Disney to exploit the Marvel characters

[MrHoatzin]

I keep hearing that phrase in the context of the new purchased of Marvel by Disney. Apparently no one is unnerved by the word choice there. I, in turn, am imagining Spiderman with a Mickey Mouse hat in a sweatshop somewhere in Fictitiousland.

What, if anything, do you think will this mean for Slave Labor Graphics? The universe as we know it?

[syntheticgerbil]

I don't really want to touch this topic in fear of getting into some huge argument, but I feel like it kind of goes along with what was being said about capitalism in the powerless wire thread.

Anyway, I'm not exactly sure about the Disney deal with SLG. I was formally under the impression that it was more like Disney paid Slave Labor to create comics of some of their properties, but some of the articles seem to say that they made a long term partnership rather than a deal for a few miniseries.

Funny thing is though, looking on some of the comments on people blogging about this news, it appears there's already people saying, "Don't worry! John Lasseter will make it all okay!"

[Roderick]

Disney didn't just pay 4 billion to Marvel just so they can change a winning formula. Disney doesn't want to slap Mickey Mouse onto everything. They own half the world already (the rest belongs to Viacom), including Miramax (nothing 'Disney' about that) and even porn labels.

So Spiderman will remain Spiderman, and I don't think SLG will see changes either. But that I'm not sure about.

[ysbreker]

the rest belongs to Viacom Rupert Murdoch

There, I fixed it for you.

[DanJW]

Disney didn't just pay 4 billion to Marvel just so they can change a winning formula.

This is the problem here. While Marvel is doing well they will no doubt leave it to run itself. But if comics hit another bump period in the future, then that is the time when parent companies panic and start issuing "initiatives" and "directives" and "fucking things up".

Not that I think marvel is all that great; superheroes seem mostly dumb to me these days. But it will still be a shame.

[Marek]

Marvel has already been exploiting its properties like there's no tomorrow (in fact, I'm really wondering if it's saturating the market for superhero movies). So not much new there.

If Marvel as an independent company would have stopped doing well, I'm sure there'd equally be "initiatives", "directives", etc. from its executives, its board of directors, blah blah blah.

There's not a whole lot of Mickey Mouse in ABC television or in Miramax films so I doubt we'll be seeing Mickey Mouse fighting crime alongside Spiderman. (But maybe some Hannah Montana comics? One can only hope.)

I think the only meaningful thing to say about these kinds of takeovers is that continuing consolidation into these giant media empires is probably bad for competition.

Then again I'm not really a comic book fan, so to me it looks like just another piece of business news. I didn't know what SLG was until I googled it just now.

[DanJW]

True, Marek.

Here's some more Marvel news: Fantastic 4 film franchise to get reboot (just five years after first film).

[syntheticgerbil]

I think the only meaningful thing to say about these kinds of takeovers is that continuing consolidation into these giant media empires is probably bad for competition.

Yes sir. Otherwise Marvel comics and can get bent as far as I'm concerned.

Edited September 2, 2009 by syntheticgerbil

[Marek]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/9/2/

[jneeriem]

So... Let me trumpet the who cares card. I consider LOST to be one of the truly great TV shows of our time. Guess who owns LOST? Disney... BFD.

[Psych]

Disney didn't just pay 4 billion to Marvel just so they can change a winning formula. Disney doesn't want to slap Mickey Mouse onto everything. They own half the world already (the rest belongs to Viacom), including Miramax (nothing 'Disney' about that) and even porn labels.

I think that's the problem there, Marvel's winning formula is nothing more than frequent trips to their well of established IP, that well is not far from running dry, and that they're not doing anything to replenish it.

Unless Marvel starts working to create successful new franchises it won't be long before they return to unprofitability and irrelevance.

[Nachimir]

From an email to the Page 45 mailshot:

Doctor Doom could be revealed as the real killer of Bambi’s Mum! [...] The Punisher meets The Jungle Book; watch as Frank Castle rescues Mowgli and turns Baloo into a nice rug.

- Richard Moore

EDIT: Also, I like their impromptu FAQ on the subject:

But Page 45 FAQ time (in anticipation, or if you're a member of the press):

1. Page 45 is too busy successfully promoting the best comicbook fiction, autobiography, travel, politics, fantasy, comedy, crime and historically based steampunk conspiracy anthropomorphics with a satirical edge to the Real Mainstream - the average Joe and Joette on the street - to actually give a shit about Marvel being bought by Disney.

