Marvel

At the Saturday Cup o’ Joe panel, Marvel teased fans with the hint that they would be doing something to do with Crossgen in 2011. After Crossgen entered bankruptcy, Disney bought up its creative properties. Now that Disney owns and operates Marvel Comics, it is seems natural for them to take advantage of the fact. A number of the most respected names in comics worked or created for Crossgen, including Mark Waid, Chuck Dixon, and Greg Land.

Eisner-winning comics writer Brian Michael Bendis has just announced that he will be a writer and producer on the new Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon.

Meanwhile, over at the Disney end of the business, it has been announced that Disney’s new videogame Epic Mickey will have comic and minicomic accompaniments, including a 60 page graphic novelization of the game’s plot, written by Peter David.

DC

DC has announced that they will be debuting a new computer-animated Green Lantern animated series on Cartoon Network next year.

Kate Fitzsimons writes for Publishers Weekly, Publishers Weekly Comics Week, and her personal comics and geek culture blog geekiferous.com.

1 COMMENT

  1. I am excited about the GLC animated series, unless CGI means it looks like the most recent Iron Man animated series, they “style” of which is too “blocky” for my tastes. Here’s hoping it’s not.

  2. I’m looking forward to the Green Lantern cartoon. I don’t mind if it’s like the Iron Man one. That was the best thing to come out of Marvel animation ever imo.

    Not sure about Marvel and Crossgen. I don’t think the Direct Market will support the Crossgen Universe at the moment. Maybe a YA aimed newsstand anthology, or at least distributed beyond comic shops, or maybe this could be Marvel’s manga equivalent. Small format graphic novels aimed at the tweenie or teen market, particularly girls.

    Sadly I expect a mammoth cross over event where the crossgen characters join the Marvel Universe and fade into obscurity again.

  3. I agree with Pete Bangs, Crossgen and Marvel does not seem like a good fit. After a massive cross over it will be over and everyone will forget Crossgen. Marvel should leave this as a standalone universe, kind of like a ‘Vertigo’ Universe. There would be some limited demand, I used to read a couple Crossgen titles, particularly enjoyed Sojour. Would be nice to see it return…..just not along Spider-Man and the countless X-men/Wolverine crossovers.

  4. I could see Crossgen work if it was just launched as a separate imprint, I agree, a crossover wouldn’t work. It’d be nice to use the existing properties and also create new characters and titles, a nice original imprint for Marvel to use. Rather than the creator owned imprint they just reserve for Brubaker and Bendis…

  5. That was the big mistake Marvel and DC made many years ago… they could have acquired CrossGen at bankruptcy and thus gained an imprint which explores genres outside of the “mainstream”.

    Instead, Disney purchased it for $10,000, published two Abazad novelizations, and let the rest hibernate. (It’s possible they made some money from Checker publishing the last few collections.)

    Marvel desperately needs to diversify outside of their superhero niche.