Gephyrophillia #205

Originally Posted on 08/31/2009 by Jeff Harris

Instead of repeating what the mothership reported this morning and every media company has been talking about in the news, I'll just point out the obvious. The House of Mouse has bought The House of Ideas for $4 Billion. Disney now owns Marvel.

Before the Marvel Zombies start panicking, no, there won't be a Disney logo on the Marvel Comics. After all, there's no Warner Bros. shield on the DC Comics, is there? In fact, from everything I read, the publishing side of the company is going to be alright. At least from the offset, there's no plans for Disney to play any editorial role in the direction of the stories. Of course, if Marvel wants to kill another major marketable character again like they did with Captain America, they may have a huge mouse breathing down their backs.

Besides, everybody and their mother knows why Disney bought Marvel, and it's not because they make comic books. It's because Marvel makes characters. Characters that have starred in movies that made more than $6.6 billion in the worldwide market. Characters that have been a part of the American psyche for nearly 50 years (70 if you count the fact that the first Marvel comic came out 70 years ago this year). If anything, the Marvel characters were the driving point of the sale in the first place. If anything, Marvel has a stable of creators and writers at their employ, probably one of the greatest collection this side of another recent Disney acquisition, Pixar Animation.

Speaking of Pixar, of all the things that have been ignored by the mainstream and some of the comics media is the Pixar factor of the deal. John Lasseter and the crew of Pixar are obviously fans of Marvel Comics, as The Incredibles has illustrated. Now, imagine that movie with the Fantastic Four instead of the Incredibles. Plus, at least in comic terms, a crossover between the two could happen.

The mainstream media has also ignored the fact that winner in all of this is Disney XD, the recently revamped Toon Disney turned boys entertainment channel.

Disney XD, not the theatrical division, is going to be one of the first units to completely benefit from the Marvel purchase. Why? Because they'll likely get first look options at any new television project that comes from Marvel. Plus, with Marvel, Disney XD could add animated AND live-action versions of familiar and, at least to the mainstream audience, unfamiliar properties. Disney could pull a Teen Titans-like coup by announcing a live-action version of Runaways or an animated version of the New Warriors for Disney XD.

On the other side of the script, there a chance that the Marvel units could succumb to the Disney empire. Aside from a few media appearances, the Muppets have been largely unused by Disney. The Saban library that doesn't consist of Digimon, The Tick, Power Rangers, and the Marvel cartoons have been locked up and unused. The ABC library of animated specials (think Weekend Specials), segments (with the exception of Schoolhouse Rock), and series have been locked up and out of sight for nearly two decades.

There's also the chance that the big bad Mouse could rear its ugly head towards Universal Studios Orlando, Walt Disney World's biggest competitor, and their Marvel-themed Islands of Adventure area, which could pretty much go away. It would be funny though if, say, DC Comics would take over the section if Disney takes Marvel away.

Whatever happens, it's going to be a very interesting couple of years after the Disney/Marvel deal is completed. This could be fun.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
Creator/Webmaster, The X Bridge.