tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15394367561107628132024-02-19T00:16:46.452-08:00hueysheridanhueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-10297792631949752032009-09-03T05:06:00.000-07:002009-09-03T08:05:14.988-07:00Forget Pixar – Bruckheimer could be a more immediate Disney partner for Marvel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-BnT6xVD0INC5716NayyLwafv2hLuLptR8lwMb6mmVmGKZgS3G2KApeULA0AbYmH7maV4qrkLWbN6eDUFtNqvQbSNJHgkXUSDvsQ8Ow829_CZLd-jCEeZA2ZmZUgUoT75srcxvGIdsTj/s1600-h/jerry-bruckheimer_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-BnT6xVD0INC5716NayyLwafv2hLuLptR8lwMb6mmVmGKZgS3G2KApeULA0AbYmH7maV4qrkLWbN6eDUFtNqvQbSNJHgkXUSDvsQ8Ow829_CZLd-jCEeZA2ZmZUgUoT75srcxvGIdsTj/s320/jerry-bruckheimer_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377214615835236434" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Since Marvel bought Disney a lot has been made of the potential for a Pixar -Marvel match up -</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">the company </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3if39271c89709c28e51aaec2525f7793b"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">has even revealed</span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lasseter"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">John Lassetter</span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> has met with Marvel staff to discuss possible collaborations. But I haven’t read anyone discuss a more obvious Disney partner that may also be likely to take an interest in Marvel’s properties : uber-producer </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Bruckheimer"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jerry Bruckheimer</span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Bruckheimer is one of the most successful and controversial producers in </span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Hollywood</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Known for massive action heavy and critically unpopular productions his long list of credits includes </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, The Rock, Bad Boys, Con Air, Crimson Tide, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Pirates of the Caribbean, King Arthur </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and the</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> National Treasure </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">films</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> For television he produces the successful </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">CSI</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> franchise, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Without a Trace, Cold Case</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Amazing Race</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So given that the action genre is right in his wheelhouse and the fact that he has been known to help Disney develop their properties in the past with </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pirates of the Caribbean,</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> a Bruckheimer produced Marvel film, like for instance </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Man_and_Iron_Fist"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Power Man and Iron Fist</span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathlok"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Deathlok</span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> or </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daughters_of_the_Dragon"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Daughters of the Dragon</span></a></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">,</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> could appeal to Disney execs. For television he could even produce procedurals based around concepts such as </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.H.I.E.L.D."><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">SHIELD</span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Jones"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jessica Jones</span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> or </span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Factor_Investigations"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">X-Factor</span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Of course the fan reaction to such a move would be mixed at best, and Marvel’s Ike Pearlmutter and Kevin Feige would likely be resistant to such an intrusion into their domain. But by talking about teaming with Pixar they have already opened the door to such collaborations, and given the fact that Pixar productions have a long development process working with Bruckheimer could be a faster way to ramp up new productions.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The popular spin on this merger is that it helps Disney broaden its appeal to young boys and </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">adolescents. Up until now Bruckheimer has been Disney’s go-to man for this type of thing – with</span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">initiatives</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">like </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pirates of the </span></i><st1:place st="on"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Caribbean</span></i></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and the recent </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">G-Force </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">films</span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Inherent in the coverage has been an ac</span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">knowledgement (sometimes </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/08/the-big-deal-marvel-is-disneys-new-family-brand.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">made pretty explicit</span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">) that this hasn’t really worked. Could Bruckheimer be pis</span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">sed about this implicit criticism? This move certainly makes his role at Disney a little less crucial. Disney may wish to reinforce their attachment to the producer by giving him access to some of Marvel's properties if he wants them.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-40913064693091097182009-09-02T11:19:00.000-07:002009-09-03T06:31:38.180-07:00Is Marvel Studios fifth Paramount movie a potential source of dispute?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojxWLedsDjrcP8Bo1ZvLYNdnlPBnkWTF4aMK83WRkETjXPGTtGEiNQK7iFQOoaUVBI-J0U6FOif94xDNiHTWFJHJOU-FCRWSn3Tw_aVfvWujJOuNKr7LvaRvI_fpsGqd-ZJIgH2xr1nEy/s1600-h/para.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojxWLedsDjrcP8Bo1ZvLYNdnlPBnkWTF4aMK83WRkETjXPGTtGEiNQK7iFQOoaUVBI-J0U6FOif94xDNiHTWFJHJOU-FCRWSn3Tw_aVfvWujJOuNKr7LvaRvI_fpsGqd-ZJIgH2xr1nEy/s400/para.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376936401762569314" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marvel studios seems to be locked into a distribution deal with Paramount for its next five movies, but exactly what properties those movies will be about is a bit unclear. Specifically after </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain </span></i><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">America</span></i></st1:place></st1:country-region><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Avengers </span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">– what is the fifth and final film? some coverage says that it will </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-marvel-deals-pictures,0,5330834.photogallery?index=/entertainment/news/la-marvel-deals-pictures,0,5330834.photogallery"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"most likely"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">be</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Iron Man 3</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(note the uncertainty) </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">while others</span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://www.chud.com/articles/articles/20646/1/HOLY-BREAKING-NEWS-DISNEY-BUYS-MARVEL/Page1.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> suggest </span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><a href="http://www.chud.com/articles/articles/20646/1/HOLY-BREAKING-NEWS-DISNEY-BUYS-MARVEL/Page1.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ant Man</span></a></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Indeed when the distribution deal was first reported by Nikki </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Finke</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/marvel-shares-rocket-as-iron-man-soar-plans-sequel-unveils-2010-2011-releases/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ant Man</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was listed as the final movie</span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ant Man</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> has been in development since 2006 with </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shaun of the Dead</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Scott Pilgrim</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> writer/director Edgar Wright at the helm. Wright was still connected with the project </span><a href="http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/07/07/edgar-wright-still-interested-in-ant-man-movie/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">as recently as this July</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and Marvel Studio's head Kevin </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Feige</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> has discussed the project in numerous interviews. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I’m guessing that the idea of producing this </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ant Man</span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> movie has suddenly become much more attractive to </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Feige</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> – you have got to believe that if they could, Disney would seize the opportunity to own </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man 3</span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> outright. <i>Ant Man</i> is clearly a riskier project with a narrower appeal.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Added to that are some logistical issues – </span><a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/03/13/will-jon-favreau-direct-the-avengers/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">all</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><a href="http://www.aintitcool.com/node/40410"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">indications</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><a href="http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/2009-comic-con-iron-man-2-panel/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">are</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that Marvel wants </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Favreau</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> to direct their big </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> movie. That means that to make </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man 3</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> the fifth film either </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Favreau</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> leaves the franchise or the movie is pushed back from 2013 and the </span><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Paramount</span></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> deal is extended for another few years – neither of which is too desirable for Disney/Marvel, I would imagine.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Also worth thinking about here is the fact that when this Paramount deal was first agreed it </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">wasn't</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> clear which of these properties were going to be the most successful – so it’s by no means a sure thing that </span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Paramount</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> locked down sequel rights to any particular characters in their 5 film deal. Indeed it is still possible that </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man 2</span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> will be a flop or that either </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Thor</span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> or </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Captain </span></i><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">America</span></i></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> might be an even bigger hit, making </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man 3</span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> less attractive. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One other possibly crucial detail - in June </span><a href="http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/06/07/profile-on-marvel-studios-with-big-updates-from-kevin-feige/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Feige</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> revealed </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">that another, as yet unannounced Marvel movie was planned for release in 2012, the same year Marvel/Paramount's 3rd and 4</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> movies (<i>Captain America, Avengers</i>) are due to be released. He seemed to hint that an announcement would come at San Diego, but none materialised. Maybe I'm crazy but the timing (and the probable delay in any announcement) makes me suspect that this could have had something to do with </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marvel's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> acquisition of the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marvelman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> property. At any rate is this new movie part of the Paramount deal? is it even still in development? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nikki Finke </span><a href="http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/why-disney-has-to-wait-for-marvel-synergy/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">recently published</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> a quote from </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;"><a href="http://paliresearch.