Publishers

Marvel's solicitations came out today* and indsuytry watcher were standing by with microscopes to scrutinize a proposed 1) drop in the number of $2.99 books and 2) decrease in the number of books altogether. On #2, there seems to be some corroboration with what was said at the NYCC retail breakfast, according to Bleeding Cool, which does a big count of all titles in all families. Compared to December there is a 17 percent drop in the number of titles, and a 20 percent decrease in total cover price.

Although Disney's acquisition of Marvel's character library was seen as a genius move to shore up their boy-skewing movie franchises, there was one wistful little fly in the ointment: Marvel had already assigned rights to most of their iconic super hero franchises to other studios. Undeterred, Disney has just regained a few of the crown jewels: Disney has just acquired marketing and distribution rights to THE AVENGERS and and IRON MAN 3, which will be released May 13, 2013. Disney paid Paramount $115 million for the distribution rights and this will serve as a minimum guarantee against distribution fees.

Via Comics Alliance and G4, a video of those eye-popping young X-Men cosplayers. Iceman, call me.

A spooky image from GHOST PROJEKT, the Oni Press book by Joe Harris and Steve Rolston. Colors by Dean Trippe.

No, that’s not a reference to what I felt like the Sunday after fighting my way across last weekend's uber-crowded, nerd sweat fueled NYCC convention floor.  Of...

There is a small, snivelling and flinching part of me that would rather not have his name inextricably linked with The Last Comic Book Movie Flop Of 2010. But, you know, I am today pretty much at peace with the whole thing. I’ve met fine people and I’ve learned many useful things, and that is the most you can ask of any walk.

In an excited post from the just-concluded Frankfurt Book Fair, NBM publisher Terry Nantier runs down a lot of news:

Kind of lost in the scrum at New York Comic Con, even Disney was getting in on the digital comics bandwagon. At the ICv2 Comics and Digital conference, Dario Di Zanni had some pretty confidant things to say about the future of ebooks. Disney has been doing Digital Books for a while -- a subscription service for kids to read kids books on the web. With their growing comics publishing ventures -- not to mention the team-up with Marvel -- a close eye should be paid on what Disney is planning, and it sounds pretty ambitious:

Via Twitter, Marvel Associate Editor Nathan Cosby, who works out of the Mark Paniccia office on such books as the Shanower/Young Oz adaptations, Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers and Marvel Adventures Spider-Man is leaving to do other stuff. He tweeted:

How they developed the Epic Mickey game and why Oswald the Rabbit is so important.

§ Hank Kanalz has been promoted to Senior VP-Digital of DC Comics, it was announced at this morning's DC Nation panel. He was formerly...

Announcements from today's Vertigo panel -- more at at Graphic Content.