Disney has just acquired Marvel Comics. On the downside, two massive stocks of incredibly lucrative IP monopoly have now merged. On the upside, Quesada apparently thinks this will give Marvel more freedom, though I don’t exactly see why.
(But hey, now if there’s ever a merger between Disney and Time-Warner, then DC and Marvel would be owned by the same company. On the downside – still more massive IP-sustained monopoly. On the upside: more crossovers, or even a fusion of universes. FWIW.)
Marvel vs. Capcom and Kingdom Hearts future installments will be interesting.
“On the upside: more crossovers, or even a fusion of universes.”
Because if there’s one thing the comics industry was lacking, it was massive, universe-altering crossovers…
Well, it would be interesting to see the Marvel and DC universes permanently combined into one (which is what I meant by “fusion”). That hasn’t been done before. I didn’t have in mind so much the event itself as the result — namely that, e.g., Daredevil and Ra’s al-Ghul could cross paths whenever the writers wanted without it being some big thing.
Yech. Crossovers just pollute the continuity of the characters. Keep each character in his own universe. Marvel used to have a mutant section run by Chris Claremont where the mutants were basically separate from the rest of it. That’s the best way to go. Each character has his own motives and origins and enemies and goals. Mixing them is merely confusing and usually results in things being said and done that are out of character. Crossovers should only be done out-of-continuity.
Plus, remember Marvel vs. DC? Amalgam? Those sucked.
Mixing them is merely confusing and usually results in things being said and done that are out of character. Crossovers should only be done out-of-continuity.
I’m not convinced of that. The crossovers between Batman and Superman have sharpened each one’s distinctive character, I think. Ditto for Daredevil and Black Widow, etc. Plus that rule would eliminate the Justice League and the Avengers. And I like the way Alan Moore handled the Batman/Swamp Thing crossover.
Plus, remember Marvel vs. DC? Amalgam? Those sucked.
Yes, but my whole point is they sucked because they were one-time crossover deals with the usual rules that each side has to get equal time and come across equally well and every character has to have a counterpart, etc. As opposed to the much better crossovers that happen within companies where those rules don’t apply.
The merger of “two massive stocks of incredibly lucrative IP monopoly” has its own upside: all those brand icons will make a much larger target for cultural monkey-wrenching, a la Naomi Klein.
Phuck Phascist Superheroes and their corporate masters. Read independent comics!
Interesting that you should broach that suggestion ….