Posts Tagged ‘Marvel Comics’
Hey, I tried to teach you how to handle comics in the sixth grade
Today’s big news was Disney’s $4 billion bid to purchase Marvel Comics. I have an interest in this story for the following reasons:
1) I love comics.
2) I’m a former stockholder of BOTH Marvel and Disney. For real. This was back in the day when Marvel went bankrupt. I lost everything!
The immediate reaction for fanboys very well may have been “Disney? Does this mean we’re gonna see an X-Men/Mickey and the Mousketeers crossover?” And my good buddy worried about the level of editorial control the Disney higher-ups would exert over Marvel, which emerged nicely from the Clone-Saga–Adamantiumless-Wolverine–Sue-Richards-With-Cleavage–Onslaught–Heroes-Reborn doldrums of the late 90s to produce some really top-notch content (enough so to get me back into the comics game: more on that to come!)
I understand those fears, but I also think they’re unfounded. Disney has its hands in all kinds of movies and television shows; Pirates of the Caribbean, Desperate Housewives, and Lost might not be the second coming of EC Comics, but I think those properties show enough in terms of humor, edge, and drama to convince any Marvel fan that their favorite franchises will be okay. After all, as that Times article tells us, Marvel is in pretty good shape; I don’t think Disney has much interest in mucking up what works.
I’m actually pretty excited about this. Having been on the front lines for one Marvel bankruptcy (I love 200 bones! That’s a lot for a 12-year-old!), it warms the cockles of my heart to see the company in a strong position going forward. It’s not like the print industry (which includes comic books) has a bright and certain future ahead of it; I think all comic book fans should be excited to have Disney cash behind Spider-Man, Captain America, and the rest.