Tagged: Marvel Comics

Catching up with the Big Two

Catching up with the Big Two

  • News
  • April 12, 2007

Per my column yesterday, you know I’m not going to parrot press releases from Marvel and DC, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cull actual news from them where I discern it exists:

Marvel’s gearing up for their World War Hulk event, and as I’m married to someone who inked the Hulk for over two years I had to ask my Marvel press contact if he had any word on who’s slated to ink all the books.  So here’s your complete list of “top 2-3” creative teams (writer, penciller/inker or writer & artist) for all upcoming World War Hulk tie-ins:

WORLD WAR HULK PROLOGUE: WORLD BREAKER

Writer: Peter David

Artists: Al Rio/Scott Hanna, Lee Weeks (p/i), Sean Phillips/Tom Palmer

INCREDIBLE HULK #106

Writer: Greg Pak

Artists: Gary Frank/Jonathan Sibal

HULK: PLANET HULK HC

Writer: Greg Pak

Artists: Carlo Pagulayan/Jeffrey Huet; Aaron Lopresti/Danny Miki and Sandu Florea; Juan Santacruz/Faul Fernantz Fonts; Gary Frank/Jonathan Sibal; Takeshi Miyazawa (p/i)

That’s right, I’m all about loving the inkers!

Marvel’s also got another Spotlight book in stores on May 23, this one focusing on the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer; perfect timing considering the movie coming out in mid-June.  John Rhett Thomas supplies the original written content with pre-existing images from the FF’s 40+ year history.  Hope that means some royalty checks for lots of terrific artists!

And Matt Fraction (check out his sweet reminiscence of Vonnegut) is writing a special 48-page Sensational Spider-Man Annual tying in with its “Back in Black” storyline.  Sal Larocca’s on pencilling chores, including “Romita-esque flashback sequences” — good luck with that, Sal!

Meanwhile, DC’s sent out its latest Direct Channel newsletter, which discusses sales incentives for retailers on the second Minx title Clubbing (writer Andi Watson has a nice write-up), brags about mainstream press for the debut Minx title The Plain Janes in PW and Variety, and lists books going back to press, returnable and resolicited books, release dates and so forth.  An invaluable resource for retailers, as always.

Ghost Rider goes to court

Ghost Rider goes to court

  • News
  • April 10, 2007

Long-time comics writer Gary Friedrich has sued Marvel Comics, Sony Pictures and their Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, Relativity Media, Crystal Sky Pictures, Michael De Luca Productions, Hasbro Inc. and Take-Two Interactive for copyright infringement over his version of Ghost Rider.

Filed last week in Illinois, Friedrich claims 21 separate copyright and trademark violations based upon the “production and marketing” of the recent blockbuster motion picture. He claims the copyrights used by the defendants reverted from Marvel to him in 2001.

According to Reuters, Friedrich alleges copyright infringement and accuses Marvel of waste for failing “to properly utilize and capitalize” on his character. Marvel’s attempts to do so, Friedrich claims, have only damaged the value of his work by failing to properly promote and protect the characters and by accepting inadequate royalties from co-defendants. Friedrich also claims that toymaker Hasbro and videogame firm Take-Two have improperly created merchandise based on the characters.

Even though Marvel has published this version of Ghost Rider off-and-on since 1971, it’s predecessor company, Magazine Management, failed to register the work with the Copyright Office, according to Friedrich’s complaint.  He states that, following federal law, he regained the copyrights to Ghost Rider in 2001.

As of this writing, neither Marvel nor Sony has responded to the suit. It is expected they will adopt the initial position that the complaint “bares no merit,” as if it did, the crack of the whip could severely undermine the profitability of both Marvel and DC Comics and their parent companies.

MIKE GOLD: You say you want an evolution…

MIKE GOLD: You say you want an evolution…

  • News
  • April 2, 2007

I like Martha Thomases’ idea of 365, as reported on ComicMix yesterday. A full-length comic book story each and every day for a year. Now that would be an event.

Sadly, most such comic book events aren’t worth the effort, let alone the price. The stories are overblown, their effects on their “universe” temporary – either in the sense that they will be countermanded or, at best, castrated in the next such event.

(Hmmm. There’s a phrase I’ve never written before. “At best, castrated.”)

