If you didn't hear the news that has all the fanboys astir this morning (or afternoon, or evening, or whenever one wakes up. we're not prejudiced against late-risers around here), everyone's favorite mouse-eared conglomerate has purchased comic book bastion Marvel.You can read more about it here.
What does this mean for the future of marvel franchises? Will the Marvel movies that have been coming out like clockwork lately actually get... *gulp*... worse?
Disney has had a pretty stellar track record lately, so I don't think that fans of the Marvel movies have much to worry about. In fact, with the influx of ideas, personnel, and most importantly of all cash, i think Marvel movies could actually get a whole lot better. And if they don't, at least they'll be squandering the maximum amount of possible resources in the process.
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I don't see Disney keeping too tight a fist on the comics side of the business, at least not at first. I really think the biggest fireworks we are going to see from all of this are going to be in the form of irate fans worried about the direction of their precious storylines.
But seriously, who doesn't want to see Punisher and Aladdin in a Baghdad brawl over opium smuggled out of the palace? Maybe a Snow White and the Seven Dwarves reboot starring Wolverine as Grumpy? there's potential here, people.
I totally relate to what you say here!
ReplyDeleteYes, this certainly is an interesting development. I've come across a couple different reactions on the web. I suggest you check out this webcomic artist's opinion on the matter (it's rather amusing): http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp08312009.shtml
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with Disney purchasing Marvel at all. I was surprised that it was bought for only 4 billion considering the revenue it produces and is continuing to do. I think that if you have Disney behind you, you can only think the best is yet to come. Let's face it, Disney owns half the world anyways. Might as well add the Marvel world to it as well.
ReplyDeleteJonathon
Unfortunately, I am one of the irate fans. I'm not worried about Disney affecting the content of Marvel directly, but I do think that the influx of capital will only further expand on the already overextended corpus of Marvel titles. There has, in recent years, been a dilution of talent in the "big 2" (Marvel and DC) simply because there is money to be made. I stopped collecting Batman over a year ago (this was the last DC title I held on to) because it was just pathetic. Marvel has also been watered down in the last couple years, and I still cling to titles such as Wolverine and Thor out of nostalgia as much as real interest. I don't know how long this will last. In addition to the serialized titles, the big 2 also come out with over-arching crossovers at least once a year that usually involve several serials plus several limited series, and these promise to deliver drastic changes to their respective universes. They use this to sell a buttload of extra comics for "summer blockbuster" events, but they never deliver on their potential. The simple fact is that they cannot change too much about their collective mythoi because it will threaten revenue. Another example of failed promises is when Marvel killed off Captain America a couple years ago (which was exciting, it's nice to see true mortality in big-name characters as a commitment to message and/or art), but they brought him back last year as part of a crossover called Secret Invasion. DC has also recently published a crossover story called Batman RIP, which obviously makes promises that it will not keep. Batman simply generates too much revenue. I haven't looked in to the conclusion yet, but I'm not getting my hopes up (and even if they do off him, it's Batman, so they can always bring him back somehow). This greed in the big two is curtailing the production of quality comics like those produced (especially in Marvel) from about 2000-2005 or 2006, and I think Disney is only going to make it worse. Eventually, they will push hardcore fans away to smaller publishers and independent comics, but I fear that there are enough indiscriminate fans out there that will keep the big 2 going and growing. Aaaaaannnd that's how I feel about that.
ReplyDeletebut Punisher/Aladdin: Opium Nights and Snow White and the Seven Shorties starring Chops McGroo sound great. actually the comedic possibilities with Disney/Marvel crossovers are very promising.
ReplyDeleteRight, Zach, but those problems are already existent. I don't think Disney's greed is really that much greater (or more mature, or whatever) and I would argue that Disney's merchandising, branding, and most importantly, their production of art (such as it may be, fwiw, etc.) has been much more streamlined than that of Marvel or DC or whoever.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was sad to see Captain America revived. But killing major characters and keeping them dead will be a big step for a comic book publisher to make, and given the uncertainty of the market for actual comics (despite the success of the movies) moving into the future, I'm not surprised that they are still reluctant to act so boldly.
there's a great twitter feed about the Disney/Marvel crossovers. i'll try to find it and link you.
Hhhhmmm... I don't know, I'm still not sold on Disney. I would have to argue with you on the uncertainty of comics in the future though. There are more publishers and more titles now than ever before, and while some people even argue that comics are being made simply so that they can make them into films, the bottom line is that (and despite my feelings on the state of comics) we are at a high point in the comic book industry. Granted, there are many more pop titles, but there are also a lot of indy comics and small publishers out there that are doing great things. It has gotten to the point where there is a comic for virtually everyone out there, and that is promising. Furthermore, comics are quickly being recognized as viable literature. I mean, we're actually in a college course about visual culture involving comics and film! So while I rant about the Big 2, outside of them, there are some wonderful things going on, and I think that the future for comics is looking good.
ReplyDeleteRight, but indy comics, of course, have no problem killing off main characters or whatever, and are happy with the compartmentalization and specialization that leaves them with their loyal niche audience. But the big 2 are very much actively pursuing new audiences, and are more likely to alter their content to appease those potential audiences. That's the phenomenon I'm speaking to.
ReplyDeleteI think comics will continue to flourish, I just don't know if it will be in paper form. I can already read as many comics or graphic novels (or novels or poetry or whatever, for that matter) on my laptop... why bother buying them in paper? (This really isn't applicable to me, actually... I love my paper library much more than my digital one). But this is kind've a tangent.
Good point. The big publishers are branching out. I didn't even think of that.
ReplyDeleteI agree that digital comics are gaining momentum, but also don't want to see paper go away for any medium. I personally don't like reading extensive material from my monitor.