Disney buys Marvel

[Lumbering Jack (M'odd-R8-Tr)]

Fresh off AP wire!

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. says it is acquiring Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing characters like Iron Man and Spider-Man into the Disney family.
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters.
Disney said Monday that Marvel shareholders will receive $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share they own.
It said the boards of Disney and Marvel have both approved the transaction, but it requires an antitrust review and the approval of Marvel shareholders.

[James Grant Goldin]

Okay. Nobody's said it yet, so I'll say it.

It's a small world after all...

[Mr. Satanism]

I'm gonna scoop up the handful of trades on my want list before this is finalized and that will be that. I refuse to give a dime to Disney, which means I'm done with Marvel.

[Batmatt Beyond]

So, Disney still owns all of the former Crossgen characters, right? And their soon-to-be acquisition publishes comic books...so...maybe, just maybe....

[The Baron]

Mr. Satanism said:

I'm gonna scoop up the handful of trades on my want list before this is finalized and that will be that. I refuse to give a dime to Disney, which means I'm done with Marvel.

"No Dime for Disney" would make a great band name. They'd probably sue you, though.

[Doctor Hmmm?]

Batmatt Beyond said:

So, Disney still owns all of the former Crossgen characters, right? And their soon-to-be acquisition publishes comic books...so...maybe, just maybe....

Disney still hasn't figured out how to make $$$ selling comics of its own characters these days, buddy.

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

Well, that's not necessarily true. In Europe and Asia, Disney comics sell very, very well. It's figuring out how to sell comics to younger audiences in America with our current slump, overall, in reading that's the problem (see also the cancelling of Nick magazine's comics section). Sending Marvel and Disney comics to phones and laptops and digital readers will hit more kids than anything in a comic shop or newsstands. I think the buying of Marvel is much more about toys, shirts, cartoons, video games, television, and movies than comics. The comics will continue...but more for us old guys.

[Alan M.]

Best comment so far, from Dan Slott:

Squirrel Girl on Toon Disney. Hey, it could happen. :)

I approve of that idea. :D

[Doctor Hmmm?]

Doc Beechler said:

Well, that's not necessarily true. In Europe and Asia, Disney comics sell very, very well. It's figuring out how to sell comics to younger audiences in America with our current slump, overall, in reading that's the problem (see also the cancelling of Nick magazine's comics section). Sending Marvel and Disney comics to phones and laptops and digital readers will hit more kids than anything in a comic shop or newsstands. I think the buying of Marvel is much more about toys, shirts, cartoons, video games, television, and movies than comics. The comics will continue...but more for us old guys.

BEECHLER!!!!

;)

[ClarkKent_DC]

Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui) said:

Wow that is interesting...My first thought was about the parks. Currently Marvel is associated with Universal, with their Island of Adventure... I wonder what that means for that? And I wonder what it means for Marvel's movie production house.

Lumbering Jack said:

And what about Disney's current deal with Boom Studios? Talk about getting the rug pulled out from under you!

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Disney will let existing deals run their course until they expire, and then consider what to do.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Evil wins... that's sort of the difference between a movie and an ongoing comic book. Stop just about any Disney movie in the middle. Aladdin? Jaffar is influencing Jasmine's dad. The Lion King? Scar's in charge. Toy Story? All the toys have been captured by the boy next door, who plans to torture them to death.

It's best to watch the movies all the way through, so that we can see that evil doesn't win.

It's the same with Dark Reign. The difference is, there's no "middle" to ongoing comics, so we can't see how far we are in the story -- all we know for sure is, with Osborne in charge, we're not at the end. (And probably by the time he's deposed, some other evil will be on top somewhere else... since in ongoing comics, it's always the middle of the story somewhere.)

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

That I think is a very good point.



One thing that is interesting to me is that Disney has felt themselves to be too-girl centric in the last couple of decade, which is part of the appeal of Pixar for them when they bought them (here was a company creating content that appealed to both boys and girls). And with this Marvel purchase they are adding to their stable some very solid boy/Action-geared properties, which I am sure Disney sees a lot of potential for.

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

I remember that years ago one of the fast food places (Burger King, I think) had WB characters in DC hero costumes. I'd love to see the Marvel/Disney equivalent.

Mickey as Captain America
Donald as Wolverine
Goofy as Spider-Man
Pete as Hulk
Gyro Gearloose* as Mr. Fantastic

The possibilities are endless**.

*I spelled that from memory. Hope I didn't butcher it too terribly.
**As opposed to The Endless. Those are still DC characters.