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=/2009/09/01/disney-hulks-up-but-when-will-investors-benefit-from-synergies/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Rich Greenfield at Pali Research</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in which he discussed the Marvel/Paramount deal: </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "></span></span></o:p></span></p><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marvel’s current distribution deal with Paramount (Viacom-owned) covers the next five Marvel pictures including </span><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (2010), </span><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Thor</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (2011),</span><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Captain America</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (2011), </span><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Avengers</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (2012) and </span><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man 3</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (2012/2013). Paramount confirmed the films to be produced under their Marvel agreement. </span></blockquote><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He apparently did not check with Marvel though. Could this be Paramount putting down markers to indicate to Marvel that they believe that </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man 3</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> is part of the deal? is it that they are actually on board with Feige's secret new film project and are just being coy with Greenfield? or could all this speculation be way off-base -have Marvel and Paramount already agreed that </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Iron Man 3</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> is the last film in their agreement? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">All this reminds me of the dispute between </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pixar</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and former Disney chief Michael Eisner over </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Toy Story 2</span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. That mess took years to sort out and almost destroyed the very lucrative Disney/</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pixar</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> relationship. Hopefully all my speculation is groundless and the terms of the Marvel/Paramount deal are clearly set-out.</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-19575051810152842592009-09-02T10:35:00.000-07:002009-09-02T10:40:45.372-07:00Disney buys Marvel: great for Disney, bad for Marvel Fans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81WAH6JjPsP8EcQsOueGApxapv8oRtG9qIGhBMvLLTjwPcZzIMb0B8gpX54Q6pHzQyu-GDbvVHKJjKMutcU3wSK4PB8NCNAZzW5ip1MjqVjiuA7UHIx0c49m8m4-70gyAdi-Y85AqmLch/s1600-h/marvel-disney-small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81WAH6JjPsP8EcQsOueGApxapv8oRtG9qIGhBMvLLTjwPcZzIMb0B8gpX54Q6pHzQyu-GDbvVHKJjKMutcU3wSK4PB8NCNAZzW5ip1MjqVjiuA7UHIx0c49m8m4-70gyAdi-Y85AqmLch/s320/marvel-disney-small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376925139350944498" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Okay I’m studying for exams at the moment but the big news has drawn me out of my temporary sabbatical. I have a lot of thoughts about the whole thing but Ill start off with my first impressions: I think it is great for Disney, but bad for Marvel fans in the long run.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I understand that some are claiming that Disney overpaid but I don’t see it, these superhero movies can make a half billion each when they are successful and much more when they are massive hits, which is not uncommon. The merchandising potential is massive and has already been growing consistently for over 20 years – the appeal of superheroes is much more than a fad. Over time the investment will pay off in spades for Disney. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Whatever way you look at it, practically speaking, Marvel Comics just got a whole new tier of management. As a fan, I worry that this means the company will take less risks and become slower, more bureaucratic and less innovative. As I see it Marvel’s main competitor DC Comics’ problems can ultimately be traced to its corporate culture – as a small part of a massive media conglomerate they are tightly structured and too fractured creatively. Marvel’s biggest strength, especially in recent years, has been its dynamism – its fresh approach to its characters, looseness of its editorial culture and willingness to take storytelling risks.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’m aware that Marvel and Disney are claiming that the company’s independence will be maintained – but that is clearly a vague intention, not a strong guarantee. Does anyone really believe that Marvel will make a potentially controversial move with a character – like for instance the recent death of Captain </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">America - </span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">without making senior executives at Disney aware of it first? of course not.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">However I can say that I see at least one obvious example where this new oversight may have been a positive thing had it been around a few years back. I’m pretty sure someone at Disney would have realised the madness of having a pact with the devil be the central plot point in a major Spider-Man story, and would have objected to it. Nevertheless I still think that most of the time Disney’s natural instincts to avoid controversy will be a negative influence.</span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hovering over this is a threat to the comic business as a whole. Disney has actually abandoned successful comic book operations in the past because the business and the margins are too small. In the past Marvel has seemed to justify its comic business as a sort of research and development division for other media, but who is to say that should the business become less profitable or more controversial Disney would not just abandon it? Marvel already has a wealth of material built up after all (though the 7,000 character thing is nonsense – less than 6,000 have received Official Handbook entries and those books have been if anything overly comprehensive). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Disney has shown little sentimentality about this sort of thing in the past. Their most synonymous properties - Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck etc - have had only minimal new development for decades. Disney seems to prefer to rely on library material to spur licensing rather than risk their appeal by trying anything new. Let’s hope that this attitude doesn’t seep into their new acquisition. </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-70947564949019760942009-08-21T08:53:00.001-07:002009-08-21T08:56:44.105-07:00Marvel acquires Marvelman: Has anything like this ever worked out well before? Part 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSD2dNd_9nSdExnFLjjhr7NC1tFF7yv1lw_6L8IFvR5bQQqm0I99R2grIqIPDKtZSiXPz701rDDtq00rG9DAphXl8r38B1PW3w3ix5I1VQRSxNSS4p3xuBMvc7RBJIeyPht_pQLWxvVyU/s1600-h/acq.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSD2dNd_9nSdExnFLjjhr7NC1tFF7yv1lw_6L8IFvR5bQQqm0I99R2grIqIPDKtZSiXPz701rDDtq00rG9DAphXl8r38B1PW3w3ix5I1VQRSxNSS4p3xuBMvc7RBJIeyPht_pQLWxvVyU/s320/acq.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372445066891778434" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Go <a href="http://hueysheridan.blogspot.com/2009/08/marvel-acquires-marvelman-has-anything.html">here</a> for Part 1, and <a href="http://hueysheridan.blogspot.com/2009/08/marvel-acquires-marvelman-has-anything_10.html">here</a> for Part 2.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This time I hope to explain why I think that there may be</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_cost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> opportunity costs </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">involved in investing in these new acquisitions and that in order for them to work in their new settings these concepts must have some unique or exceptionally strong qualities that complement the existing library into which they are being placed, which unfortunately has rarely been the case. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">First off: </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazam!"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Captain Marvel/</span></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazam!"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shazam</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. I think it's a given at this point that the similarities between Superman and Captain Marvel are such that as long as they own both the whole "</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shazam</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Family" will be surplus to requirements at DC. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ive already conceded that the money DC paid to buy the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Fawcett</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> characters in the 1970s must have been paid back many times over by now by the returns from the various comics, TV shows, cartoons etc. But would the company have made that money anyway without the character? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Who can say that, without </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shazam</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">/Captain Marvel, the money that was invested to launch those products would not have been put to better use on Superman or even another, more unique DC property like say Green Lantern? DC has never lacked for concepts - surely one of them could have generated a higher return? after all none of those </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shazam</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> products were runaway </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">successes</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Over the last year, DC has acquired the rights to three different sets of old superhero properties - the Milestone, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLJ#Superheroes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">MLJ</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THUNDER_Agents"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">THUNDER Agents</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> characters. I cant see that I see the logic in any of these moves. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The company already has an excess of characters - are these concepts so unique that they add something significantly valuable to their library? I have enjoyed stories about characters from all three lines in the past, but I think </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">that's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> a testament to the work of the various creative teams rather than any unique properties inherent in these concepts.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For example, what stories can you tell about </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_(comics)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Hardware</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that you cannot tell with </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Irons"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steel</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> instead? </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">couldn't</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> you use the ideas from the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shield_(Archie)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shield</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> revamp on a new version of the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex_Thompson"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Americommando</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> or one of the other many patriotic trademarks DC owns? is the THUNDER Agents such a unique concept to justify all this investment, when DC already has strong properties like </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_Squad"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Suicide Squad</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> that they </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">haven't</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> been able to get right? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There has never been, to my knowledge, significant demand out there for any of these concepts to return. There may be a market for reprinting the old material, but even the acclaimed THUNDER Agents stuff has probably only a niche audience at best.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Why is </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marvelman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> different? well chiefly because the concept continues to be in demand, independent of nostalgia. There is an aura of prestige around the whole property that comes from the caliber of talent have worked on it, making </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marvelman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> the most credible candidate to fill the "Superman distaff" role in </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marvel's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> catalogue. Also that quality work, by creators with proven crossover appeal, makes the potential audience for the </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marvelman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> back catalogue wide and deep.</span></div></span></span>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-62625771213951573362009-08-20T13:16:00.000-07:002009-08-20T13:20:12.956-07:00There should be a "best cover" Eisner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CjF2_3MVGIimcZ7K16vZbRYm9kRkpON3vqMn3tIF7TuFOyxPYQjbU0wfxsJNYQ29wWKjVBUtgEoh8F53JADE47ec7u6tHVnlugGfxPryo2vgDimjxozl-FD1i0lLtvK72gcDIgs0LGWZ/s1600-h/FF051.jpg"><img style="text-align: center;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CjF2_3MVGIimcZ7K16vZbRYm9kRkpON3vqMn3tIF7TuFOyxPYQjbU0wfxsJNYQ29wWKjVBUtgEoh8F53JADE47ec7u6tHVnlugGfxPryo2vgDimjxozl-FD1i0lLtvK72gcDIgs0LGWZ/s400/FF051.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364217267542512562" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CjF2_3MVGIimcZ7K16vZbRYm9kRkpON3vqMn3tIF7TuFOyxPYQjbU0wfxsJNYQ29wWKjVBUtgEoh8F53JADE47ec7u6tHVnlugGfxPryo2vgDimjxozl-FD1i0lLtvK72gcDIgs0LGWZ/s1600-h/FF051.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CjF2_3MVGIimcZ7K16vZbRYm9kRkpON3vqMn3tIF7TuFOyxPYQjbU0wfxsJNYQ29wWKjVBUtgEoh8F53JADE47ec7u6tHVnlugGfxPryo2vgDimjxozl-FD1i0lLtvK72gcDIgs0LGWZ/s1600-h/FF051.jpg"></a>My pick for best cover ever</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Earlier this week Brian</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Cronin put up his latest</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/08/16/my-top-ten-marvel-october-covers/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">post</span></a></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">on comic covers at </span><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Comics Should Be Good</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, this time rating </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvel's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> October offerings. The column is always worth a read, and though I don't always agree with Cronin's selections or analysis, he consistently has an interesting angle.