Disney has just announced that it acquires Marvel and its portfolio of 5,000 characters for $4 billion!
http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&cf=all&ncl=d2NjvVXX2rkvssMYtpaf3DznITUUM
Author
Topic: Disney acquires Marvel
(32 messages)
Arthur
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 1 -
2009-08-31 at 13:45:25
Kneon
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 2 -
2009-08-31 at 13:57:43
Yeah, I've been reading about this.
I have to wonder if once all the Disney comics licenses are up, if they won't reign it all in and just have Marvel produce all Disney comics material...?
It's not totally unexpected. Jetix/Disney XD is saturated with Marvel animated series, so they obviously had some kind of relationship before. And Marvel's movie studio churns out blockbuster after blockbuster. Surely Disney would want in on a piece of the action.
Here's hoping for Sky High 2 with Spiderman and the X-Men. ;)
I have to wonder if once all the Disney comics licenses are up, if they won't reign it all in and just have Marvel produce all Disney comics material...?
It's not totally unexpected. Jetix/Disney XD is saturated with Marvel animated series, so they obviously had some kind of relationship before. And Marvel's movie studio churns out blockbuster after blockbuster. Surely Disney would want in on a piece of the action.
Here's hoping for Sky High 2 with Spiderman and the X-Men. ;)
Kneon
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 3 -
2009-08-31 at 15:17:12
Twitter went NUTS with the news.
Rich Johnston is a comics journalist who followed the press conference. Unfortunately, many big questions were left unanswered (like whether or not BOOM! Studios would retain the comics license.)
http://twitter.com/richjohnston
Wait and see I guess...
Rich Johnston is a comics journalist who followed the press conference. Unfortunately, many big questions were left unanswered (like whether or not BOOM! Studios would retain the comics license.)
http://twitter.com/richjohnston
Wait and see I guess...
Roger North
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 4 -
2009-08-31 at 18:20:46
I remember when Marvel used to publish Disney comics from 1994 to 1996. Of Course they had the license to publish the more modern Disney comics while Gladstone had the license to publish the classic Disney characters.
WB
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 5 -
2009-08-31 at 20:46:46
That stuff was terrible. Really the material in Disney Adventures made it look like Dostoyevsky and that's saying something. I really hope Boom is not affected by this.
Arthur
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 6 -
2009-09-01 at 00:17:54
Quote from user: KneonI have to wonder if once all the Disney comics licenses are up, if they won't reign it all in and just have Marvel produce all Disney comics material...?
I also wonder this, but somehow I doubt that Disney will take back the Disney license from Boom. The deal between Marvel and Disney must have been in the works for a long time, and Boom only got the classic character license a few months ago.
I think the Marvel takeover is a good sign for Disney comics. Disney has done a complete 180 from just having Gemstone around these last years to approaching comic books from all directions. In the last year we've had Boom get the Disney license, the announcement of new Disney DigiComics to launch later this year, Kingdom Comics with their new graphic novels based on old live action films, and now Marvel! I think it's a clear strategy to approach comics from these different angles.
When Disney took over Pixar it didn't mean that Disney Animation was completely taken over by Pixar, in fact Lasseter brought back hand-drawn animation! Who knows, maybe this will have a similar positive effect on the classic Disney comics that we love.
I also wonder this, but somehow I doubt that Disney will take back the Disney license from Boom. The deal between Marvel and Disney must have been in the works for a long time, and Boom only got the classic character license a few months ago.
I think the Marvel takeover is a good sign for Disney comics. Disney has done a complete 180 from just having Gemstone around these last years to approaching comic books from all directions. In the last year we've had Boom get the Disney license, the announcement of new Disney DigiComics to launch later this year, Kingdom Comics with their new graphic novels based on old live action films, and now Marvel! I think it's a clear strategy to approach comics from these different angles.
When Disney took over Pixar it didn't mean that Disney Animation was completely taken over by Pixar, in fact Lasseter brought back hand-drawn animation! Who knows, maybe this will have a similar positive effect on the classic Disney comics that we love.
