, Card.com began offering three different prepaid Visa debit cards with Charlie Adlard art of The Walking Dead, according to Hollywood Reporter.  Who would have thought you’d be able to buy stuff with cards featuring images of zombies, a post-apocalyptic landscape, and a woman with a sword? 

None of these is earth-shattering on its own, but together they paint a picture of comics in the mainstream.  It’s a wonderful thing.