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But the latest piece has got me thinking - why aren't there any prominent awards out there for individual cover work? sure the Eisner's and the Harvey's have a "Best Cover Artist" category but that's not really the same thing - it rewards the totality of an artists' work over the year, not any single piece by them. There are plenty of awards for individual achievement in internal story work - why not for covers?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It seems to me that the most positive effect of such awards is to encourage the improvement of the general standard of work in the industry - giving out specific awards for good covers would encourage artists to create more ambitious pieces by giving them specific guidance as to what quality work looks like. "Cover artist of the Year" already kinda does that but it seems to me that the effects are pretty diffuse. Making it specific would focus the effect much more.</span></span></span></p></span>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-80075666519600722532009-08-14T06:22:00.000-07:002009-08-14T09:44:58.281-07:00Friday Capsule Reviews - 14 August 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYxcHzme1YpH85Gq_PaVH7BYquoHm8xXc0z6jWHm85xjCpWxGvYIvApvFLJSgi3eXoJlCqMfYpHList7hamuaV53Asyzl5Ruqn5KFpF-3csWXfTeQzgoO5vcNyXFkWYmcHm7xwI9kwJKP/s1600-h/Friday+Capsule+Reviews+-+8.14.09.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 121px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYxcHzme1YpH85Gq_PaVH7BYquoHm8xXc0z6jWHm85xjCpWxGvYIvApvFLJSgi3eXoJlCqMfYpHList7hamuaV53Asyzl5Ruqn5KFpF-3csWXfTeQzgoO5vcNyXFkWYmcHm7xwI9kwJKP/s400/Friday+Capsule+Reviews+-+8.14.09.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369847270818034098" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Blackest Night #2</span></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><div>Two issues in and I can't say that I'm particularly into the set-up of this series yet - all the revived heroes are uniformly and blandly evil - I don't see where the drama comes from having them interact with the regular characters. Also Geoff Johns has a lot of skill, but lately he seems to have become enamored with clever- clever bursts of dialogue that really seem forced. The previous issue had characters saying things like "Jean did something I've never seen anyone do in all my years with the League - <b>s</b><b>he made the Atom feel small</b>" and "the fastest man alive does something I haven't seen him he do since he's been back - <b>he sits down</b>" - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">uggh</span>!. In small doses that sort of thing can be effective, but when it is done repeatedly in one issue (and on two consecutive pages like those quotes) it wears thin fast. This issue has a scene with Barbara and Jim Gordon that is filled with such contrived, cutesy dialogue. The art by Ivan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Reis</span> is a revelation though - detailed and flashy - he has outgrown the overpowering Alan Davis influence that was present in his earlier work.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The Marvels Project</i> #1</div><div>Great stuff. I am a bit wary of the new "secrets" (i.e. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">retcons</span>) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Brubaker</span> is set to reveal in this series but on the strength of this issue he has certainly earned my trust. All the new ties that he sets up between these characters seem natural and unforced. I love the use of the Two-Gun Kid - of course he would go back to his own time to die, bringing news of the future with him. He also serves as a nice link between the three major Marvel Comics historical eras (western, golden age and modern day). The original Angel is certainly getting a lot of attention at the moment (with this story and the recent <i>X-Men: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Noir</span></i>) and I like the sympathetic depiction of him here. It seems he is going to be the central protagonist of this series and that's fine with me, though I hope that the whole "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scourge_of_the_Underworld">Scourge</a>" thing that Mark <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Gruenwald</span> set-up with the character is not completely ignored. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Epting's</span> art is amazing - he seems to have taken another quantum leap in the quality of his work. If all involved keep to this high standard for the remainder of the series it could be a classic. </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>The Walking Dead </i>#64</div><div>I just finished reading <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Cormac</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">MacCarthy's</span><i> The Road and </i>it's amazing to me how similar some of the themes are in this comic, especially at the moment with the cannibalism storyline. I'd definitely recommend the book to fans of this title. Anyway, this is another solid issue as the fallout from Dale's disappearance is played out and the threat from the hunters starts to materialise. The free inclusion of first issue of<i> Viking </i>makes this a pretty attractive package, though that comic is not as strong as last issue's <i>Chew </i>#1. </div><div> </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Ultimate Comics: Avengers</i> #1</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">The first two pages are pretty cute, as Nick Fury's reaction is a clever nod towards the fact that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Millar</span> himself is also just returning to the devastated (in more ways than one) Ultimate Universe. And this issue is a testament to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Millar's</span> skills - a tightly written and well executed plot with some spectacular set pieces. It's a light read, but exactly the sort of "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">widescreen</span>" story that the Ultimate line should be doing.</span></i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "></span>Uncanny X-Men</i> #514<div>This <i>Utopia</i> crossover seems to be finally coming together as Cyclops starts to implement his plan. It's basically a lot of vague set-up, so although the developments in this issue seem promising, the payoff could still prove disappointing. There are some nice little touches here though - like the pithy description of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Psylocke</span> ("long story") and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Illyanna's</span> comment on meeting the still secret X-Force team ("do you guys, uh, work together a lot or something?"). Solid stuff.</div></div>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-62003134534079641562009-08-12T11:05:00.000-07:002009-08-13T10:17:19.529-07:00Retro Reviews: What If? Volume 2 #13<div style="text-align: center;"></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTudjlAxqBFfiQ8YNSR7vT5LUpIjXyuYkjyInfsrDjUzbRUa9eFocSnp3DhMgZ4sSof82FmPCpZeLCqyalyl7-iPsCgVEgMgHcyhGbILRMLrZ1zicaeu0wpO8jBftnBvPNAWyKvW_TtRuR/s400/cover.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369154942804689298" /><div style="text-align: center;">Cover by Jim Lee</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Okay this may become a semi-regular feature where I talk about individual comics stories that, for whatever reason, have left a big impression on me.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">First off is May 1990’s </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What If?</span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Volume 2 #13 “</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What if Professor X had become the Juggernaut?</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">” by writer Kurt </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Busiek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">penciller</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Vince </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mielcarek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">inkers</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Ian Akin and Brian Garvey. A great story that I think still holds up well today.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But my take on this may be seriously skewed by my experiences with the comic. This was one of the first books that I ever bought. I was eleven years old when the issue came out and had only recently discovered my local comic shop. I bought a batch of comics on that trip and this issue in particular fascinated me and </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">- more than any of the comics I bought during that period – made me come back for more.</span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXq_4nXcLtmLOeUa9uANmYwMf89lUoufCqzrbKuhFql4LZwai-Me69O3Icxm5Qeg6dsv3vsiJ49ncYXmODdTPhnju4ZYo13Uu6Vpu_7L_pnsOtqWRpFaChmv9kRDILgHYUJi8CSyZh5DC/s200/origin.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 140px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369431012906507186" /><div style="text-align: center;">The turning point</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here is a very basic outline of the story: in this world<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_X"> </a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_X">Charles Xavier</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> grabs the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Cyttorak</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> gem </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">and is transformed into the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juggernaut_(comics)">Juggernaut</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> (in the original story his step-brother, Cain </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Marko</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, had done this). He is buried alive in a cave-in, but over many years he climbs his way out. Embittered by this experience and gifted with his Juggernaut powers as well as his own psychic abilities Xavier quickly takes over the world.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Scott Summers (aka </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops_(comics)">Cyclops</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">) is initially one of Xavier’s lieutenants, but he becomes disillusioned with the abuse that regular humans suffer at the hands of the new mutant </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">overclass</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. He takes a group of fellow mutants (Jean Grey, Colossus, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver) and working with Magneto they lure Xavier in to a trap and remove him from power.</span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I bought a lot of comics on that early trip to the comic shop, but this one definitely stood out. The scope of the story, its dynamic artwork, strong characterisation and elegant resolution – all hooked me in strongly.</span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFN91DBhN0A0CJreQ7fdZg9NL62eLWqV5Yh8_vYFuSOHBHfX9he-dR8IITizaWCA-l1fWZcfVe2xYbCSdJxEy-gd_9uxLUA7XcqBbtRysvkMrVlp4Vbizs-OBgq5JuYpHdsZgtNoaRqxu/s200/redesigns.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 168px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369440582141841554" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Two of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mielcarek's</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> redesigns - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_(comics)">Thunderbird</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Worthington_III">The Angel</a></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I remember my mother – anxious about my new fascination comics – actually picked out this issue from the batch and gave it a read to make sure these "comic book" things were suitable reading material. I’m not sure that she got through the whole thing, but I remember her saying that she was impressed by the lofty tone of the first few pages. To me that was high praise coming from someone who hated most fantasy fiction and it made me read the story with extra care.</span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">These days you often hear critics complaining about the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">inaccessibility of</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">comics, how lots of characters and continuity alienate and confuse new readers. That certainly has never applied to me – I was always fascinated by the deep texture of these stories – how many of these concepts had rich histories and hidden relationships to one another that were only hinted at at first. I guess it amplifies the escapist quality that I most appreciate in comics. This issue is full of that stuff, all done subtly and thoughtfully.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For instance, in the panel below I was fascinated by all the bright costumes and different styles. It was clear to me that these were not original inventions – each one had a unique importance and history that I was dying to know more about and understand.</span></o:p></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxR-i0FhPiStQtW5TTv6jRIJcoquaUswcnHUItaEw-6Le95cCCz_9bAmLAb3qh7_f1A1gAyHbiYe3XnZJn8w6oITswVJloNRHvYQr6esOfJ85SFaLTUdLUR3XbnHXSjv65eeizQZRssnB/s320/gathering.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 219px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369142288119634578" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In anticipation of writing this post I recently asked </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.busiek.com/site/notes/">Kurt </a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.busiek.com/site/notes/">Busiek</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.busiek.com/site/notes/"> </a>a number of detailed questions about this obscure story and, to his enormous credit, he took the time to answer them in detail. You can read the full exchange </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.comicworldnews.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?s=0886dced367447817139ca37f9672c3e;act=SF;f=7">here</a>,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> but I want to touch on a few interesting points.