Three application developers have collaborated to bring one of the ‘big two’ comics publishers to the iPhone.

Comics by Comixology, iVerse, and Panelfly, announced that several comics from Marvel Comics will be available for purchase via in-app purchase from the free Comics app.

The Marvel comics available initially from Comixology are Joss Whedon’s 24-issue run on Astonishing X-Men, Robert Kirkman’s five-issue Marvel Zombies miniseries, Ed Brubaker’s first 30 issues of Captain America, and two other X-Men-related books, X-23 and X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, each six issues long.

Each individual issue is priced at $2 on Comics and iVerse, and $1 on Panelfly.

The company also recently launched two ‘motion comics’ sold directly via iTunes, Spider Woman and an adaptation of Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men.

This is indicative of a trend by publishers to make their content available to a wider audience through smartphone apps, for example GQ and Time magazines.