The Mouse Buys The House of Ideas

It is being reported this morning that the Walt Disney Company has reached a deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc. The deal for the comic book company is said to be for $4 billion in combined stock and cash. Disney Chief Executive, Bob Iger offered that “adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation.” Under this deal Disney will take ownership of Marvel, with more than 5,000 characters in the publisher’s house. Marvel’s CEO, Ike Perlmutter, will continue to oversee the Marvel properties, and will work to integrate the comic book characters into Disney’s business framework.

On the financial side of things, Marvel shareholders would receive $30 per share in cash, plus approximately .745 Disney shares for each share that they own in Marvel.

While Marvel Comics is the backbone of Marvel Entertainment, the company has branched off into other media, such as movies and television. Fans of the Marvel comic books don’t have to worry about the Disney deal throwing their favorite characters into development limbo. According to Disney, Marvel’s third-party licensing deals with studios such as Fox and Sony, will remain in place under the original terms. However, when the current deals expire, Disney will look at the possibility of bringing those properties in-house for future projects. Disney is happy to bring Marvel characters to the big screen, and is especially interested in working with characters that are less well know to the general public. Disney also has an eye to using Marvel comic book characters to generate properties to help boost DVD sales.

I think that Disney is primarily interested in using Marvel characters for movie and television productions. While Marvel Comics is a part of the package, I don’t think that Disney made this deal because they wanted to enter the comic book publishing business. They did it to make movies. Hopefully Disney let’s the comic book division work independently, and doesn’t interfere with what Marvel is best at. And hopefully they let the people at Marvel have input into developing the movie projects, since Marvel knows Marvel best.

Discuss it in the forums.

Plastic Man Comedy Show

Its official. Everything is on DVD now. Amazon is now taking pre-orders for Plastic Man: The Complete Collection, which is scheduled to be released on October 20, 2009. The series originally aired 35 episodes in 1979 as The Plastic Man Comedy-Adventure Show.

Here’s the Who’s Who. Plastic Man is a comic book character with super stretching powers. He was created in 1941 by Jack Cole for his first appearance in Police Comics #1. He was originally published by Quality Comics which would eventually be bought by DC Comics. While trying to rob a chemical company, two-bit crook Eel O’Brien was shot and fell into a vat of experimental acid. He survived the incident to find that he now has amazing stretchy powers. He undergoes a change of character and decides to use his powers for good, and fights crime in quirky, offbeat and surreal slapstick adventures.

The cartoon follows a similar origin with Plastic Man being doused with a special acid formula which gives him the power to stretch and shape his body into anything that he wants. Veering off from the comic books the Plastic Man cartoon introduces two partners for Plas, Penny and Hula-Hula, as well as some new toys such as the Plasticmobile and Plasticplane. And the show had story contributions from writers Roy Thomas, Steve Gerber, and Mark Evanier, among a host of others.

Plastic Man followed the Super Friends cartoon on ABC. The show was an anthology that featured Plastic Man as the headliner, but included other segments with characters like Mighty Man, a tiny superhero who fights crime with help of his pal Yukk, the world’s ugliest dog. There were also the adventures of Rickety Rocket, an artificially intelligent ship that was built by an team of African American detectives in the future. And Fangface and Fangpuss, a Scooby-Doo derivative show about were-wolf cousins who travel around solving mysteries with a group of teenagers in the Wolf-Buggy.

It looks like the DVD will only have the Plastic Man stories and not any of the other segments. It was a pretty silly show, and I don’t think that it will hold up very well since I’m not six years old any more, but it could make for some fun viewing. I only have a vague recollection of this show, but it might be nice to view a little nostalgia of the time.

Shazam!

The news is swirling around about the report by Variety that Warner Brothers has a Shazam! movie in development. Bill Birch has been tapped to write the screenplay which will be based on the Captain Marvel character from DC Comics. Peter Segal, whose directing credits include Get Smart, 50 First Dates, Anger Management, and Tommy Boy, is set to helm the Shazam! movie. The news that has the fan-boys talking is that comic book super scribe Geoff Johns will co-write and offer consulting services on the project.

Shazam! is the story of Billy Batson, a tween who is transformed into the powerful super hero Captain Marvel when he says the magic word Shazam. Gaining powers from an assortment of Greek gods, Captain Marvel rivals Superman in his abilities, and level of power, yet he maintains an aspect of child like innocence.

Having Peter Segal at the head of the movie makes me wonder what the tone for the movie will be. His past credits are steeped heavily in the comedy genre. And Captain Marvel is a character who has a campy filled past. In fact, he used to be commonly referred to as The Big Red Cheese. Having Geoff Johns attached to the project gives me hope. Johns has been one of the biggest writers in comic books. He has been a part of some of the biggest stories at DC Comics, and he has done a tremendous job of reviving old characters. Under the guidance of Johns, former “C” and “D” list characters have been made more relevant and have been elevated to the starting lineup. I wouldn’t expect Shazam! to be The Dark Knight, I’m just hoping that its not Kazaam.