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Originally the plot of the story was completely different with the Xavier Juggernaut becoming a heroic figure. The editor of the book demanded some changes that severely weakened that plot though,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> so </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Busiek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> “replotted it completely at the eleventh hour, because the editorial changes wouldn't leave anything worthwhile in the story, and submitted virtually a completely different story. The new story was approved with no changes, and that's what Vince drew, but it was the result of maybe a day and a half's concentrated work after the other version had run into difficulties.” It seems amazing to me that a story I admire so much could have been put together so fast.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">penciller</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> of this issue was Vince </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mielcarek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, a Marvel </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">bullpenner</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> who tragically died at the age of 28 shortly after this issue was published. I think that he would have had a long career in the industry if he had lived – he had a lot of talent – a strong storytelling instinct and a fluid, dynamic style. Apparently, at one point </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Busiek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> pitched a Luke Cage/Power Man series with him which unfortunately </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">didn't</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> get approved.</span></o:p></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKftt8R_p8FE4AKLVqZ9yZake_VYRcaOBCignqTe0-wwop9y4ibYO2AeaDCmizCi-CL2pbrj-pJwwJbEzmnKwZF7BPiUTbw3_ekNdlIWinjBRZDNoA0gSlBcw3_lGdMVHSlVv3GhFkuNUK/s320/2.+rampage.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369429515720993314" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In this issue, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mielcarek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> manages to tell a packed story and still leave space for arresting images like the one opposite. He also did extensive costume redesigns for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">se</span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">veral</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> of the characters in the story. It was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Busiek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">’s suggestion that “</span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">if Magneto had been in charge, the costumes should look like the kind of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">mitteleuropean</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> comic-opera stuff the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants wore, not the straight superhero jumpsuits Xavier designed</span></span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">”. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mielcarek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> ran with the concept and created thoughtful and original new looks for characters like </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Thunderbird</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, Cyclops, Jean Grey and the Angel.</span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b> </b></span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One other point which </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Busiek</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> makes is that Wolverine’s absence from the story was not an issue when the story was approved in 1990. It’s interesting that, though he was already very popular in 1990 the character had not yet attained the status that he currently enjoys. The idea that such an expansive X-Men story could be told today without at least acknowledging Wolverine’s existence is crazy and, I think, a shame as he would not have added anything to the story and probably would have only detracted from its quality had </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">he</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> been included.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This has been a really long post, so I’ll end with the final panel from the story. It left a big impression on me – to my eyes it was an iconic image that lent extra weight to the open and somewhat melancholic ending of the story. It left me desperately wanting to know more – about these characters and about what happens next – something all comics should aspire to do.</span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRG82ltMShgSz8DiJVw_bZv6Kjihyphenhyphene43A9r4ysGtqVv52Rdyvvw3onuRD29ZClPavHVX03rPHV_dNPrs-XVn1ydb2RIE1NRjRiIFBiY8wUA_uAuXtPPkHzLHJzDZLMjr9-Crykul-eBv_/s320/8.+ending.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 306px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369437887253570834" />hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-7058469593428461042009-08-12T10:20:00.000-07:002009-08-12T10:45:00.772-07:00Some Quick Hits<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li>Rich Johnston <a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/08/10/dark-siege-new-marvel-eventish-thing-by-brian-michael-bendis-and-olivier-coipel-includes-thor-somehow/">seems to confirm</a> my <a href="http://hueysheridan.blogspot.com/2009/07/bendis-to-mastermind-dark-siege.html">story</a> that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bendis</span> is writing <i>Dark Siege</i>. He thinks that Oliver <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Coipel</span> is on art and that the story involves an exploration of the relationship between gods and men.</li><li>On a similar theme, Warren Ellis <a href="http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=7326">has announced</a> his latest project from Avatar: <i><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Supergod</span></i>. What a fantastic title – I’m amazed no one has used it before. I love the tag line “the man in the sky is not coming to save you”. It’s an ambitious and not wholly original angle to explore (see above) but I trust that Ellis has the right sensibilities for this type of thing. He has me on the hook for the first issue anyway.</li><li><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22508">Walking Dead as an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">AMC</span> series</a>? best news of the year as far as I am concerned. The comic is my favourite thing being published today and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">AMC</span>’s Mad Men is the best TV series currently being produced (and new episodes of both come out this week!). Although it's still basic cable, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">AMC</span> seems to be trying to become a “premium” brand so hopefully their instincts are to turn the series into a quality drama rather than appealing to the “gore” audience such zombie projects usually attract. I also hope that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Kirkman</span> stays involved in the project throughout its development - I'd hate to see the concept watered down or changed too much.</li></ul><p></p>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-73921852168702088922009-08-11T06:48:00.000-07:002009-08-13T14:58:05.026-07:00Jim Shooter Should Hire John Byrne For The Gold Key Revival<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2msHLb_X-HUtmk6vc9m-Mt6S9CxvIP55f7Mneua6ky7EVSSsDz_Rz9mOy3vwdt4xM5sgBgHbol50feXr8FS6e0gbM1zTbrfVlh80G6Gpg-Jf2sAa4lvPqMGWoqsdjpVBc28YLCN_X6o1E/s1600-h/aaa.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2msHLb_X-HUtmk6vc9m-Mt6S9CxvIP55f7Mneua6ky7EVSSsDz_Rz9mOy3vwdt4xM5sgBgHbol50feXr8FS6e0gbM1zTbrfVlh80G6Gpg-Jf2sAa4lvPqMGWoqsdjpVBc28YLCN_X6o1E/s320/aaa.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368714935541864226" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday’s </span><a href="http://hueysheridan.blogspot.com/2009/08/marvel-acquires-marvelman-has-anything_10.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">post</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> about Valiant Comics got me thinking about the recent </span><a href="http://www.darkhorse.com/Press-Releases/1761/After-Much-Speculation-Dark-Horse-Announces-the-Return-of-Turok-Doctor-Solar-Magnus-and-Mighty-Samson-8-05-09"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">announcement</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> that </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Shooter"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jim Shooter </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">will be overseeing Dark Horse Comics' revival of the Gold Key characters that include </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus,_Robot_Fighter"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Magnus</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_(comics)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Solar</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turok"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Turok</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I think it’s a smart move on Dark Horse’s part. The superhero genre is a gap in the market for the publisher, Shooter is a talented editor, these characters have been successful in the past and pairing Shooter with them again was a splashy announcement.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Shooter </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22234"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">has said</span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> that he hopes to write much of the material in these revivals himself. Leaving aside the question of whether this is a good idea (his recent return to </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Legion of Super-Heroes</span></i></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> would seem to suggest it is not) it seems clear that Shooter’s biggest job will be to act as the editorial director of the revival and to assign talent.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I think this is also where his strengths currently lie as a creator. Shooter has had enormous success in the past with “world-building” via tight editorial direction. This is a controversial way to produce comics and not all talent responds well to it, but when it works it can work out very well, as Shooter’s past successes at Marvel and Valiant can attest.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So who could Shooter recruit to work with him this time out? At his last two attempts at this sort of thing – </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defiant_Comics"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Defiant</span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_Comics"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Broadway</span></a></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, Shooter relied on finding new talent like </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lapham"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">David </span></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lapham"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lapham</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> to produce his books and he may go that way again. Certainly Dark Horse already has access to a stable of talented new creators who work on their various other titles.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But I think one of the major reasons that Valiant was a success (and perhaps that Defiant and Broadway met with less immediate popularity) was that he had a big name creator working with him. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Windsor-Smith"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Barry Windsor-Smith</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> had only rarely produced regular comics work before he began to contribute to Valiant, and the cache of having him </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">on board</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> brought the publisher extra attention and sales.</span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Windsor-Smith seems unlikely to be interested in returning once again to the monthly grind, so is there any other big name talent out there who might be both suitable and available? To me one name comes to mind immediately - </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byrne"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">John </span></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byrne"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Byrne</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4gS4XFVOv__rCtVJLvpzkw0S8NKu9QNVWvNUjwBU0d8j0dSrxg0qY_iqYN1ZKS9FbtNVUHpZ8-NGvaQQEIjajP_9b4JoDbWmIgYM3RsDfc7pNE5ZQaqJ7O4pLBIpzO-ILsxerV1j1YuU/s320/byrne+doom.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368709861748944818" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(The above John Byrne art is a recent private commisission for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Christos Seros</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> that I first saw </span><a href="http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/07/30/but-nothing-really-matters-much/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Byrne</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> is a massively under-utilised talent at the moment. He is probably one of the most popular and successful super-hero comics creators of the last 30 years but at present he is stuck producing comics based on various </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1600105548?ie=UTF8&tag=hueysheridan-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1600105548"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">science fiction</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hueysheridan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1600105548" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />and </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160010231X?ie=UTF8&tag=hueysheridan-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=160010231X"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">fantasy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hueysheridan-20&l=as2&o=1&a=160010231X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> television series for </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">IDW</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> comics. His has had mixed fortunes with his work recently, but the image above shows that he still has the chops to produce quality super-hero work.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I have no idea how realistic this idea is. It is very possible, given the two people involved, that </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Byrne</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and Shooter hate each other’s guts and would never voluntarily work together again. But I am convinced that the pairing would make a lot of sense </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">– Shooter needs the solid talent and the publicity boost that </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Byrne</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> would provide while </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Byrne</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> gets access to the type of established superhero properties he has done his most popular work with in the past. