Today it was announced that Disney has purchased Marvel Comics for the tidy sum of 4 billion dollars. The internet exploded with speculation and jokes, and of course fanboy bitching. Since I'm a fanboy who loves to bitch I thought I'd weigh in as well.
First off, I'm nowhere close to being a market analyst but this seems like a solid decision for both companies. Marvel, while currently doing well is only a few years out of their bankruptcy woes, and Disney has just purchased an amazing asset that has a very loyal and diverse fanbase. DC has been owned by Warner Brothers for as long as I can remember, and in my opinion the content of their books hasn't suffered under the weight of a corporate overlord. The deal also has the potential to reach a great majority of children who don't normally read comics. In the 80's Marvel used to publish a line of comics under the Star imprint. They were mostly adaptations of popular tv shows such as Alf and Masters of the Universe, but they exposed an entire generation of kids to the medium, many of whom continue to read comics to this day. Imagine what Marvel could do with a line of books featuring Disney's nearly endless list of characters. Say what you will about catering to the mainstream, but anything that gets kids reading is a win in my book.
Now having said that, my inner fanboy is clawing at my ribcage trying to get out. Disney just bought goddamn Marvel! They're gonna turn Wolverine into a lovable grouch! They're going to fire Quesada and replace him with Micheal Eisner! Warren Ellis will be chased from the building with pitchforks while villagers sing "It's a Small World After All! I kid, but there is a part of me that is fearful Disney will impose stricter guidelines for content. For years Marvel has been able to set their own standards, but with Disney and their famous team of lawyers we could be looking at a neutered company. The last thing any of us want to see is the disneyfication of our favorite characters. Of course, those bastards murdered Bambi's mother before my impressionable young eyes, so maybe I'm just worrying over nothing.
Photo blatantly stolen from IGN Comics
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