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« Comics: July 2009 | Main | Comics: September 2009 » ComicsDisney to acquire Marvel When Marvel went bankrupt i considered buying some Marvel stock just for fun. Guess it would have actually paid off... Marvel has always been derided by indie comic fans as being "corporate" but Marvel was small potatoes in the real corporate world. Now it's going to be on par with or beyond DC/Time-Warner. It was actually pretty impressive how Marvel's been self-supporting and doing well since bankruptcy, and their self-produced movie venture was looking promising, so it's sad to see them get gobbled up. I don't expect any immediate 'Disney-fication' of Marvel. I doubt they'll even change the branding. Deadpool will continue to be Deadpool, etc. In the long term we may see some changes. I worry about their susceptibility to boycotts from the religious right. Remember that they had to pass Kevin Smith's Dogma to another company because of protests. But i suspect that the actual comics are a little under the radar of things like that. That would be more about their depictions in movies and tv shows, which we'd probably start seeing a lot more of. We'll see. On the other hand, it's possible they're interested in Marvel as an idea factory. They may Personally, not sure if i like giving money regularly to Disney, which isn't one of the cleanest companies in the world, from a variety of perspectives - human rights/slave labor, labor issues, environmental issues, copyright issues... By fnord12 | August 31, 2009, 9:52 AM | Comics | Comments (5)| Link
 Click for full sized image. And see here for inspiring article. By fnord12 | August 21, 2009, 4:22 PM | Comics & D&D | Comments (1)| Link Marvel Divas #2 - This continues to be really good. I like the indie-ish art style, and i just love the character interactions and attention to continuity. I'm sad it's only a 4 issue mini. Marvels Project #1 - This will be interesting. I'm really surprised that Marvel is interested in putting out a Roy Thomas/Mark Gruenwald style continuity dot connector in this day and age, but i have no complaints about it, especially when Brubaker and Epting are the creators. Hercules #132 - I guess this won't be leading up to a line-wide Casket of Ancient Winters crossover, huh? Still, this was awesome. I like the art, too. Reilly Brown? Keep him on the book. By fnord12 | August 18, 2009, 9:55 AM | Comics | Link Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth #2 - The first issue walked a really thin line between showing a lot of potential and looking like it might be a typical Deadpool comic: "outrageously zany" without actually being funny. This issue makes it look like we're heading towards the latter. I liked the "from Deadpool's perspective" shots in the first issue, but this one didn't have any, and the three-way internal "monologue" was less funny this issue as well. So we're left with a straightforward action plot with a silly premise (a talking zombie Deadpool head from another dimension), and it really wasn't all that interesting from an action point of view. Plus, the T&A is just stupidly overt. So i dunno, give it one more issue? Captain America: Reborn #2 - This is great, nice art, but it runs the risk of being pointless if we don't move beyond the time jumps by next issue. And since it focuses on things going on in the 'real' world as well, i don't see how it differentiates itself from the main Cap title. War of the Kings #6 - I really like the idea of Gladiator becoming the ruler of the Shi'ar (did i understand that right?). And this was a decent resolution, i guess. Plus it's good for the Marvel Universe for Vulcan to be killed off, and it'll actually strengthen Black Bolt for him to be dead for a while. I can already sort of envision the cool factor of someone like Abnett & Lanning bringing him back into some future crossover 3 years from now. I still feel like the crossover issues were better than the main story. But this was good. Agents of Atlas #9 - It's such a personality shift for Suwan, and it threatens to retcon the meaning out of some old Yellow Claw stories, so i'm a little apprehensive of this. But it's definitely being told well. By fnord12 | August 12, 2009, 8:11 PM | Comics | Link  By fnord12 | August 7, 2009, 12:32 PM | Comics | Link By fnord12 | August 5, 2009, 4:45 PM | Comics | Link OK, we've got a quite backlog, so let's do this quickly: Reborn #1 - I don't know why this couldn't just be in Captain America where we're getting fill-in material instead, but this is good. War of the Kings #5 - I can't remember what happened in this issue, but i'm sure it was fine. Agents of Atlas #9 - See? They're allowed to make out, even though they're cousins. They were made for each other! Marvel Divas #1 - I guess i like a book about bunch of characters sitting around talking to each other more if they're Marvel characters rather than an indie book, even if the indie book is better written. Because i know these characters, know their history, etc. So as long as the writers are mindful of the characters' history, books like this have a lot of payoff for me. So i liked this quite a bit. I thought the art was good too. Not the cover, which was totally not indicative of the story or art inside. I imagine a cover like that puts off most people who would be interested in this book while attracting people who will just be disappointed by the contents. And i'm not sure about the title, either. I suppose Felicia might be a "diva" but not any of the others. Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #1 - Funny, especially the triple internal monologue and the few 'what the world looks like through DP's eyes' scenes. The T&A was very disappointing, though. Captain Britain & MI13 #15 - I enjoyed the surprise appearance of Death's Head, yes? And the other Marvel UK characters. And this wrapped up well. It might read better all at once, but i'm not like all these people i see on the internet, lamenting how Marvel is canceling its only good title. Hercules #131 - Hmmm, splitting up Herc and Amadeus... And they blew their last chance to have Armless Tiger Man destroy some machinery with a hammer held between his toes. Nova #27 - Very good. Guardians of the Galaxy #16 - Very good. Agents of Atlas #8 - Always nice to see the Hulk, especially now that he's been hijacked by Jeph Loeb. This is an excellent series. Captain America #601 - A very special fill-in issue. The coloring didn't exactly compliment Gene Colan's art. Dark Avengers #7 - When did Cyclops become such a dufus? Why is everyone so belligerent? Would Namor really be hanging out with those losers and be so easily goaded into a pointless fight? Why has my Dark Avengers comic been hijacked by Matt Fraction? X-Force #17 - Definitely better now that the crossover with Cable is over. The whole Hrimhari/Frost Giant sub-plot seems totally out of place, but i'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it. War of Kings: Ascension #4 - Ok, thanks. Secret Warriors #6 - Whenever this book arrives, i kind of frown at it, like i don't really want it and i'm not sure whey i'm getting it. But then i read it and it's really good. I don't know why that happens. This actually seems like it will be a significant book, as Fury is wresting back control of HAMMER/SHIELD. Hood #3 - I liked the scene with Satana. Actually, i like this overall, except i'm really not interested in the White Fang parts. New Avengers #55 - Immomen! Nice art! Kind of mundane plot, though, but it is done well enough. Although now that i think about it, i guess it's fall-out from the last arc and the defeat of the Hood. That didn't even occur to me while i was reading it because i'm all mixed up about the Hood's appearances since i'm reading the Hood mini at the same time and there's all these flashbacks. By fnord12 | August 1, 2009, 2:36 PM | Comics | Link |