( CNN ) -- Talk about being a victim of your own success . Among several new initiatives announced by Marvel Entertainment at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival was a two-day giveaway of 700 issues of classic Marvel No . 1 issues via their app . The adventures , new and old , of the X-Men , Spider-Man and the Avengers would be available free , and the first issues would make it easier for new readers to follow . It was an unprecedented offer in the world of digital comics . But perhaps it was one that its technology partner , Comixology , was unprepared for : The servers crashed . One day after the freebies were announced at Marvel 's SXSW panel in Austin , Texas , it was put to a halt -- at least temporarily -- by Comixology . The problem : too much interest . `` We expected a high degree of excitement for the Marvel initiative -- and had believed ourselves prepared -- but unfortunately we became overwhelmed by the immense response , '' admitted Comixology 's CEO and co-founder , David Steinberger . `` We 're still struggling to keep our systems up . '' Steinberger added , `` We do n't like letting you down . Our teams are working around the clock to resolve these issues so that you can have the experience you 've come to expect . '' He said the promotion would be `` pausing for the time being . '' Comics readers were told to post their e-mail addresses on a form to be notified when the offer would be back up and running . Marvel posted a statement to its website : `` Marvel fans assembled in record numbers to take advantage of the landmark Marvel # 1 digital comics sale ! The demand has been so overwhelmingly positive , in fact , that a number of technical issues have arisen with our technology partner in getting the more than 700 free issues to each of you . When we have further updates from our partner , we will share them . '' The advent of reading comics digitally , especially on tablets , has been seen by some as the future of the comics industry , as print readership continues to decline . To that end , Marvel has increased its presence at SXSW , this year announcing products such as the weekly Infinite Comics , which are specifically designed with the digital reader in mind , and Project Gamma , which adds audio to the digital reading experience .
As part of SXSW , Marvel offered 700 No . 1 issues free for digital download . Comment: Comixology 's CEO announced it is `` pausing the promotion for the time being ''