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It may seem counter-intuitive – </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Byrne</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> is one of the most difficult personalities in comics and Shooter is reputed to be one of the most controlling editors – but I think these qualities may actually complement each other. Remember that </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Byrne</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">’s biggest successes (on </span></span><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Uncanny X-Men</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Fantastic Four</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">) came at Marvel in the 1980s when Shooter ran the show.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Obviously I like this idea, but I know it’s only a remote possibility. If he has considered the idea at all, I imagine Shooter dismissed it out of hand as not worth the risk or effort involved. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with nonetheless.</span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Update</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">: John Byrne </span><a href="http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=32584&PN=1&TPN=1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">has responded</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> to this notion in his forum:</span></p><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jim Shooter + Me = Hell Freezing Over"</span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Pretty succinct I think.</span></span>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-8905079385682148612009-08-10T12:41:00.000-07:002009-08-10T13:41:17.206-07:00Marvel acquires Marvelman: Has anything like this ever worked out well before? Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyuJl0x9dc2MUAfaypCFlJXYIyY5KffcbX9hbKzKYaJAAOoewefYkJfOxckWRUs-M2-0PIIUCwQ9OeTbNNhCP6lfcCvh3YL4ZTVlS2eBF2ajxf3ZT9QZGWOZ1b_kxKybrRgAGtJms1mtG/s1600-h/Valiant.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyuJl0x9dc2MUAfaypCFlJXYIyY5KffcbX9hbKzKYaJAAOoewefYkJfOxckWRUs-M2-0PIIUCwQ9OeTbNNhCP6lfcCvh3YL4ZTVlS2eBF2ajxf3ZT9QZGWOZ1b_kxKybrRgAGtJms1mtG/s320/Valiant.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368421969185225938" /></a><br /><div>Go <a href="http://hueysheridan.blogspot.com/2009/08/marvel-acquires-marvelman-has-anything.html">here</a> for Part 1.</div><div><br /></div>So if they never really work out for the characters how do I explain the fact that these acquisitions continue to happen? <div><br /></div><div>In a few of these cases there have been obvious reasons for these sales that have little to do with getting access to the intellectual <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">property</span> involved. It's well known that the main motivation for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Marvel's</span> acquisition of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malibu_Comics">Malibu</a> and, to a lesser extent, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">DC's</span> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildstorm"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Wildstorm</span></a> was to the acquire the sophisticated coloring departments both companies possessed.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Wildstorm</span> also had exclusive contracts with arguably the two biggest creators in the business - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Lee">Jim Lee</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore">Alan Moore</a> - and DC hoped to make use of those relationships. The other big benefit for Marvel and DC in buying Malibu and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Wildstorm</span> was that it immediately increased their market share by taking a potential competitor out of the marketplace.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>It is this second, somewhat controversial motivation that I think explains why so many other properties have been bought up by the big two. Buying these characters removes the possibility that another competitor will figure out a way to utilise and disrupt the marketplace.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valiant_Comics">Valiant</a> is an example of just that happening. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Shooter">Jim Shooter</a> set-up this company in the early 1990s using a bunch of nearly-forgotten characters from 1960s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Key_Comics">Western/Gold Key Comics</a> to launch his new line of comics. With solid production values and the full resources of a talented editorial and promotional team behind them, the company took off and quickly became one of the biggest comics publishers in the country. </div><div><br /></div><div>Their success was brief, and in part based on peculiar market conditions of the time, but the example is as stark reminder of the potential disruptive power of new comic company using old concepts in a focused and well promoted manner. If Valiant had only been an imprint of a larger company I don't think it would have been anywhere near as successful, just remember Shooter's earlier attempt to a launch a new superhero line - his failed "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Universe">New Universe</a>" project at Marvel.</div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>It is for this "spoiler" reason of wanting to block potential competition that I think DC may be kicking itself now that it didn't actively pursue <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Marvelman</span>. The character probably wouldn't add a huge amount to DC, but he has the potential to help Marvel enormously in areas that DC traditionally dominates. </div><div><br /></div><div>In part 3 I'll go into the opportunity costs inherent in buying and promoting these new acquisitions and explore the most obvious benefit these companies see in buying the rights to old properties - the idea that these new characters will add value to their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">pre</span>-existing catalogues -and explain why I think that, except in rare cases (like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Marvelman</span>), this is usually a mistake. </div></div>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-17024853989381791692009-08-07T10:39:00.000-07:002009-08-07T15:02:07.146-07:00Friday Capsule Reviews<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_m62MS-yRbfy3GQ8VPW4guXtMIqxpPh8FiZ9vf8z3S5dDzyHK9_Lht_xeCP7sVSFXTZ90ju-JF56cPtMJruxMgy3pDUAIg7nG8nh5eE3IJv4wW5izkk0nBtxUtmSSSUlhst-otA4vlzNt/s1600-h/rev.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_m62MS-yRbfy3GQ8VPW4guXtMIqxpPh8FiZ9vf8z3S5dDzyHK9_Lht_xeCP7sVSFXTZ90ju-JF56cPtMJruxMgy3pDUAIg7nG8nh5eE3IJv4wW5izkk0nBtxUtmSSSUlhst-otA4vlzNt/s320/rev.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367303353994930642" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Some minor spoilers follow ...</div><div><div><br /><div><div><i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> #601</div><div>So, in this issue Pete gets drunk and (apparently) has a one night stand? I'm guessing that some fans will be outraged by all this, but I honestly like it. It's realistic and the whole thing is dealt with in a light manner. I'm not sure how the writers can use MJ practically, especially if she remembers the whole spider-marriage (we find out here that she at least still knows that Pete is Spidey). Mario Alberti's art is nice - kind of like Tim Sale on steroids. The Bendis /Quesada back-up is neat enough - I think the use of old Ditko art is a cute if not a terribly original trick. I'm not so hot on what Bendis seems to be setting up though - <i>Alias</i> was one of my favorite series from the last 10 years and I think Jessica Jones works best as a jaded former superhero rather than just another costume.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Captain America: Reborn </i>#2</div><div>I can't help but feel a sense of deja-vu this issue. The whole "Cap reliving past battles" plot was also a big part of Brubaker's early Cap issues. Anyway, this issue is well done, with nice Hitch/ Guice art - it's amazing how similar their styles actually are. I'm enjoying the current depiction of Norman Osborn throughout the Marvel Universe as some sort of polished Bush-era political megalomaniac, but it seems a bit of a stretch to me that he would think it was a good idea to try and work with a nazi like the Red Skull.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>Captain Britain And MI13</i> #15</div><div>A great final issue that ends the <i>Vampire State</i> story on a high note. I was only a mild fan of this series up until this arc, but I think that Cornell really hit gold with his use of Dracula as a racist, military-minded super-villain, and I hope to see the character used in that vein again. The surprise guest-stars are also a treat - hopefully at some point in the future Cornell will work on a project that can make use of them again.</div></div><div> </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>House of M: Masters of Evil</i> #1</div><div>I am a big fan of Christos Gage and I loved the original <i>House of M: Avengers</i> mini-series, but this issue left me pretty cold. It's just that the set-up here is not sufficiently different to what's going on in the main Marvel Universe - the Hood basically has the same gang doing the same things in numerous other books. There are hints at the end that Gage is going to explore a different angle - the Hood becoming a popular figure among humans chafing under mutant dominance, but its really not enough of a hook to get me excited at this point. The art by Manuel Garcia is pretty good though.</div></div></div></div>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-3651246189047772352009-08-06T12:09:00.000-07:002009-08-10T12:46:11.426-07:00Marvel acquires Marvelman: Has anything like this ever worked out well before? Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlraqFuAu6NBdh-EP1oIaEfGhWXRlxDPpazC-wjaXN4ygiVMjJKHiZRTvPT_ZF2EVR_pTiwqVIwmVcwDuivGksVKvhmB1vBKnX0EDkGELBRQwh-h2OelEJxNBrjiKVOQyOK9GRUc2t9LNk/s1600-h/acq.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlraqFuAu6NBdh-EP1oIaEfGhWXRlxDPpazC-wjaXN4ygiVMjJKHiZRTvPT_ZF2EVR_pTiwqVIwmVcwDuivGksVKvhmB1vBKnX0EDkGELBRQwh-h2OelEJxNBrjiKVOQyOK9GRUc2t9LNk/s320/acq.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366929385946208530" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Here's my take on this: no, nothing like this has ever really worked out perfectly in the past. There is a long history of the two biggest comics publishers acquiring the rights to other company's characters and failing to fully exploit the potential of those properties. Once acquired, the characters never manage to regain the heights of popularity they enjoyed at the peak of their success at other publishers.</div><div><br /></div><div>The one possible exception I can think of is the 1944 merger of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics">Detective Comics</a> and <a href="http://www.toonopedia.com/all-amer.htm">All-American Publications</a> which united Detective's characters like Batman and Superman with All-American's properties such as Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman to form National Comics (which eventually changed its name to DC). That merger has obviously been an unqualified success for both companies' characters. I'm not sure that it really qualifies for what I'm talking about here though, as it wasn't technically an acquisition and both companies had never really been separate entities anyway.</div><div><br /></div><div>Probably the biggest and most successful acquisition of the type I'm talking about has been the sale of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawcett_Comics">Fawcett</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawcett_Comics"> Comics</a> library (basically the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazam!">Captain Marvel/</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazam!">Shazam</a>" characters) to DC Comics. DC has probably made their initial investment back many times over since they bought those characters in the 1970s. There have been numerous comic series, a TV show, an animated series and even plans for a big screen movie featuring the characters. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, whatever success the property has had at DC pales in comparison to the popularity that the various Captain Marvel series enjoyed in their heyday in the 1940s, when the character was the most popular superhero in America, outselling even Superman, who was also at his peak at the time. At DC, Captain Marvel has never been more than a mediocre success, a property given a third rate priority by the company.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since then DC has acquired lots of other libraries of characters including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_Comics">Quality</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Comics">Charlton</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildstorm">Wildstorm</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildstorm"> </a>Comics heroes. Though these concepts have had periodic upsurges in visibility, all these acquisitions have followed the same pattern of fading popularity post-sale, as DC focuses its resources on promoting the Detective/All-American stable of characters.</div><div><br /></div><div>Marvel has been down the same road, buying <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malibu_Comics">Malibu Comics</a> in 1994 and then being so derelict in managing their "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraverse">Ultraverse</a>" characters that they are now unusable, victims of arcane rights issues that were triggered by Marvel's negligence in not producing new material featuring the concepts.</div><div><br /></div><div>So if never works out, why do comics companies keep doing it? what are DC thinking in acquiring the rights to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLJ#Superheroes">MLJ</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milestone_Media">Milestone</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THUNDER_Agents">THUNDER Agents</a> characters - all in the space of the last year? and why do I think that Marvelman could be an exception to all this?</div><div><br /></div><div>In the next few days I hope to post <a href="http://hueysheridan.blogspot.com/2009/08/marvel-acquires-marvelman-has-anything_10.html">part two</a> where I explain some of my theories!</div>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-86834231681691561822009-08-05T03:24:00.000-07:002009-08-05T05:38:14.849-07:00Capsule Reviews For Last Week's Comics<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VrWz6iJ-bUUEQF3q62GpCEX6pFgcwbdpE9mrzTutJDOqNBz4va8SFVhugPrn6Jlk6ASqTVKxk6xFN-yCAKDcQ6RjEDelPShJTfvA6Sd2atpDl3-oPG3863Boy2swYrFVa5_n18G6KdBl/s320/CAPSULES+080409.