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Via the New York Times and Topless Robot

Damn.  Long time readers of my site know that back in the day when G.I. Joe news was a bit less constant and frenetic than it is now know that I used to talk quite a bit about Marvel, but mostly in regards to their cartoon and movie endeavors, and not so much about the comics themselves.  See, I was a Marvel Comics fan for nearly twenty years until repeated retcons, convoluted stories, and annual massive “EVENTS” took the luster off my love for the medium.  But I never lost my love for the characters.  Spider-Man, Wolverine, the X-Men, Captain America, Daredevil…they’re all timeless characters that I really love, even if I was growing a bit tired of what was being done to them in  the series of 22 pages every month.

And then a funny thing happened…while I was a devout comic fan I laughed and scoffed at the various cartoons, TV elements and movies based on the comic characters.  They didn’t match the stories I was reading, they were never mature enough, and often written for the average attention span of a 5 year-old.  Recently, though, I’ve done an about-face.  While I don’t have the time, energy or inclination to read the monthly Marvel titles, I am a huge fan of the films, the cartoons (Wolverine and the X-Men ROCKS!), the video games, and the characters still ring very true.

So immediately this news hit like a ton of bricks.  Is it a good thing?  Will some Disney backing ensure more Marvel animated fare or better quality movies?  I dunno, Marvel’s been doing a pretty damn good job on their own these days.  Will there be any shake up in the Films or Entertainment division?  Let’s hope not.

This is an interesting move that could prove to be very good for the future of the Marvel Comics enterprise, or could it also suddenly offer a frustrating series of legal impasses similar to how Warner and DC go about their Hollywood endeavors?

How will this also impact the toy world?  Mattel is a long-standing Disney licensee for many of their toy offerings, while Hasbro has the license for all Marvel related action figures and associated toys.  Will this offer any sort of conflict between the two?

Time will tell.