Spider-Man TODAY cover. Cover: Marvel Comics, Todd Nauck/Rachelle Rosenberg. USA TODAY wrap cover. Cover: USA TodayUSA Today is adding 1,000 Marvel digital comics and an exclusive new, vertically formatted Marvel Infinity series, "Spider-Man TODAY," to its consumer gaming platform USA Today Play, executives told Axios.Why it matters: The newspaper giant is betting that content will help grow its subscriber base as comics expands USA Today Play beyond its core offerings of puzzles and games. "This is a gift that will keep giving every single day," the company's senior vice president of content monetization Caroline Harris tells Axios.Zoom in: The new, specially created comic will start Wednesday and publish weekly for subscribers for the next 47 weeks.The comic, written by Al Ewing and illustrated by Todd Nauck, will feature Spider-Man teaming up with familiar heroes from across the Marvel Universe.Subscribers to USA Today, and/or its standalone USA Today Play platform, will also get unlimited access to a catalog of 1,000 digital comics from Marvel, including X-Men, Captain America, Black Panther, Fantastic Four, Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel. Non-subscribers can explore a curated weekly selection of comics. Zoom out: For Marvel, the partnership expands the comic studio's footprint to a much broader audience of puzzle players and casual consumers.It gives Marvel the opportunity to make comics part of the daily habits of USA Today subscribers, said Marvel executive editor Nick Lowe."We reach one in two adults in the U.S., and so we have a massive audience that is highly engaged," Harris said. Between the lines: The new "Spider-Man TODAY" series is part of a broader effort by Marvel to reimagine its classic comic format for the 21st century. The exclusive series was built as an easy entry point for new comic consumers, Lowe said. "You can start with Spider-Man Today #1. You don't need to have read any other Spider-Man content ever."Zoom out: Marvel sees 2026 as a landmark year for the Spider-Man franchise, and the USA Today partnership is a critical part of its engagement strategy. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" hits theaters this July. Marvel will publish the 1,000th issue of Spider-Man's flagship comic series this September. The second season of "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" is scheduled to debut on Disney+ this fall.The big picture: The partnership reflects a broader push by traditional news companies to build lifestyle products, particularly games, that can engage a broader group of subscribers on a daily basis. While crosswords, puzzles and games have existed across USA Today properties for years, the unified USA Today Play hub was relaunched at the end of 2025.Subscribers can pay for USA Today Play as a standalone app or can access it as a cheaper add-on to a broader USA Today news subscription.