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 122px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366443575635681250" /><div>In the future I hope to do <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">these</span> earlier in the week, but anyway...</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Marvel Zombies 4</i> #4<div>The series ends on somewhat of a whimper, as the zombie virus is defeated too quickly and easily for my tastes. I really enjoyed the series overall though, and Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lente</span> did a great job using some obscure characters and making them seem pretty cool (the <a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/piranha.htm">Piranha Men</a> in #1 were a highlight for me). I guess I would definitely read a <i>Midnight Sons</i> series by this team.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div><i>New Avengers </i>#55</div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Yeaaaah</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Immonen</span>!!! Ive been a fan of this guy since he started out ages ago on <i>Legion of Super-Heroes</i> and he is just what this series needed. Clear, fluid and attractive storytelling with each character in the large cast looking different and dynamic. The trouble within the Hood's crew is a good hook and a long overdue development given some of the guys involved. I like the fact that the fallout from Clint's media war with Osborn continues to boil over, but I have to say that the character's murderous intentions are pretty out of sync with past depictions.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Justice Society of America</i> #29</div><div>A pretty standard set-up issue. I love <i>Fables </i>so I'm hoping that this new team are a success, but going on this issue alone I'm not hugely confident that the book will take off. It just needs something extra, a bit more pizazz and a little less exposition.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Thunderbolts</i> #134</div><div>I have been pretty disappointed in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Diggle's</span> stint on this book. I had high expectations due to his work on <i>The Losers</i>, and while it started promisingly, this run was derailed by the awful <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Deadpool</span> crossover and hasn't been able to recover since. This issue is okay, but nothing spectacular. Here's hoping that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Remender</span> is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Diggle's</span> replacement. I have been very impressed with his work on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><i>Punisher</i></span>, which has some similar themes to this book.</div></div>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-32729887273371987322009-08-04T08:04:00.000-07:002009-08-13T07:39:17.879-07:00Newly released document illuminates Marvel’s 2004 shift in focus to the Avengers<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvel editor Tom Brevoort recently </span><a href="http://marvel.com/blogs/Tom_Brevoort/entry/1559"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">released</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> a “publishing strategy memo” he wrote for the Marvel Universe line (basically the various </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Fantastic Four</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> titles) in late-2003. The main body of the memo outlines his specific month-by-month plans and ideas for 2004 and is in itself pretty standard and unremarkable stuff.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">However, the preamble that Brevoort attached to that information appears to be pretty significant when considered in light of the massive shift that has occurred at Marvel in the interim since the memo was written. The memo was written at the request of Marvel’s new management and Brevoort makes a bold appeal to them that they focus their resources and promotion on his books: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The mainline Marvel U imprint is, I feel, the toughest to manage at this point. There's a specific cache, both in sales and prestige, that comes with the Ultimate or Marvel Knights labels. And X-Men is just X-Men, a sales juggernaut for thirty years. But the mainstream Marvel books, while they form the core of our business, have ended up by virtue of these other initiatives over the past few years as the vanilla of our line. As such, they're at a promotional disadvantage to everything else--Ultimate Hawkeye or Marvel Knights Hawkeye is almost certain to open better than plain old Hawkeye.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Atop that, we've tended to make this a self-fulfilling prophesy in terms of our allocation of talent and resources over the past few years. We've positioned most of our key creators elsewhere, trusting to these books to somewhat take care of themselves. And then, as the sales decay curve increased, there developed a resistance to allocating too much A & E against these titles…</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I think that the message that we need to send this year both through content and through our promotional efforts is that the MU is The Real Deal. It's Coke Classic. It's the characters our competitors wish they owned in the shared universe they endlessly try to emulate, done by the best guys in the business. It's not old, it's not irrelevant, it's not tarnished--it's as vibrant and involving a place to immerse yourself as its ever been. This is the backbone of our publishing program, the standard bearer that you skew away from to get an edgy Marvel Knights book or a modernized Ultimate title. Because the Marvel Universe isn't an imprint--it's the whole ball of wax.</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At the time that this memo was written the Marvel Universe line, and the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> books in particular, were probably going through their most difficult period since they were relaunched in 1997 following the “</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_Reborn"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Heroes Reborn</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">” fiasco. The period in question was certainly the nadir of Brevoort's career as a major group-editor.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The sales and creative situation on just about every book was pretty bad. Kurt Busiek's stint as</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> writer was long over by this point and Geoff Johns’ run, which Brevoort had personally promoted heavily, had just been severely curtailed by Johns’ exclusive contract with DC. Chuck Austen was the title's next scheduled writer and the fan reaction to his appointment had ranged from apathy to extreme hostility.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thor</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> title was in the last gasps of Dan Jurgens’ long run and the acclaim and fan attention was long gone by that point. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Captain </span></i><st1:country-region st="on"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">America</span></i></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> had recently been removed from the line and relaunched as a Marvel Knights series, with Brevoort's office launching a secondary Cap title – </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Captain </span></i><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">America</span></i></st1:place></st1:country-region><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and the Falcon</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> by Christopher Priest and Bart Sears - that was a sales disaster from the outset. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Iron Man</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> too was in the doldrums creatively and commercially.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Fantastic Four</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> had just emerged from a traumatic period during which Brevoort’s preferred creative team (Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo) had been fired and then rehired by upper management. The battle involved had been a difficult one, played out in public in the comics press and the fallout from it probably contributed to Marvel publisher Bill Jemas' departure from the company. The whole debacle clearly left no-one unscarred and Waid and Wieringo's return was a shortlived one.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The specifics of Brevoort’s planning memo give further detail as to how desperate the situation was in this corner of Marvel’s publishing line at that time. Any plans involving newly launched titles include provisos acknowledging the possibility of imminent cancellation. Indeed only one of Brevoort’s titles from that period survives today in the incarnation it was in then (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Fantastic Four</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">) – and only four of the fourteen other ongoing books listed have direct analogues being published today (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thor</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Iron Man</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Spectacular Spider-Man</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">However, shortly after this document was written a massive shift occurred. Marvel assigned its highest profile creator – Brian Bendis – to write </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and relentlessly promoted his “Avengers Disassembled” arc. All the major Avengers titles were then relaunched with high-calibre creative teams – Brubaker and Epting on </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Captain </span></i><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">America</span></i></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, Ellis and Granov on </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Iron Man</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and Bendis and Finch on </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">New Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The shift of focus is most clearly represented in the line-up that was made available to Bendis on </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">New Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, which included for the first time both Spider-Man and Wolverine, the company’s most popular characters. These characters were also the main attractions of the company’s two other, previously more successful, lines of comics set in the Marvel Universe: the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">X-Men</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Spider-Man</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> imprints. The regular inclusion of these characters in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">New Avengers</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> may have cost those books some of their unique drawing power, but clearly the decision was made that the new title’s success was more important than such concerns.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Obviously, other factors beyond the advocacy of this document may have factored into Marvel's decision to shift their focus so dramatically. Marvel's plans to develop their own movie properties also began to gather pace around 2004. With the X-Men, Spider-Man and FF movie rights controlled by other studios, the company naturally began to focus their internal resources on promoting those properties whose exploitation they stood to benefit the most from.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But, if nothing else this document highlights Brevoort’s key role in managing this shift in focus successfully. The strategy he outlined – focusing talent and promotion on these previously neglected books even if it came at the expense of other, previously more popular lines – has led the various Avengers titles to become industry bestsellers and to other major successes such as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Civil War</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">T</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">he Death of Captain America</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Dark Reign</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span><o:p></o:p></p>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-14530835868255017822009-08-03T09:16:00.000-07:002009-08-05T05:03:10.687-07:00Some quick hits<div>I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">don't</span> have time to do a proper post today so <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">here are</span> a few short items:</div><div><ul><li>Rich Johnston does an <a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/07/31/unknitting-marvelman-a-look-at-possible-remaining-issues/">update</a> on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Marvelman</span> situation, and what the positions of the various rights holders may be.</li><li>Commenter <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">TJ</span> Burns at the <a href="http://www.comicboards.com/avengers/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Comicboards</span>.com Avengers board</a> <a href="http://www.comicboards.com/app/show.php?rpy=avengers-2009073020170818">points out </a>that in addition to the character's appearance as "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Miracleman</span>" in <i>Captain Britain</i>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Marvelman</span> was mentioned by name in Warren Ellis' <i>Druid</i> miniseries in the early 90s.</li><li>In the <a href="http://hueysheridan.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-are-there-no-comic-con-panel.html#comments">comments</a> of my post calling for Con <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">webcasts</span>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/02873409085895960707">Chip</a> pointed out that DC Comics has posted several long audio recordings of their panels <a href="http://www.dccomics.com/downloads/">at their website</a> (you have to scroll down to the podcast section to find them though).</li><li>And finally, just because I am in love with new Daft Punk track playing in the background, here is the big <i>Tron: Legacy</i> Lightcycle reveal, also from Comic Con:</li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial;font-size:10px;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lrew4XtbjrU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lrew4XtbjrU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></div><div></div>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-32981550167362008802009-07-31T03:33:00.000-07:002009-08-04T09:55:31.873-07:00A Marvel Universe Marvelman is inevitable<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFSAhj__dY61IKEMITAEgqaXfqrP2tyZ2ieO3MIGaQ1xdtkbcPJKxqILgvVv5sKWbB7d9wQ9uvxjAfSz87tAi2BANttrRcJSqXuEUEBlDOB0xmE5m5vlVaqxB6PjVtGbzV46HKf7u9wht/s1600-h/miracleman.