@warrenellis so I got this phone call from Joe Quesada and it was just the sound of him rubbing himself with money and now I am confusedIf aren't a comic fanling and weren't sitting next to one at breakfast this morning, you might have missed the announcement that Disney will be purchasing Marvel comics. And count yourself blessed because the fanlings are throwing their shit in the air and fantasizing how Mickey Mouse will come into their homes, pry open their long boxes, and castrate Wolverine with pink, princess ribbons.
@the_murphy #disneybuysmarvel #humansfearchange
Nick Main There are companies that Disney doesn't own?
Humans! This is a corporate transaction. If, in a few months, there are editorial directives from on high, they'll be policy changes- no one is going to be replace Ghost Rider with Goofy. Besides, Marvel doesn't need any help in undermining their characters by putting them into terrible, cartoony, out-of-place contexts.
If you're a glutton for punishment or camp, click on The Hulk. It's a cheery CD of children's songs about a character who loses control of his emotions and kills.
EDIT: Oh, but if you'd like some serious commentary on what this could mean for both companies, obviously, you should head over to The Beat.
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It's really just too soon to know anything. Honestly, the thing that makes me the most uncomfortable is how beamingly positive everyone at Marvel is about this. Maybe they'll have as much freedom as Pixar did. Maybe Disney will crack down and put all their focus on the more family-friendly products Marvel makes. It's all too soon to tell right now. Marvel could take Disney's resources and really excel with them, or this could be the first step down the path that ends in Deadpool being renamed Kiddypool. It's way too early to make assumptions, although for at least the next year or two I can't imagine drastic changes in direction for Marvel. All we can do as people with an interest in the products being made is take a deep breath, watch, and hope for the best.
But Chris, Disney is purchasing Marvel because it wants Marvel's income. They aren't purchasing it because they want editorial control. In fact, it's unlikely Disney is going to care much about Marvel's comics at all. They want IP and they want Marvel's film and video game arms.
I don't think they're purchasing it with the goal of editorial control. But I do think that if some stupid parent picks up a comic book because "all comics are for kids, aren't they?" and then gets upset because there's too much sex or violence in it, Disney is slightly more likely to cave to some sort of misguided morals protest than Marvel alone. It's an extreme example, sure, but marvel's already toned down some characters (there's an example out there regarding Nick Fury) in order to make them less R, more PG-13 and therefore more marketable in movies. And my other worry is that we are in a recession, and if things get no better and Disney asks Marvel to cut costs in a few years on their comics line, the cuts are going to come from stuff that's nit as easy to license and make video games out of, like the Icon line. I'm not overly worried, but it is now slightly more likely that something will eventually happen to make Marvel cut back on some of its books targetted at older audiences than it was before Disney bought them.
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