THE MOUSE AND THE MASKS

For some reason, Broken Frontier thought it was worth asking me what I thought of Disney buying Marvel for $4 billion, the "OMG!" story of the comic book day.

Here is what I thought, taken from amongst many other reactions:

My biggest concern is that the crossover between the two companies will be so great, it might violate some of the terms of parole for many members of the Marvel creative staff. I don't even think a lot of them are allowed to have the Disney Channel as part of their cable package, much less go to the theme parks where they might come into contact with children.

I'm kidding! Yeesh!

I have a feeling it's going to be business as usual for a good long while. If there is any creative crossover to be had, one assumes prior deals--comic book licenses, film projects--will have to be worked through before we see, say, a Disney-produced POWER PACK movie or a Marvel-produced BEAGLE BOYS comic (hopefully through the Max line, with Garth Ennis writing and Howard Chaykin drawing). (Also, Warren Ellis' GYRO GEARLOOSE and Matt Fraction's THE RESCUERS would be two must-haves.)

I would think the most immediate gain would be in advertising venues for both brands. If you've ever spent any time watching the Disney Channel, for instance, or loaded up a Disney DVD, you know how cohesive their marketing can be. I could see more Mouse ads in the comics and some hype for comic book events on their kid-oriented news shows. Not sure how the Marvel material will fit in the theme parks.

There have been multiple owners of Marvel in the last couple of decades, and I think it rarely really effects what is going on within the House of Ideas. Much like DC and TimeWarner, it's about stock performance, and there is probably less corporate monkeybusiness than most suspect.

Truthfully, what the hell do I know about any of this?

Current Soundtrack: The Prodigy, Invaders Must Die


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All text (c) 2009 Jamie S. Rich