By the time they’re over, most events turn out to be nothing more than marketing gimmicks, and an endless sea of marketing gimmicks doth not a universe make. As of this writing Captain America is dead but Bucky is alive – something he’d managed to avoid for over 40 years. As Denny O’Neil pointed out in his recent ComicMix column, death has no permanence in comics. As a plot point, it is hackneyed: it may have collectibility, but it has no credibility.

Wonder Woman has been redefined, resurrected, rebooted, and retold differently so many times since 1965 (arguably her first real reboot) that I’m surprised she doesn’t bump into Tony Soprano at her shrink’s office.

Of the two major universes, Marvel’s is the most consistent – but only by comparison to DC, whose universe had to be cobbled together retroactively by combining the efforts of five publishing houses over 70 years: DC, All-American, Quality, Fawcett and Charlton – and maybe Fox, depending how you, ahhh, look at Phantom Lady. But by and large, in the past couple decades Marvel’s change has been evolutionary and not stop-and-start-over. Spider-Man went step by step from being a four-eyed high school wallflower with a secret identity to becoming a publicly known married-to-an-actress superhero and, oh yeah, menace to his nation. Marvel never stopped and said “Oh, now everything you know is wrong; this is the way it is and the way it will be until we need to burrow into your pockets again.”

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Marvel to Launch 365

Marvel to Launch 365

  • News
  • April 1, 2007

Saying, "Anything DC can do, we can do better," Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada today announced plans for next summer’s big event.  "365 will be a daily comic," he said.  "Every single day, including weekends and holidays."

Like 52, the new series will have a team of writers and artists.  Twenty-eight writers, including Marvel All-Stars Ed Brubaker, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, Chris Claremont, Tom DeFalco, Peter David, Brian Bendis, Mike Carey, Robert Kirkman, Paul Jenkins and Roy Thomas, among others.  All will follow the direction of "show runner," Andrew Helfer, who is coming on board to see that all the deadlines are met.

"We have everything in place," Quesada said.  "Andy lined up Bill Sienkiewicz and George Perez to alternate covers." 

The first issue of 365 will go on sale on a year from today.  Cover price will be $10.00 each issue.  "That’s what it took for Diamond to handle the shipping," Quesada said.

In retaliation, Dan DiDio announced that DC would launch The Hundred Years War.  "Superman, Batman,  Wonder Woman and other super-heroes get stuck in a line at the Motor Vehicles Bureau,"  he explained.  "It’s up to the rest of the DC Universe to fight  the universe-threatening evil.  Can Comet the Super-Horse and Ambush Bug save the day?  Will someone die?  Will anyone live?  You might think you don’t care, but you will."

Prepare for Spidey-3

Prepare for Spidey-3

  • News
  • March 27, 2007

If, while waiting for the release of Spider-Man 3 in about five weeks, you feel you need a recap of the first two movies but you just don’t have the time,you might want to check out 30 Second Bunnies Theatre.

This Starz / Anrgy Alien animated production is a nice, convenient way to remind yourself of the complete cinema saga to date. Like virtually all Marvel-related productions, it even has a Stan Lee cameo.

Oh, yeah. And all the parts are played by cute li’l bunny rabbits.

http://www.starz.com/features/bunnyclub/spiderman/index.html

Marvel to build billion dollar theme park in Dubai

Marvel to build billion dollar theme park in Dubai

  • News
  • March 20, 2007

Crain’s New York Business is reporting that Marvel has teamed up Al Ahli Group to develop a $1 billion theme park in Dubai based on Marvel superheroes. Think Island of Adventure, but with a lot more sand.

Crain’s notes: "The agreement marks the first major deal completed by Marvel Studios’ new Chairman David Maisel, who was named to the post earlier this month amid a shakeup of the company’s feature film business. Michael Helfant, who had been president and chief operating officer of Marvel Studios, was ousted."

The park is scheduled to open in 2011, and will be the first global destination theme park in the Middle East. I, for one, look forward to the new fanboy question replacing "Who’s stronger, the Thing or the Hulk?" with "Does the Invisible Woman need to wear a burqa?"

Stan Lee Media sues Marvel

Stan Lee Media sues Marvel

  • News
  • March 16, 2007

Oh, how I love financial and legal shenanigans. Stan Lee Media has one of the messier histories in the dot-com boom and bust, with tales of stock manipulation and attempted bribes to Bill and Hillary Clinton by partner Peter Paul. And it looks like we aren’t done yet.

