Marvel launches small screen division

Marvel Television will develop programmes and short films based on lesser known characters.

LOS ANGELES, June 30 � Marvel Entertainment has created a small-screen division, Marvel Television. The company named award-winning comic book and TV writer Jeph Loeb at the head.

He will oversee turning Marvel�s comic book characters into television shows for both live-action and animation formats.

Loeb has written comics for both DC and Marvel. He won awards for �Batman: The Long Halloween,� �Batman/The Spirit� and �Superman for All Seasons.�



With television, he has worked as a producer and writer on Lost, executive producer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series, and most recently as an executive producer for series Heroes.

Also, Marvel Studios plans to release film shorts featuring lesser known comic book characters such as Doctor Strange, Dazzler, Black Panther, and Power Pack, according to the websites Latino Review and Cinematical.

These short 10-minute films could be run before Marvel�s major movies, such as Iron Man 3 and The Avengers. It is considered less risky than producing a full-length film and an inexpensive way to introduce newer characters.

These shorts will be both live-action and animated films and could also be released online.

Based on the success of Pixar�s �Night and Day� film short that is running with the theatrical release of Toy Story 3, other studios may follow. Recently, Warner Brothers announced it will produce a series of new Looney Tunes shorts in 3D to be attached to upcoming feature films. Bugs Bunny is one of its best-known animated characters

Marvel Introduces Motion Comics

What's a motion comic? Some of you may already know without realizing it. Anyone that has DC's Watchman DVD comic owns a motion comic; and you know that the future of comics is 'motion comics'. For anyone that has not seen a motion comic. Imagine the vivid illustrations that are generally static and motionless panning or zooming for emphasis along with minor moving elements in the background or foreground from time-to-time.

Marvel has taken the initiative to offer a free episode of their motion comics in an effort to draw in subscribers.

Check out Spider Woman episode 1 complete with cameo from Spider-Man.

Ripped from the pages of "Secret Invasion" and "New Avengers," this explosive first episode follows the new adventures of Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman as she rediscovers her life in a world she did not make. The Secret Invasion is over. Now comes the reckoning.




If that's not enough. Joss Whedon (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) has penned an episode which you can get a glimpse of in this trailer. And unlike some of the poor dialogue in the Spider Woman episode above, it has all the trappings of great Joss Whedon writing. It will be available October 28th.






If you are ready to subscribe to Marvel's motion comics check more out at: http://marvel.com/motioncomics/

Mickey Mouse is now Hulk's Father

In what should be bigger news, Disney is making a 4 BILLION dollar offer to buy Marvel. Disney calls it "quality branded content". Can we be so sure?

Will Marvel just be a cash cow subsidiary of Disney or will Disney, Disneyfy Marvel with less character in their characters shunning violent content and dictating story lines.

Disney is well known for creative freedom but within their guidelines which in reality is not true creative freedom, it's just a cordoned off play-ground in which to operate. If that theology is forced on Marvel characters and stories, then the characters we see now will become bland and dull by comparison to the stories in the past.

Disney's representative on the deal Robert Iger was happy to announce, "We believe that adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation," conspicuously absent was the reassurance that the Marvel property would retain it's integrity.

Disney stands to gain over 5000 Marvel characters and the intellectual Marvel universe in which they live.