Kneon
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 7 -
2009-09-01 at 01:37:20
The industry reacts. Here's Dan Vado of SLG Publishing, home of Disney properties ?Haunted Mansion,? ?Tron,? and ?Gargoyles,? among others
NOTE: Despite being a Disney licensee, Vado wishes it to be known that he has no inside knowledge of the Marvel acquisition, and that his remarks should be taken strictly as his own opinions based on news reports.
?Marvel is the big winner here. My opinion, Disney overpaid (and Disney never over pays for anything) so it is obvious that Disney sees a huge licensing bonanza from the characters well down the line. Marvel books will, at some point, gain a stronger bookstore distribution partner should they decide to have their books sold through Harper.
?However it is worth pointing out that Disney does very little actual publishing of its own and has made most of its money by licensing characters out to third parties. It could be, again strictly conjecture here, that Marvel will end up being reduced to a licensing company and that its publishing will be scaled back dramatically as emphasis is put on content like movies and video games and less emphasis on things like publishing. Disney published its own line of comics years ago and pulled out. More recently they cut ?Disney Adventures? magazine, a publication with sales in the hundreds of thousands. So, seriously, publishing is not a big part of the equation here. I would expect publishing to scale back somewhat.?
Vado continued, ?Big loser here are Disney licensees who created original content for their books and the creators who created that content. As is standard with any licensing deal, Disney owns the material that is created under the license and can, if they choose, republish the content once those deals expire without compensating either the companies who paid for the content or the creators who created the original material. Again, this is not a Disney thing, it is fairly standard of all licensing deals. SLG published collections of the Marvel Comics? ?Bill & Ted? comics and did not compensate them for the artwork.
?While I am certain that the licensing deals which are in place will continue to their conclusion I have to wonder how some of the people who have jumped into the Disney Comics business will feel about creating new content for the company knowing that it all could become property of Disney/Marvel Comics at some point. Likewise, all Disney comic book licensees now get to feel dumb knowing that the money they are giving Disney is now also going to their biggest competitor in the field. As I said above, though, publishing is not a big part of the core Disney business so it is possible that even more licensing opportunities might open up.
?I am not certain how much creator-owned material Marvel produces, but those deals will more than likely become a thing of the past.?
Vado continued, ?Another big loser could be Diamond and the Direct Market. It's now possible that Disney/Marvel will scale back on production, possibly focusing on cutting the line down to what it can actually manage to put out on time and just doing enough publishing to keep the characters in the public eye. It is also possible that Disney/Marvel might do all of their own distribution. In this regard the deal can be a huge game changer for everyone. Seriously, anything can happen at this point.
?At minimum I would expect that Diamond Book Distribution will lose Marvel from its catalog as they will no doubt move to Harper.?
Source: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22765
Could be very interesting to watch, anyway...
NOTE: Despite being a Disney licensee, Vado wishes it to be known that he has no inside knowledge of the Marvel acquisition, and that his remarks should be taken strictly as his own opinions based on news reports.
?Marvel is the big winner here. My opinion, Disney overpaid (and Disney never over pays for anything) so it is obvious that Disney sees a huge licensing bonanza from the characters well down the line. Marvel books will, at some point, gain a stronger bookstore distribution partner should they decide to have their books sold through Harper.
?However it is worth pointing out that Disney does very little actual publishing of its own and has made most of its money by licensing characters out to third parties. It could be, again strictly conjecture here, that Marvel will end up being reduced to a licensing company and that its publishing will be scaled back dramatically as emphasis is put on content like movies and video games and less emphasis on things like publishing. Disney published its own line of comics years ago and pulled out. More recently they cut ?Disney Adventures? magazine, a publication with sales in the hundreds of thousands. So, seriously, publishing is not a big part of the equation here. I would expect publishing to scale back somewhat.?
Vado continued, ?Big loser here are Disney licensees who created original content for their books and the creators who created that content. As is standard with any licensing deal, Disney owns the material that is created under the license and can, if they choose, republish the content once those deals expire without compensating either the companies who paid for the content or the creators who created the original material. Again, this is not a Disney thing, it is fairly standard of all licensing deals. SLG published collections of the Marvel Comics? ?Bill & Ted? comics and did not compensate them for the artwork.
