2009 September
Unleash the Disney-Marvel mash-ups!
Disney-Marvel mash-ups by Chris Ward (left) and Spencer Ackerman
While some people speculate what Disney’s purchase of Marvel could mean — Runaways on ABC? A kinder, gentler Punisher? A Fin Fang Foom ride? — others devote their time and attention to more entertaining matters: mash-ups!
I pointed out a few of them yesterday, but since then the floodgates have opened. Here are some of the ones that caught our eye. We’ll update with more as we find them.
• “Herbie: Fully Retarded” (above), by Chris Ward, who has more — including “Walt Disney’s Song of the South 2099″
• The rather disturbing “Face it, Tigger” (also above), by Spencer Ackerman
- September 1, 2009 @ 08:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Stan Lee
Publishing | Stan Lee, whose POW! Entertainment has a first-look deal with Disney, gives his seal of approval to The Walt Disney Company’s $4-billion acquisition of Marvel Entertainment: “I think it’s the best thing for the two companies. The synchronicity is perfect. Disney makes great movies, but you need a subject to make the movies out of. Marvel has a library of [more than 5,000] characters. Certainly half of them would make great movies. These are colorful characters that are unique and have different backgrounds and you now have them available in your library. Disney now has access to all of that.” [Comic Riffs, Media Decoder]
Publishing | John Jackson Miller takes a historical look at the Disney-Marvel pairing while Nick Nadel chronicles the previous owners of the House of Ideas. [The Comichron, Comics Alliance]
- September 1, 2009 @ 07:32 AM by Kevin Melrose
Kodansha ends its agreement with Tokyopop
Beck Vol. 1
This surely would have made a bigger news splash yesterday were it not for the whole Disney buying Marvel tomfoolery. The Japanese publisher Kodansha has decided that it will end its manga relationship with Tokyopop and let its licenses expire series in progress will not be completed by Tokyopop and existing volumes will not be reprinted meaning, that series in progress will not be completed by Tokyopop and existing volumes will not be reprinted.
Here’s a sample from Tokyopop’s press release, which I cribbed from Brigid Alverson:
TOKYOPOP will not be allowed to complete the publication of any series that is currently in progress; in addition, TOKYOPOP will not be allowed to reprint titles after the current inventory has been sold out, so once these series are sold out at retail, they will not be available for consumers to purchase. The reasons for Kodansha’s decision were not communicated to TOKYOPOP.
Deb Aoki has a useful timeline detailing a number of events that have led to this decision, including Dark Horse picking up titles like Chobits and Clover. She also examines which titles are being dropped mid-serialization in a separate post. David Welsh, meanwhile, has a full list of titles here, which include Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, Love Hina and Peach Girl.
There’s been no word from Kodansha about the decision, but the issue will surely come up, as Aoki notes, during the next Tokyopop webcast, which is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 p.m., Pacific time.
Finally, Brigid has a round-up of internet reactions over at Mangablog.
- September 1, 2009 @ 05:38 AM by Chris Mautner