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFSAhj__dY61IKEMITAEgqaXfqrP2tyZ2ieO3MIGaQ1xdtkbcPJKxqILgvVv5sKWbB7d9wQ9uvxjAfSz87tAi2BANttrRcJSqXuEUEBlDOB0xmE5m5vlVaqxB6PjVtGbzV46HKf7u9wht/s320/miracleman.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364601951057184658" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFSAhj__dY61IKEMITAEgqaXfqrP2tyZ2ieO3MIGaQ1xdtkbcPJKxqILgvVv5sKWbB7d9wQ9uvxjAfSz87tAi2BANttrRcJSqXuEUEBlDOB0xmE5m5vlVaqxB6PjVtGbzV46HKf7u9wht/s1600-h/miracleman.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFSAhj__dY61IKEMITAEgqaXfqrP2tyZ2ieO3MIGaQ1xdtkbcPJKxqILgvVv5sKWbB7d9wQ9uvxjAfSz87tAi2BANttrRcJSqXuEUEBlDOB0xmE5m5vlVaqxB6PjVtGbzV46HKf7u9wht/s1600-h/miracleman.JPG"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Marvel's</span> "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Miracleman</span>"</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now that Marvel owns the rights to Marvelman I think that it's inevitable that there will eventually be a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Universe"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvel Universe</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> version of the character. It is just a question of sooner or later.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The benefits to Marvel of such a move are obvious - it immediately generates some attention and makes it easier for them to leverage their biggest asset - the "Marvel Universe" continuity - in exploiting the character. Against that there are very few reasons not do it, negative fan reaction being the main one, and that can always be managed.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Remember that </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvelman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> is not </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Watchmen</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Alan Moore did not create him, he merely wrote his version of a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">pre</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-existing character. Indeed Alan Moore actually introduced a version into the Marvel Universe himself in the mid-1980s, the character "</span><a href="http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/miracl.htm"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Miracleman</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">" from his Captain Britain run, so it's unlikely that he would object to this especially now that Mick Anglo has been properly compensated.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Even if the current management at Marvel is dead set against the idea- which I don't think is a given at all - the essential economic logic of the move will eventually mean that it will be tried at some point by some future administration. They might as well do it now and try and do it properly rather than let some future writer of, say </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Exiles </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">vol. 7, use the character as a gimmick guest star.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvel have had other properties in the past that they initially planned not to include in the regular Marvel Universe - the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Universe"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">New Universe</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star-Lord"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Star-Lord</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Boy"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvel Boy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> etc - but they were all eventually tied in to their existing mythology. Even the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Marvel"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ultimate Comics</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> "universe" has been connected to the regular Marvel line, via the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Zombies"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvel Zombies</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> books. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I imagine </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvel's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> immediate priority with </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvelman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> is to sort out the rights issues so they can republish the sought after Moore/</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Gaiman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> material. They will want to get </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Gaiman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and Buckingham to finish their story, which both creators have expressed interest in doing in the past. If possible, they will probably try to continue the story after </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Gaiman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> is finished - probably with some extremely prestigious talent, someone of the order of a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Chabon"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Michael </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Chabon</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> or a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Lethem"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jonathan </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lethem</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> if they can get them. But talent like that is slow and cant be rushed, and in the meantime a Marvel Universe </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvelman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> series could make use of the character.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don't think that debuting such a version of the character necessarily detracts from continuing the Moore/ </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Gaiman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> story, as long as it was a separate continuity. The general comics consumer is pretty sophisticated, and assuming all the rights issues are resolved, Marvel could even differentiate between the two versions by continuing the Moore/</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Gaiman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> series under the "</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Miracleman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">" label. That's the title that most of these stories were originally published under after all, and the name most people associate with this version.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Obviously, a Marvel Universe </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Marvelman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> series would have to be handled delicately, and Marvel would be anxious to preserve the prestige that the concept currently has. I'd imagine that people like Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, Mark </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Millar</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> or Brian K. Vaughan would be their top choices to handle something like this, if they can interest them.</span></span></div>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-35957614183982087902009-07-30T18:09:00.000-07:002009-07-31T10:54:12.430-07:00Bendis to write "Dark Siege"?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GktcfkmfUCRmjotlwX8AAFqrjJZTUryM9yopB_yb00uRVWTBjU5jhOfoExbuI8i7hJHgKjerABa96CqBKRomR_vcNCZRv29tvXCZzxvl6YyDstKLx_J6iPpalv2LVtjapcpYh9Nf0_4V/s1600-h/brian-michael-bendis.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3GktcfkmfUCRmjotlwX8AAFqrjJZTUryM9yopB_yb00uRVWTBjU5jhOfoExbuI8i7hJHgKjerABa96CqBKRomR_vcNCZRv29tvXCZzxvl6YyDstKLx_J6iPpalv2LVtjapcpYh9Nf0_4V/s320/brian-michael-bendis.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364455492967033074" /></a><br /><blockquote></blockquote>I not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but almost two weeks ago Tom Brevoort apparently<a href="http://marvel.com/blogs/Tom_Brevoort/entry/1556"> gave away </a>who's behind the upcoming Asgard-based crossover ("<i>Siege of Asgard</i>"?, "<i>Dark Siege</i>"?? the title hasn't been confirmed yet) that's rumoured to be scheduled for the end of the year . Quote Brevoort:<div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(80, 80, 80); font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Dark Reign: The List is awesome, and the big thing that Bendis is masterminding out of the Avengers titles for year's end is getting underway.</span></span></blockquote></span></span></div><div>I think this strongly suggests that Bendis is going to be writing the rumoured Asgard event, whatever it ends up being called. Perhaps lending extra credence to my speculation is the fact that when Rich Johnston <a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/07/22/matt-fraction-to-write-dark-siege-thor-event/">reported</a> last week that Matt Fraction would be writing the project Bendis was the one who <a href="http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?p=6186418">denied</a> it, expressing his <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">glee at catching the rumour-monger out.</span></span></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway if I turn out to be right and the "<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">big thing that Bendis is masterminding out of the Avengers<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;">" turns out to be this rumoured crossover, I have to admit<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;"> </span>Im pretty unenthused. Bendis can be a great writer with a strong ear for dialogue and a talent for character-based stuff, but for these big events you really need someone with a skill for tight, simple plotting. Bendis' tendency to play with structure and pacing in unorthodox, ambitious ways always seems to detract from the tension and large set-piece based drama that these big stories rely on.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>This is not an original observation - the critical reception to his last two efforts at this sort of thing - <i>House of M</i> and <i>Secret Invasion</i> - was pretty uniform in pointing out that his plotting was a problem.</div><div><br /></div><div>In fairness to Bendis though there are signs that he has finally taken some of this criticism to heart - his recent <i>Dark Avengers</i> work in particular has been quite straight forward structurally and the recent <i>Avengers: Free Comic Book Day</i> issue was so old-school it could have been plotted by Roger Stern (though the dialogue was uniquely Bendis).</div><div><br /></div><div>I just hope, for this crossover at least, he doesnt decide to tell the conclusion in flashback again.</div></div></div>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-20467792091000546532009-07-30T07:09:00.000-07:002009-07-31T11:39:30.587-07:00Why are there no Comic-Con panel webcasts?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUmRfUiDo3emte88iRINlCInSPm1QoQ5d4M_rw0tiVr7h49JYiQQgp-nd9OVxDph8jNNG10o_FjeotMQLOB3YbmVHn5YBfFu8MfxJuIHv5E3RJX4_kJig3jmNmggPifkMuVUiQAbXrlOe/s1600-h/sdcomicon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUmRfUiDo3emte88iRINlCInSPm1QoQ5d4M_rw0tiVr7h49JYiQQgp-nd9OVxDph8jNNG10o_FjeotMQLOB3YbmVHn5YBfFu8MfxJuIHv5E3RJX4_kJig3jmNmggPifkMuVUiQAbXrlOe/s320/sdcomicon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364264645066718690" /></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">I'm</span> a bit of an American politics junkie, so I've been looking forward to next week's <a href="http://netrootsnation.org/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Netroots</span></span> Nation</a> conference in Pittsburgh, though I wont be anywhere near Pittsburgh while it's on. Last year they recorded live video feeds of most of the panels which you could then watch on the web whenever you wanted, and they are <a href="http://www.netrootsnation.org/video/2009">planning</a> on doing the same this year.<br /><br />I can't understand why all the major conventions (especially the just completed <a href="http://www.comic-con.org/">San Diego <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Comic Con</span></span></a> who are really the best placed to make a move like this) <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">don't</span> do the same. Sure they <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">couldn't</span> do it with all the panels, especially the movie presentations that are generally meant to be sneak peeks, but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">there is</span> really no reason why the other panels and Q&As cannot be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">webcast</span></span>.<br /><br />There would be costs involved, but I imagine they could be offset by including some sort of advertising material in the videos. Attendance levels <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">wouldn't</span> necessarily be badly affected, if anything San Diego's current problem is that it can't meet demand - something that this may partially ameliorate. Its not as if <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">websites like</span> <a href="http://www.newsarama.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Newsarama</span></a> and <a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/">Comic Book Resources</a> are not already doing just about everything except broadcasting video of these events, what with all their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">liveblogging</span></span> and constant updates.<br /><br />These events must generate huge traffic spikes for those websites. I don't see why the cons themselves <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">shouldn't</span> see a piece of that profit. It <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">wouldn't</span> even necessarily mean a loss of traffic for the news sites - in fact it would be in the cons' best interests to allow embedding of their videos so that they would be distributed as widely as possible. It might even mean better con coverage, with reporters forced to find their own stories rather than the current situation where we get endless pieces transcribing the same quotes.<br /><br />I'm guessing that the reason this has not happened yet is that the cons are worried about the legal issues involved, and whether they would have to pay panel participants. I think that issue could be overcome though, as most panelists participate for promotional reasons, so wider and better distribution of their appearances would be to their benefit as well.hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-21525445035442390272009-07-29T03:25:00.000-07:002009-07-29T06:54:58.381-07:00Should Will Smith play Captain America?