?While I am certain that the licensing deals which are in place will continue to their conclusion I have to wonder how some of the people who have jumped into the Disney Comics business will feel about creating new content for the company knowing that it all could become property of Disney/Marvel Comics at some point. Likewise, all Disney comic book licensees now get to feel dumb knowing that the money they are giving Disney is now also going to their biggest competitor in the field. As I said above, though, publishing is not a big part of the core Disney business so it is possible that even more licensing opportunities might open up.
?I am not certain how much creator-owned material Marvel produces, but those deals will more than likely become a thing of the past.?
Vado continued, ?Another big loser could be Diamond and the Direct Market. It's now possible that Disney/Marvel will scale back on production, possibly focusing on cutting the line down to what it can actually manage to put out on time and just doing enough publishing to keep the characters in the public eye. It is also possible that Disney/Marvel might do all of their own distribution. In this regard the deal can be a huge game changer for everyone. Seriously, anything can happen at this point.
?At minimum I would expect that Diamond Book Distribution will lose Marvel from its catalog as they will no doubt move to Harper.?
Source: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22765
Could be very interesting to watch, anyway...
Argonaut
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 8 -
2009-09-01 at 02:11:29
Interesting stuff there, thanks for posting Kneon!
Certainly brings up the stuff I'm more curious about. Not really concerned about what it means for Marvel Comics or their characters. Definitely curious about what it means for the comics industry though.
Either way, this is certainly a big day in comics history.
Certainly brings up the stuff I'm more curious about. Not really concerned about what it means for Marvel Comics or their characters. Definitely curious about what it means for the comics industry though.
Either way, this is certainly a big day in comics history.
Lars Jensen
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 9 -
2009-09-01 at 21:34:59
Quote from user: arthurDisney has done a complete 180 from just having Gemstone around these last years
Apart from Tokyopop, SLG and Dark Horse, of course.
Apart from Tokyopop, SLG and Dark Horse, of course.
Ole Damgaard
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 10 -
2009-09-03 at 10:21:34
Quote from user: arthurIn the last year we've had [...] Kingdom Comics with their new graphic novels based on old live action films
I never heard of those.
*Gone a-Googling on the subject*
I never heard of those.
*Gone a-Googling on the subject*
Kneon
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 11 -
2009-09-03 at 15:10:41
Quote from user: ole damgaardQuote from user: arthurIn the last year we've had [...] Kingdom Comics with their new graphic novels based on old live action films
I never heard of those.
*Gone a-Googling on the subject*
Kingdom Comics is supposedly producing graphic novels based on Disney live action properties. They were announced some time ago, but I've yet to see any material from them or an official announcement of launch titles. (100-200 page graphic novels do take considerably longer to put together than 24 page comics, so I'm not surprised!)
EDIT: Here's the latest word that I found on them > http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22480
Again, not sure how/if the Marvel deal will affect other Disney comics publishers at this point. Kingdom Comic is, I believe, owned wholly by Disney and not a licensee, so I doubt there will be much change. Unless they publish under the Marvel name, which is possible, I guess, given that the creators say the material is PG-13 in tone.
I never heard of those.
*Gone a-Googling on the subject*
Kingdom Comics is supposedly producing graphic novels based on Disney live action properties. They were announced some time ago, but I've yet to see any material from them or an official announcement of launch titles. (100-200 page graphic novels do take considerably longer to put together than 24 page comics, so I'm not surprised!)
EDIT: Here's the latest word that I found on them > http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22480
Again, not sure how/if the Marvel deal will affect other Disney comics publishers at this point. Kingdom Comic is, I believe, owned wholly by Disney and not a licensee, so I doubt there will be much change. Unless they publish under the Marvel name, which is possible, I guess, given that the creators say the material is PG-13 in tone.
Lars Jensen
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 12 -
2009-09-03 at 22:33:39
Speculation about Marvel, Disney and Panini:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/09/03/marvel-disney-and-panini-the-italian-job/
Be sure to also read the comments.