JLU 6-Pack Figures

I was browsing the isles at Target today and I found two new 6-packs of Justice League Unlimited figures. And the great thing is that most of the figures are new to the JLU line of action figures. One 6-pack features some of the villains of the DC Universe; Tala, Devil Ray (I think this is supposed to be Black Manta in th comic books), Psycho-Pirate, Dr. Polaris, Gentleman Ghost, and Lex Luthor. The  Luthor figure is the only one that has appeared previously in the JLU line of figures.

The other 6-pack features some of the heroes of the DCU. This pack has Mr. Terrific, Supergirl, Elongated Man, Obsidian, Superman, and Hourman. Superman has appeared several times in previous waves of JLU figures, the others are new. Supergirl has had a figure in earlier waves of the JLU line, but I think that this figure is an entirely new sculpt. And in my opinion it is a lot better then the previous version. Elongated man has had a previous figure in the line, but this one features a better costume. I love that this set has an Elongated Man with his classic red and black with yellow trim costume. I never cared much for the grey costume that he wore for a period of time in the comic books, or the purple and white one. And I don’t know why they decided to go with the purple and white costume in the cartoon. At any rate, this version of Elongated Man is the best. One downer is that there aren’t any T-Spheres accessories for the Mr. Terrific action figure. If you read the JSA comic book, then you know that these are the ever present weapons/devices that hover around Mr. Terrific. It would have been great to have a few of those gadgets on a clear plastic stands.

These are great looking toys. Be on the look out for them.

Talk about it in the forums.

Secret Saturday Figures

I stopped at a Toys R Us today for the first time in quite a while. Looking down the isle I was surprised to find that there are some Secret Saturday action figures, and a couple of prop toys. If you haven’t checked out the The Secret Saturdays yet, then go to iTunes now and download some episodes, or at least look up the schedule on the Cartoon Network. This show is a must watch. The Secret Saturdays is about a family of cryptozoologists that are on mission to keep the cryptid creatures from becoming a danger. They have adventures around the world, studying cryptids, and battling evil villains. Its a little like a modern, more high tech version of Johnny Quest, but with monsters. This is one of the best cartoons out there.

The first wave of Figures include two versions of Zac Saturday, Doc Saturday, Van Rook, Doyle, and Munya. Also, there is a two-pack with Zak and Munya, and one with Doc and Van Rook. There is also a toy prop of Drew Saturday’s flame sword, and Zac’s Cryptid Claw. Both weapons have push button sound effects. These toys look great. Go out and get them today. And if  you’re in the Northwest Ohio region, make sure that you leave some for me.

You can see a little bit bigger pictures of the figures, and the two-packs, in the forums.

The Dead Shall Rise

The Blackest Night continues to shamble across the DCU this week with Blackest Night #2.

Blackest Night #2 continues where the first issue left off. Black power rings continue to seek out the corpses of the deceased and add them to the ranks of the Black Lantern Corps. More characters that DC has been teasing rise from their graves and engage their once friends and loved ones. The Black Lanterns are driven to claim more heroes for their nightmare corps. Their insatiable blood lust claims the hearts  of more heroes, and one of them is a big one. The heroes are fighting a desperate battle against their undead friends. As the action ramps up the heroes have their plans crumble around them as they are unable to stop, or barely even slow down the advancing wave of dead heroes. Things are starting to look desperate as the undead might be unstoppable.

I love the idea of mixing in the element of a horror story into the world of super heroes. And this series is playing out to be a hell of a zombie fest. Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, Julio Ferreira, and Alex Sinclair are creating incredible art work for this book. Their zombified versions of the heroes bring terror to the page. And writer Geoff Johns is telling a gripping story.

I really like the opening to this issue. The Atom makes a call to the blood covered museum, desperate to reach Hawkman. The pacing and expressions of the characters are incredible. There is an ominous sense of dread when this issue opens.

The distraught Atom is unaware of what is going on. He’s opening himself up to a friend, and he receives an eerie invitation. The Atom doesn’t know what he’s walking into, but we see it coming. Watching this set up almost has you screaming “run!” at the comic, just like you might do when watching a horror movie.

The heroes aren’t in control this time. They are being chased around by a force that they can’t deal with. An unrelenting force that is consuming more people as the heroes fight against it in vain.

Their powers are failing to save them in a time when they need them the most. Even the most desperate of acts are wasted in a vain attempt to stop the Black Lanterns. Mera comes face to horrible face with this realization as she struggles to escape her undead pursuers. It seems that they can’t be killed again since they are already dead.

The second issue of this 8 issue mini-series might not seem to move along very much, but it sets up a little more ground work for the overall story. More of the dead rise and consume more of the heroes, bringing them into the army of the undead. The heroes are on the run and desperate for an escape. Nothing they do is working. The stakes are raised further with the discovery that the undead posses the same abilities that they did when they were alive, but not the weaknesses. Another part of the mystery is presented when one of the dead is immune to the call of the black rings. And excitement and creep factors are raised with the cryptic message, “Worlds have died. Worlds will rise.” This is a book that everyone should be reading.

Discuss it it the forums.

Gene Colan Is “Okay”

Robot 6 over at CBR reports that on Aug. 10 legendary comic book artist Gene Colan was taken by ambulance to Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York early in the morning. The hospitalization was due to pneumonia in his right lung behind his heart. There is also the possibility of some infection of some fluids. He is also being watched for Encephalopathy related difficulties.