<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoHpXplxyv-4wo5YY-tEOJlQlE_QwY9RXHBeqMhaZmTrYiNm7DpHN_sZGFGefDYulQP-2TnJTnlOZ7Z2QA127YvzPcKjB1VR_IG7pLkl5BMOloI9y7S_e5rcIXThiK8igccvjZypy9qRb/s200/will_smith.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363828723774757282" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There are various <a href="http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/09/08/exclusive-is-will-smith-the-new-captain-america/">reports </a>and <a href="http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/04/13/channing-tatum-wants-captain-america-role-but-thinks-will-smith-would-be-perfect/">speculation</a> out there that Marvel is courting Will Smith to play Cap in the<i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>First Avenger: Captain America</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i> </i>movie they plan on releasing in 2011.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Though many fans will cry sacrilege, I think it's a great idea.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Of course making Captain </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> a black man changes the character hugely. The movie will be set in the 1940s and there is no avoiding the fact that racial <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">prejudice</span> was widespread at the time.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But that opens up huge story possibilities and makes Cap’s story much more interesting. It’s pretty obvious how they could play it – being the only successful super soldier subject, a black Steve Rogers is put into the propaganda role of “Captain </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">” – a situation neither he nor the military is entirely comfortable with.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I think that the best Cap stories have always come from exploring the chasm between the ideals of </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and the realities of the country. The dichotomy of having a black man as the symbol of </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in a time of segregation illustrates that tension simply and strongly. </span></o:p></span></p> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkyDluup3rYetFk0Xe1oE26QEP8jmZMbUePqLmRmiETFNPJQTnWjGEj2QvbdVEhRWRm9rpeXi0ft6LchXxWhKuqzaANTW542Scm0Aw3Kk6CKQmwYEQv061ihxBY_76jaFDp1U4y_RKKOz/s200/cap+a.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 144px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363829501692230738" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It also serves to heighten the conflict with the Nazis. There is a reason that the urban legend "Hitler refused to shake Jesse Owens hand during<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> the 1936 Berlin Olympics" holds such power and continues to be repeated. A black Captain </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> being the perfect human specimen is a dramatic contradiction of the vile racial theories that were so integral to the Nazi ideology.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-IE"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I hope the rumours are true and the negotiations with Smith work out. </span></span></o:p></span></p>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-39373505596583175252009-07-28T12:17:00.000-07:002009-08-05T03:02:34.414-07:00Buying Marvelman – potentially the biggest deal of Quesada’s tenure as Marvel Editor-in-Chief<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcpZsK9o2-LzFWADRSJSUWjzhzFSjMYlztRSwbZqvRaHme5lRmAC9GmyBVnRigDf8px1w0m6F9Z5zrL159poQbFH9H4g98L9RtB1KoFpZiztySH0u-7tfZ_xM7zTpywI-GAuEba4A5aYQ/s1600-h/quesada+marvel.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcpZsK9o2-LzFWADRSJSUWjzhzFSjMYlztRSwbZqvRaHme5lRmAC9GmyBVnRigDf8px1w0m6F9Z5zrL159poQbFH9H4g98L9RtB1KoFpZiztySH0u-7tfZ_xM7zTpywI-GAuEba4A5aYQ/s200/quesada+marvel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363592832065340034" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">From what I can piece together from <a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22203">interviews</a> over the past weekend Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Quesada</span> seems to have been the first person to realise the inherent potential to Marvel of acquiring the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvelman"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Marvelman</span></a> rights. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Quesada</span> credits publisher Dan Buckley with doing the (by no means insignificant) legwork but seems to claim the idea and the initial enthusiasm for it as his own. As such I think he deserves enormous credit for seeing what no one else did – that this is potentially a huge deal for the company.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It's only in considering the deal in the few days since its was announced that I've realised that the property has enormous potential, especially for Marvel. Just publishing the back catalogue (specifically the Quality/ Eclipse 1980s material) would be a windfall. There is already a huge pent-up demand out there for this material and even without the scarcity issue similar titles such as the Watchmen, V for Vendetta and Sandman trades have been perennial sales juggernauts for Marvel’s rival DC Comics – a phenomenon Marvel has no doubt envied for some time and are anxious to replicate.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">There is even the possibility that because Marvel/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Miracleman</span> is much more of a mainstream comic superhero story it could even surpass the popularity of those other titles. I know that many would question this – could a more mainstream super-hero story actually mean higher sales in the largely bookstore dominated trade business? However consider of the three other examples I cite - the best selling of them is Watchmen. I think that one of the key factors in that book’s success is that it is a mature, intelligent story wrapped in the traditional trappings of the super-hero genre, the genre that most people have been trained to expect from comics. Marvel/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Miracleman</span> has the same strength, perhaps even <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">moreso</span>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then when you consider the potential for new interpretations – new comics, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">videogames</span>, animation, movies – which if handled right (with due deference, respect and compensation given to the original creators) the company could be onto a major new property here.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Of course, all Marvel has done so far is acquire Mick Anglo’s rights to the character – and unquestionably the real value of the character at this point lies in the 1980s material. But the genius of this move is that Marvel now owns the character – which essentially stops anybody else from trying to publish stories featuring him. This means that all the other rights holders essentially have to deal with Marvel. And Marvel is one of the only organisations with both the resources and now, crucially, a real interest in sorting out the tangled mess of legal issues that remain unresolved.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anglo and parties representing him have <a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/07/24/marvel-to-publish-mick-anglos-marvelman-and-they-own-it/">apparently been</a> trying to exploit the character independently over the last few years, but were unsuccessful. I imagine the legal morass surrounding the character was a huge contributory factor to this. What independent party would be willing to invest significant amounts of cash in a largely unknown property with huge legal uncertainties surrounding it, and without access to the stories which make the character most attractive?. I think Marvel was uniquely positioned here.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Marvel have always lacked a credible “Superman” type figure in their catalogue of characters – a single hero with enormous power and all the iconic imagery and themes that go with that simple idea. Their recent attempts to build such a character from the ground-up – characters like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentry_(comics)">the Sentry</a> and <a href="http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/comics/article/adam-legend-of-the-blue-marvel-series-review-73871">the Blue Marvel </a>- <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>have been interesting but ultimately unsuccessful. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Marvelman</span> has the potential to credibly <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>plug that gap – the name itself seems to suggest such a role (one note: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Im</span> <b>not</b> necessarily suggesting here that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Marvelman</span> should be placed into the Marvel Universe – that’s an issue I hope to deal with in a subsequent <a href="http://hueysheridan.blogspot.com/2009/07/marvel-universe-marvelman-is-inevitable.html">post</a>). </p><p class="MsoNormal">And while some may point out the graphic nature of the 1980s work as a barrier to the characters future broad potential I would strongly disagree - just look at the wide variety of depictions of Batman, from <i>The</i> <i>Dark Knight Returns</i> to the current <i>Brave and the Bold</i> cartoon. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Marvelman</span>’s origins lie in children’s literature after all and that is what he was originally designed for.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">DC, perhaps the only other credible company which could have also made this move appear to have been uninterested. They already own Superman and they have the rights to most of Moore and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Gaiman</span>’s most popular comics, so it seems they were complacent about it all and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">didn'</span>t see what Marvel sees. It seems ironic though that at a time in which they are spending a lot of resources acquiring the rights to old properties – such as the Milestone characters, the old Archie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">MLJ</span> heroes and most recently the THUNDER agents <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>-<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>they have missed out on potentially the most valuable property out there.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Of course the legal issues are nowhere near settled yet – there are many interested <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>parties whose rights have to be reconciled before Marvel can fully exploit the character and his back catalogue. Such parties include (but are by no means limited to) – Alan Moore, Garry Leach, Alan Davis, Chuck Austen, Neil <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Gaiman</span>, Mark Buckingham, Todd <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">McFarlane</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Dez</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Skinn</span> and DC comics. I hope to deal with some of those issues surrounding these parties in future posts.</p>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1539436756110762813.post-65892683510681236702009-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:002009-08-05T05:29:40.254-07:00Who is hueysheridan? and why is he writing this? Why should anyone care?<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl3y6YelweaAZNiWdaGUiRCwxPHWq9btDX-CX7p_bgZXRc73GOA_zpIuUI1D8oElUkGPVXABY-YfnZBoOyV3HdDHe5sC9_Ut7fH4-ASugH9MPPDqhrU9N8xJW7IK3bLG55bYhvElaaXB_/s200/marvel_zombies_1.jpg" style="text-align: left;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 200px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363588376506926706" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyquCUD8P7eqHWZdhktIifM_BF8uVd5bIHuQWmpKiwynF9Nq3eIHvKRntgCDyLzknf43x8E7Cfu0qID4aZB3lmD602FFzUD-lNqc-RHWlW2OXQIJl-Gs7Yz5WsCzf80MAZa9wfcMkaz6y/s1600-h/quesada+marvel.jpg"></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><o:p>Good question - I'm a fan who has reading comics for over 20 years, and has been reading about them on the Internet since the mid 1990s. The key bit there is that I've been<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><b>reading</b> </st1:place></st1:city>about comics online – and not necessarily interacting or contributing much at all. So I've just been pretty much a lurker for a long time and I'm sure no one out there has heard of me.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p>So why change a habit of a lifetime and begin to speak up? Well recently I've noticed that there is a gap on the market out there for intelligent blogs written by fans of what Marvel are generally doing at the moment (<a href="http://ifdestroyed.blogspot.com/">Paul O’Brien</a> being the one massive exception I can think of). I may be just ignorant but it seems to me that the big guys out there – your <a href="http://www.the-isb.com/">Mike <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sterlings</span></span></a>, <a href="http://www.the-isb.com/">Chris Sims</a>, and <a href="http://www.postmodernbarney.com/">Dorian Wrights</a> etc. are pretty DC-centric and cold to Marvel’s current output. I love those sites and I read them every day, but I just think there is room out there for someone who generally digs what Marvel is doing these days (and yes, that really means that at the moment I'm enjoying “Dark Reign”).</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Also more specifically I was recently lured out of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">lurkdom</span></span> to comment on a <a href="http://www.comicbookgalaxy.com/blog/2009/07/marvelman-whats-worst-that-could-happen.html">story</a> that <a href="http://www.comicbookgalaxy.com/blog/">Alan David <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Doane</span></span></a> did on his blog about Marvel’s acquisition of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Marvelman</span></span> character from Mick Anglo. That made me think of all sorts of aspects of the deal and its possible repercussions, things that I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">didn't</span> really see anyone else bringing up and more than I could really properly explore in a comment. So my thanks to Alan for providing the immediate impetus for this (though if you read the thread we actually disagreed strongly about the probable ultimate outcome of the deal for the creators involved).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So given my past online proclivities I cannot promises that I will keep this blog religiously updated. I have lots of ideas for posts though and a few written already so <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">I'm</span> hopeful at least that the next week should be consistent enough.</p>hueysheridanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02575786917604922595noreply@blogger.com3