Fresh out of bankruptcy, Stan Lee Media, Inc. filed a $5 billion lawsuit against Marvel Entertainment yesterday in US District Court in NY. In the suit, as reported by Marvel, Stan Lee Media claims it is shares co-ownership of some of Marvel’s superhero characters.  Marvel says the suit is without merit.

The suit claims that Stan Lee throughout his employment with Marvel retained the co-creator rights to all his characters, and in August 1998 when Marvel terminated Stan’s employment, he regained those rights. Stan then went and formed the dotcom firm Stan Lee Media as a way to tap into the Internet boom, and on October 15, 1998, he signed over not only his creations to the new firm, but his likeness as well. Then in November, 1998, Lee individually entered an employment agreement with Marvel, signing over his Marvel characters and likeness to Marvel, despite having already signed over the rights to Stan Lee Media. The suit claims Stan Lee Media informed Marvel of their contract and that Marvel "independently and/or in collusion with Stan Lee, intentionally concealed the material terms" of Marvel’s new agreement from Stan Lee Media, the public and its own shareholders, and that Stan Lee Media is entitled to 50 percent of all revenue going back three years and going forward 50 years. (By law, they can only go back three years, not as far as 1998.)

To make matters even more confusing, Stan the Man himself is no longer affiliated with the recently emerged from bankruptcy Stan Lee Media. In fact, Stan and his current company, POW Entertainment (makers of Who Wants To Be A Superhero?) is suing the principals in Stan Lee Media alleging that they illegally took over his former company and infringed on his trademarks and copyrights. Stan has said that, “I do not support this action and believe the suit to be baseless.”

Marvel to release Amazing Fantasy Omnibus

Marvel to release Amazing Fantasy Omnibus

  • News
  • March 15, 2007

Marvel Comics will be reprinting one of their most unusual horror/mystery titles in a hardcover Omnibus edition this summer. The first six issues were known as Amazing Adventures and featured work by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and Paul Reinman. The next eight issues were called Amazing Adult Fantasy and focused on Lee and Ditko’s work. The final issue – also focusing on Lee and Ditko – was simply titled Amazing Fantasy and is best known as the birthplace of a character called Spider-Man.

Therefore, it is no surprise that that this 416 page tome will be known as the Amazing Fantasy Omnibus.

This hefty volume is scheduled for release in late August. No retail price has been announced as of this writing.

Marvel Studios promotions

Marvel Studios promotions

  • News
  • March 14, 2007

As Marvel’s Iron Man movie heads into production this week, we get word of a lot of promotions and changes of job titles at Marvel Studios. At the top, David Maisel is now Chairman of Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige is President of Production. Maisel, who joined Marvel in 2003, is credited for the conception and execution of the new film production effort, including establishing the strategy for self-financing the endeavor. Feige has worked on all of Marvel’s movies since 2000, and is currently producer on Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.  In his expanded role, Feige will now also oversee creative for the studio’s animated projects for TV and DVD, as well as video games. 

Additionally, Marvel Studios has recently added and promoted a number of executives in senior management, including:

  • Tim Connors as EVP/Business Affairs and Operations
  • Ross Fanger as EVP/Physical Production
  • Michael Brown as SVP/Marketing
  • Charlie Davis as SVP/Post Production
  • Rod Smith as SVP/Production Finance
  • Elizabeth Lynch as VP/Business and Legal Affairs
  • Jean-Claude Boursiquot as Director/IT and Studio Technology
  • Matt Finick as SVP/Studio Finance and Corporate Development
  • Ryan Potter as Associate Counsel.
  • Eric Rollman as EVP/Animation and Television
  • Ames Kirschen as SVP and Executive Producer/Video Games
  • Craig Kyle as SVP/Animation
  • Jeremy Latcham as VP/Development and Production
  • Stephen Broussard as Creative Executive
  • Joshua Fine as Story Editor/Animation

With everybody moving up a notch or two, someone has to make way at the top — in this case it’s Michael Helfant, President and COO, who will "pursue other opportunities."

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2007 Shuster Award Nominees Announced

2007 Shuster Award Nominees Announced

  • News
  • March 13, 2007

Named after Canada’s most famous cartoonist, the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards nominees have been released. Mr. Shuster, of course, was the co-creator of Superman – the original visual look and feel of fabled Metropolis was based upon Toronto.

The winners will be announced at a Satuday, June 9th ceremony at the Holiday Inn, 370 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during the weekend of the Paradise Toronto Comicon.

According to their press release, the 2007 Shuster Award nominees are:

(more…)

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