Monday, August 31, 2009

RIP Marvel

I was going to write up a post about how stupid True Blood is, but this takes precedence.

Today it was announced that Disney is buying Marvel Comics for 4 billion dollars. It is truly a dark day in both the comic book world and the creative world in general. I can't even begin to express the utter disgust I feel towards this acquisition. Basically, all the characters I've grown up loving are now going to be owned by one of the biggest corporate shills to ever exist. Everything Disney puts out is coated in saccharine and aimed at the brainless tween crowd.

If you need evidence that Disney cranks out shit, look no further than the Disney channel, Hannah Montana, and the Jonas Brothers. All of it is complete and utter crap. There is not one redeeming quality. And now, my beloved Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man, and Deadpool are going to be under their control. It's enough to make Jack Kirby spin in his grave.

I can guarantee that the Marvel comics that I grew up with will not be the same that Rhys knows. It really makes me sick to think about.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know, I don't think this is bad thing.

Disney owns a lot of different properties, ranging from ESPN to Dimension Films.

Each property they acquired continued to operate under their own banner. ABC didn't change. Miramax didn't change. Pixar didn't change. The muppets didn't lose their identity.

The only property they did significantly alter was the Family Channel, which became ABC Family, and I hate to say, it much better now than it was.

Disney runs Marvel content already on Disney XD.

If anything, I think they'll put great marketing efforts behind Marvel.

And to compare Marvel to Disney Channel content is a little unfair. The Disney Channel is marketed towards tweens. That's simply one of their outlets, but shouldn't define the company as a whole. It's not like Marvel is going to operate under the Disney Channel.

I'm not even sure people realize Disney has existing partnerships with Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros, and others for media content on networks not owned by Disney. For example Disney is one of the producers of Criminal Minds on CBS.

And DC Comices has been owned by Warner Bros since 1969.

In the end, I think this'll only help Marvel.

Dan said...

I think this is a strong overreaction based on blind emotion and zero evidence. Disney has proven very wise in letting each of their divisions breathe and not be threatened or influenced by the others. If you can step back and look at this objectively, you'll see a lot of things that do not spell certain doom for Dr. Doom.

And hey, let's look at some of the interesting marketing team-ups Marvel has done over the years. There are some bad ideas at play there too.

Enjoy simmering in fanboy rage if you must, but I don't see the point. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing, and nothing has died. It's just a thing. The creators will continue to create.

Rane said...

I see your points and understand. It's not the end of the world. When it comes to Marvel, I am a unabashed fanboy. I can't help it.

I appreciate the comments. Great discussion all around. I hope everyone is right about this. Time will tell.