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/09/03/marvel-disney-and-panini-the-italian-job/
Be sure to also read the comments.
Kneon
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 13 -
2009-09-04 at 01:37:50
Thanks for posting that, Lars.
I found this interesting... and familiar:
"Marco Lupoi, head of Panini Comics Italiae boss has responded to rumours saying ?At this time, we can?t say much. Now it?s ?business as usual?, as for the coming years? but surely Disney will give a great boost to Marvel, and multimedia content related to Marvel?. In a blog post, he expressed lots of positive thinking, but manages not to mention how this may affect Panini."
This reminds me of Boom's reaction... er... LACK of reaction to the news. Neither Mark Waid or Chip Mosher have said anything about it on Twitter, and a thread addressing the subject of how Disney/Marvel will affect Boom has gone unanswered for several days.
If I had to guess, I'd say Disney will probably let the contract play out and not renew. If that's the case, and Boom knows they have a limited time frame to publish Disney books, they may just churn out reprints and shelve any plans they may have had for brand new material. Like Dan Vado said, they could potentially be creating work for Marvel (their competitor) to republish at some point (and at no cost to Marvel.)
Just speculation, of course. But it would be nice to hear SOMETHING.
I found this interesting... and familiar:
"Marco Lupoi, head of Panini Comics Italiae boss has responded to rumours saying ?At this time, we can?t say much. Now it?s ?business as usual?, as for the coming years? but surely Disney will give a great boost to Marvel, and multimedia content related to Marvel?. In a blog post, he expressed lots of positive thinking, but manages not to mention how this may affect Panini."
This reminds me of Boom's reaction... er... LACK of reaction to the news. Neither Mark Waid or Chip Mosher have said anything about it on Twitter, and a thread addressing the subject of how Disney/Marvel will affect Boom has gone unanswered for several days.
If I had to guess, I'd say Disney will probably let the contract play out and not renew. If that's the case, and Boom knows they have a limited time frame to publish Disney books, they may just churn out reprints and shelve any plans they may have had for brand new material. Like Dan Vado said, they could potentially be creating work for Marvel (their competitor) to republish at some point (and at no cost to Marvel.)
Just speculation, of course. But it would be nice to hear SOMETHING.
Kneon
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 14 -
2009-09-04 at 01:45:28
More scuttlebutt from a day or two ago...
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/15746.html
And of course "It also seems likely, although not inevitable, that Disney would bring the Boom and Tokyopop licenses back in house and let Marvel handle them as they expire. Boom did not respond to our inquiry about the term of its licenses."
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/15746.html
And of course "It also seems likely, although not inevitable, that Disney would bring the Boom and Tokyopop licenses back in house and let Marvel handle them as they expire. Boom did not respond to our inquiry about the term of its licenses."
Kneon
Disney acquires Marvel
Message 15 -
2009-09-04 at 02:14:39
Could the Disney/Marvel deal mean the end of the direct market?
"Disney has no real foothold in comic book publishing. They?ve tried on and off for years with no real success, except through licensing. However, they are very successful in magazine publishing and they have their own division to distribute magazines. They don?t need Diamond, and they don?t really need the direct market. If they wanted, they could take Marvel?s comics and put them back on the spinner rack at the corner convenience store by the end of the year."
Read the whole thing here: http://www.examiner.com/x-19312-Columbus-Comic-Books-Examiner~y2009m9d3-Could-the-DisneyMarvel-deal-mean-the-end-of-the-direct-market-Part-3-of-3
"Disney has no real foothold in comic book publishing. They?ve tried on and off for years with no real success, except through licensing. However, they are very successful in magazine publishing and they have their own division to distribute magazines. They don?t need Diamond, and they don?t really need the direct market. If they wanted, they could take Marvel?s comics and put them back on the spinner rack at the corner convenience store by the end of the year."
Read the whole thing here: http://www.examiner.com/x-19312-Columbus-Comic-Books-Examiner~y2009m9d3-Could-the-DisneyMarvel-deal-mean-the-end-of-the-direct-market-Part-3-of-3