That's your quote.

But since you asked:

2. Time Warner owns DC Comics. Disney owning Marvel...? What's the fucking difference?

3. "Won't Disney want to sell Marvel comics exclusively in their own shops...?" Time Warner owns DC. Do you see DC comics being available only in Time Warner shops? Disney is all about profit. Do you think they'd want to contract the outlets those comics are sold in?! No, just expand.

4. "But if they did...?" Pity the fool who relies solely on a single clapped-out genre of an otherwise vibrant, fertile, diverse and lucrative medium!

5. "But if they did...? Or distribution became tricky...?" Page 45 uses a lot of distributors outside of Diamond. It acquires its comics in many ways. If Marvel comics honestly stopped being available on our shelves (they won't) then we can spread the fiction, autobiography, crime etc. far wider with more books facing front that the store will become even more attractive to the Real Mainstream and its most popular books will sell even faster. It'd be a golden opportunity which Mark would have relished (or, as the Pet Shop Boys appertainingly put it, "Let's make lots of money!").

6. "What about editorial control at Marvel?" I'm sorry, but do you see any? There's no evidence of any editorial control right now, and in truth there never has been. Wider policy has always been dictated by their bean counters. It's just that now their bean counters will probably be more accurate.

7. "But Disney might dumb down -- " I'll have to stop you there. You were about to say something remarkably stupid.

8. The only likely immediate effect will be an escalation of already hard-nosed litigation against anyone using or abusing Marvel characters without authorisation. And so much online rubbish about Marvel and DC that you would be forgiven for thinking that there are no comics other than superheroes.

9. Lastly, if Disney did (and they won't) make any distributional changes in terms of exclusivity in their own stores' favour then I grant you that it could be the final nail in the coffin of the sci-fi cult stores already imploding on their indigestible diet of cold, hard plastic, which would in turn prove more than a little problematic for Diamond UK. Both those consequences would make me very sad indeed. See point 4, though.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Nachimir

[syntheticgerbil]

5. "But if they did...? Or distribution became tricky...?" Page 45 uses a lot of distributors outside of Diamond. It acquires its comics in many ways. If Marvel comics honestly stopped being available on our shelves (they won't) then we can spread the fiction, autobiography, crime etc. far wider with more books facing front that the store will become even more attractive to the Real Mainstream and its most popular books will sell even faster. It'd be a golden opportunity which Mark would have relished (or, as the Pet Shop Boys appertainingly put it, "Let's make lots of money!").

This is the part I really like. While it would be nice that Disney would somehow kill Marvel through this, it probably will never happen.

What worries me is that the comic industry or what little we have in the US that isn't consumed by DC and Marvel, will hurt even more for original creators and people who want to tell stories without doing it through some corporate superhero team's monthly pipeline. I'm sure Disney is here just to ride Marvel's profit, not change them into something different. How can Marvel ever fail now with the financial backing of the largest media company in the entire world? Shucks.

[Nachimir]

I think all of these comics can coexist, it's largely a matter of exposure for them. Non-superhero comics readers are who Page 45 call the real mainstream, and those people seem to be by far the majority of their customers just as those kind of comics are the majority of their stock.

Marvel and DC going bust are acceptable thoughts to me, given my preferences, but the other stuff in comics is just going to have to fight the stereotypes created by the biggest publishers.

[DanJW]

Expect more all week, courtesy of B3ta.

[gdf]

I keep imagining Mickey as the psychotic, whip-toting overseer in the Disney factory, beating the shit out of Spider-man because he lost a finger making a Tigger bobblehead.

[DanJW]

Jonas Brothers make little girls 'gineys tingle!

[miffy495]

Man, did Ginger just take over Dan's account?

[Psych]

I keep imagining Mickey as the psychotic, whip-toting overseer in the Disney factory, beating the shit out of Spider-man because he lost a finger making a Tigger bobblehead.

0:59

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[Marek]

Hahahah the blood pouring out of the robot when it transforms =

[Action Shakespeare]

This is all I can predict: