Disney purchases Marvel

[Raph's Girl]

And what does Stan The Man have to say about this?

"To me, becoming 'Disneyfied' is not a bad thing. I mean look at (Disney) movies like 'Pirates of the Caribbean,'" Lee, who parted ways with Marvel years ago, but remains its Chairman Emeritus, said in a telephone interview with Reuters.

"Disney knows how to do movies. They know how to do colorful characters and I think the fans, if they think about it, they're going to love it."

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv...57U6A220090901

[ZariusTwo]

Stan Lee shills just about anything.

This is the man who, when he ISNT backing anything Marvel do, he's suing them

[Archon_Turtle]

Eventually I could see "crossovers" in more of the mashup style Disney uses for Star Wars. Stuff like this, but with Marvel. You get the idea.

[Barkworm]

Do people really still care about what Stan Lee has to say?

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Barkworm

Do people really still care about what Stan Lee has to say?

Considering he revived Spider-Man's marraige in the newspaper strip,..yes. He clearly still knows what a HERO actually is. And he has more of an ironic sense of humour that Marvel's current crop of hacks PRETEND to have. I'd still read something from him even if it'd be a tad melodramatic.

This is what's wrong with comic fans of today. No respect for the people that brought them all the heroes they want beating each up and acting like seedy douchebags rather than bail anyone out of a fire or a collapsing building. THIS is how Marvel have gotten so succesful the last ten years. Moraless vacuam shock value and an emphasis on hack writers indulging in playground politics

[Brodie]

I sure will miss the Punisher MAX line.

[Spike Spiegel]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

This is what's wrong with comic fans of today. No respect for the people that brought them all the heroes they want beating each up and acting like seedy douchebags rather than bail anyone out of a fire or a collapsing building. THIS is how Marvel have gotten so succesful the last ten years. Moraless vacuam shock value and an emphasis on hack writers indulging in playground politics

I feel the same way more or less...I've seen way too many "universe shattering events" on both the Marvel and DC sides thes past few years,i.e.:

One More Day
Batman R.I.P
Infinite Crisis
Secret Invasion
Civil War
Back in Black (cheap gimmick)
Identity Crisis
52

[Magneto]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

Considering he revived Spider-Man's marraige in the newspaper strip,..yes.

Did Stan actually revive the marriage? Or simply left it alone with the newspaper strip by ignoring the whole "deal with the devil" the Marvel comics chose to go with?

I've never read the Spider-Man newspaper strip, but I always thought it was the latter, rather than the former.

As far as the Disney buying Marvel story, I don't see it affecting the comics in any way at this point. Films and especially merchandising, yes. Exposure? Yes. But the comics are really just a small drop of water in the big money river Disney has. So, no. I can't see that being toyed with to the extent some are fearing.

[Raph's Girl]

Nuff said

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Superman \S/

Did Stan actually revive the marriage? Or simply left it alone with the newspaper strip by ignoring the whole "deal with the devil" the Marvel comics chose to go with?

He sort of snubbed BND by having Peter wake up from a dream to find he was still married. The last six months before that storyline had been a "flashback" to when he dated MJ just to plug BND. The fact he wakes up a nightmare is intended to imply everything in BND is something Stan would rather ignore.

Really, the only Spidey continuity worth a damn in terms of growing the characters and giving them new responsibilities is Tom DeFalco's MC2 canon..which, like the newspaper strip, has lasted eleven years despite three cancelations. Disney marketing Spider-Girl towards it's female audience would be a boost for that character. It's obvious her time has come, but alas, I think it will remain the undervalued classic it's always been. The irony of this is that Joe Quesada is a fan of the title and gives it more chances than he ever does with Exiles to be a success. Some argue Tom needs to pass the torch to another writer so it can have more range, others are protective of how Tom views the character, but I think if he had creative control and a fresh talent (in particular a bigger "name", which alas, DeFalco has never been, despite Roger Stern calling him Spidey's best writer besides Stan) DID have a shot, it could potentially boost sales better.

The newspaper strip is notoriously hard to find due to it's declining circulation in Newspapers, but it has remained in publication for thirty years regardless, it has also been gaining considerable success on the internet over the last few years by either being parodied or having the original versions hosted online.

It's fun, accessible, and still features Peter and MJ acting more or less in-character and in refreshingly positive and mature roles. It's a delight to read and I would rather count these rather than the last ten years of character derailment that has destroyed not just those two, but every member of the Spider-Man supporting cast whose name isnt Norman Osborn

I go with what the guy who created (or co-created depending on your view of Lee/Ditko's collaberations together) the character rather than what the company wants. Sales for ASM are in the s*itter and the character would be on the brink of sheer irrelevancy if it werent for Marvel succesfully branding their products

As far as the Disney buying Marvel story, I don't see it affecting the comics in any way at this point. Films and especially merchandising, yes. Exposure? Yes. But the comics are really just a small drop of water in the big money river Disney has. So, no. I can't see that being toyed with to the extent some are fearing.

The rise in the level of moralles filth on both sides is attrocious and DOES need to be addressed by a corproate intervention in the same way the Comics Code was initiated...it's not happening anytime soon, but to say it will never happen is a little short-sighted.

Originally Posted by Spike Spiegel

I feel the same way more or less...I've seen way too many "universe shattering events" on both the Marvel and DC sides thes past few years,i.e.:

One More Day
Batman R.I.P
Infinite Crisis
Secret Invasion
Civil War
Back in Black (cheap gimmick)
Identity Crisis
52

it's hard to judge Batman R.I.P since everyone knew it was just Bruce taking a break for a few years, and because it's part of a longer story that hasnt finished yet, but I agree with everything else listed.

[Magneto]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

He sort of snubbed BND by having Peter wake up from a dream to find he was still married. The last six months before that storyline had been a "flashback" to when he dated MJ just to plug BND. The fact he wakes up a nightmare is intended to imply everything in BND is something Stan would rather ignore.

Really, the only Spidey continuity worth a damn in terms of growing the characters and giving them new responsibilities is Tom DeFalco's MC2 canon..which, like the newspaper strip, has lasted eleven years despite three cancelations. Disney marketing Spider-Girl towards it's female audience would be a boost for that character. It's obvious her time has come, but alas, I think it will remain the undervalued classic it's always been. The irony of this is that Joe Quesada is a fan of the title and gives it more chances than he ever does with Exiles to be a success. Some argue Tom needs to pass the torch to another writer so it can have more range, others are protective of how Tom views the character, but I think if he had creative control and a fresh talent (in particular a bigger "name", which alas, DeFalco has never been, despite Roger Stern calling him Spidey's best writer besides Stan) DID have a shot, it could potentially boost sales better.

The newspaper strip is notoriously hard to find due to it's declining circulation in Newspapers, but it has remained in publication for thirty years regardless, it has also been gaining considerable success on the internet over the last few years by either being parodied or having the original versions hosted online.

It's fun, accessible, and still features Peter and MJ acting more or less in-character and in refreshingly positive and mature roles. It's a delight to read and I would rather count these rather than the last ten years of character derailment that has destroyed not just those two, but every member of the Spider-Man supporting cast whose name isnt Norman Osborn

I go with what the guy who created (or co-created depending on your view of Lee/Ditko's collaberations together) the character rather than what the company wants. Sales for ASM are in the s*itter and the character would be on the brink of sheer irrelevancy if it werent for Marvel succesfully branding their products

Joe Q has made no bones about his thoughts on the marriage between Peter Parker and Mary Jane for years now. So it wasnt too surprising to see it being retconned out, but it's quite unfortunate that it was done in such a shoddy way (deal with the devil? eh). Stan Lee, to his credit, is very much aware of the dissatisfaction a good number of fans have had with this decision, and he's basically giving Spider-Man fans the best of both worlds. If they prefer Joe Q's version, there you go. If you prefer the Ultimate line, there you go. And if you prefer the marriage intact, apparently the newspaper strip is .. well .. the way to go. Even if the strip plays no role in Marvel 616 continuity, making it .. I'm sure ... bittersweet to some fans who enjoy it for what it is.

Personally, I've enjoyed some of the stuff that has come down the pike since BND, but I could do without OMD, much like the horrid Sins Past.

The rise in the level of moralles filth on both sides is attrocious and DOES need to be addressed by a corproate intervention in the same way the Comics Code was initiated...it's not happening anytime soon, but to say it will never happen is a little short-sighted.

Yeah, you kinda lost me here. Pretty much the last thing that needs to happen is a big brother type program stepping in to essenti\ally regulate in terms of what has been presented in comics (especially in this decade). I mean, really. To actually ask for something of along the lines of a Comics Code Authority is a little short-sighted as well, and could very well be the equivalent of opening a can of worms.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Superman \S/

Joe Q has made no bones about his thoughts on the marriage between Peter Parker and Mary Jane for years now. So it wasnt too surprising to see it being retconned out, but it's quite unfortunate that it was done in such a shoddy way (deal with the devil? eh). Stan Lee, to his credit, is very much aware of the dissatisfaction a good number of fans have had with this decision, and he's basically giving Spider-Man fans the best of both worlds. If they prefer Joe Q's version, there you go. If you prefer the Ultimate line, there you go.

Quesada is the same. In one of his interviews, he admited one of the other reasons for BND was to boost sales of Spider-Girl and eventually give her some leverage with a wider audience since Peter and MJ have grown as parents in that continuity, plus it's outlasted EVERY attempt at rebooting continuity to the point it's practically definitive.

I don't mind if Marvel want to reboot the franchise, it's obvious they think they have no choice, but they could have just made the Ultimate Universe the mainstream timeline and boosted it's popularity, instead of slowly depriving it of it's dignity and relevancy.

They not only went about rebooting Spider-Man the wrong way, they have not been true to the characters at all since BND began. Combine that with the writers throwing temper tantrums at the fans online, and there's the reason why the title is slowly failing to sell.

And if you prefer the marriage intact, apparently the newspaper strip is .. well .. the way to go. Even if the strip plays no role in Marvel 616 continuity, making it .. I'm sure ... bittersweet to some fans who enjoy it for what it is.

Bittersweet? Hardly. It actually fits so well into continuity and even gives readers a chance to plug gaps with fresh continuty (not to mention seems to be bringing back long-discarded characterisation like Sandman going straight), that it makes BND look even more incompetant and dated. Reallisticly, it's not contributing to the sales decline of ASM, but it's still TRUE Spider-Man. That's something BND can barely lay claim to.

Yeah, you kinda lost me here. Pretty much the last thing that needs to happen is a big brother type program stepping in to essenti\ally regulate in terms of what has been presented in comics (especially in this decade). I mean, really. To actually ask for something of along the lines of a Comics Code Authority is a little short-sighted as well, and could very well be the equivalent of opening a can of worms.

I don't want a repeat of the "Comics Code" fiasco (which we all know Stan Lee gave the finger too, leading to comics striking back and doing whatever they wanted again). What I meant was for more "quality control" for titles that are capable of demonstrating taboo issues and those that do not based on character and format.