While this is scary news, it has been stated that Gene is looking okay and that he might have to spend a few days in the hospital. Gene can use all of the positive thoughts that you can send his way. Also, you can send your well-wishes to him at:

Gene Colan

2240 Burnett Street, #5

Brooklyn, New York 11229

The Ballad of G.I. Joe

This is a hilarious spoof music video that features the lives of G.I. Joe and Cobra during their down time.

Enter Sandman

On Sunday, Oct. 4th renown author Neil Gaiman will be making an appearance at the Cleveland Public Library Lake Shore Facility (17109 Lake Shore Blvd, Cleveland 44110) at 2pm. He is participating in the CPL’s Writers & Readers series, a showcase to demonstrate the Library’s role in promoting books and reading to the Greater Cleveland Community. The event is free and open to the public. Seating will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. A Cultural Exchange will have books for sale at the event.

Neil Gaiman is perhaps best known for his work writing the award winning Sandman comic book series. He is also an award winning, and New York Times Best Selling novelist with books such as Anansi Boys, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. Gaiman has written screenplays for the movies MirrorMask, and Beowulf. And he has also had two of his novels, Coraline, and Stardust adapted into movies.

Neil Gaiman is a fantastic writer and spokesperson. This is an event that everyone should take the time to attend.

For Additional Information: Cleveland Public Library

Joe Blows

Thursday night I went to a midnight advance screening of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Previews for the movie gave me the feeling that the movie would be lack luster, so I didn’t have high hopes for the movie. Unfortunately I wasn’t disappointed. The plot revolves around a terrorist organization getting their hands on newly developed nanobot technology and using it to hold the world hostage. On the surface it wasn’t a bad idea, but when Cobra hits the scene I was quickly taken out of the movie. Cobra has some sort of pulse weapon in their employ that obliterates everything in their path. They have them equipped on their aircraft, their troops carry rifles and pistols of these weapons, and they are untouchable. Every time I saw someone shoot their weapon I kept thinking, “Why is Cobra messing around with this nanobot plot when they already have weapons that far outclass everyone else? They could easily launch an attack to show their power and have countries cowering to them.” I thought that this flattened the danger in the movie. When Cobra seems to be able to dominate from the first few minute of the movie, them getting a hold of the nanotech is nearly on the same level. If you have a TV then you’ve seen the preview where The Eiffel Tower gets knocked over. That was the big spot for Cobra. That was to be the point that gets nations to bow to them. They could have done that with the weapons that they already have without even trying. Instead of having a rising threat to up the stakes and pull you in more, I thought that it flat-lined and you stay at the same level.

I heard long ago Duke and The Baroness have a romantic history in this movie, so I hope I’m not spoiling that for anyone. I thought that this was a poor choice. It’s unnecessary and was a distraction from the movie more than anything else. With the wealth of characters at their disposal they didn’t need to force a lame romance angle that doesn’t really fit. This was only made worse at the end of the movie when its revealed that The Baroness was forced to evil against her will and now makes a 180 turn to the side of good. Ho-Hum Boring. Its lame writing. I know that there are debates about how faithful you need to stay to source material when you’re doing an adaptation, but this one was one instance when they shouldn’t have deviated from the script. The Baroness should of simply been a mean bitch. Instead of neutering her in the end, keep her the strong villain that she should be. She’s a mean girl.

Now having said that I need to get into a little more of the  geekery. Some of the production design really disappointed me. Aside from Snake-Eyes all of the Joes wear the same plain old fatigues. Now before you say anything remember, G.I. Joe is a special ops unit. They are not the army. They are not the marines. They don’t need to have the exact same uniforms, they can do their own thing. Looking at the comic books and cartoons you have all of these colorful characters with their own thing to set them apart form everyone else. By taking that entirely out of the movie, I thought that they took out a lot of the character of, well, the characters. That leads me into those Delta-6 shoots that have been overly hyped in the previews. I was mad to think that these suites would be the main equipment of the Joes, which would have eliminated any need for a group of elite specialists. Fortunately they were only used in one scene for a chase sequence. And while they were kind of fun to watch, they didn’t actually do anything. Snake-Eyes, who was not wearing an exo-suit, stayed with and took down the bad guys’ vehicle by himself. The Delta-6 suites were in it for no reason. And when Cobra Commander is finally revealed, barf. They modeled his costume from an awful version of the action figure that came later in the toy line.

The ending is anti-climatic. Costume aside, I like how they handled the reveal of Cobra Commander in the movie. When he finally stands revealed its a moment that was a good way to show the audience that this was only the beginning of the story. And just when he has a moment, Wha Wha Wha, its taken away as he’s facing a wall of Joe subs and quickly finds himself imprisoned. They still hint that there’s more to come, but I thought that they killed a lot of the momentum that they could of had.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is kind of fun to watch because of the special effects, the little nods to its history, and some humor, but it is a pretty stupid movie.

Oh, and Scarlett would have totally kicked The Baroness’s ass.

Discuss it in the forums.