Captain America Dead at 66

(AP) - The Walt Disney Co. says it is acquiring Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing characters like Iron Man and Spider-Man into the Disney family. Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters. Marvel shareholders will receive $30 per share in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share they own, Disney reports. More»

Character will debut in a 1-hour Showtime special

(NEWSER) - Is the world ready for the first homosexual superhero? Comic legend Stan Lee has created the character Thom Creed, a high-school basketball player who must deal with his sexual orientation as well as untrained superpowers, the Telegraph reports. The character, adapted by Lee from the novel Hero by Perry Moore, will make his first appearance in an hour-long special on Showtime. More»

Hit hard by Internet, comic business hopes fans pay to subscribe

(NEWSER) - Comic giant Marvel will soon launch a website where fans can access thousands of new and vintage titles featuring Spider Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and other iconic superheroes. The Internet has dealt a heavy blow to newsstand comic sales, and Marvel hopes to recoup some of the loss with $4.99-$9.99 monthly online subscriptions, Reuters reports. More»

Family-oriented strip was 'last frontier of wholesome family humor'

(NEWSER) - Family Circle creator Bil Keane, whose single-panel cartoons have appeared in newspapers across the country for some 50 years, died yesterday. He was 89. The AP recounts a 1995 conversation with Keane, in which he attributed his comic's staying power to its simplicity and consistency. "It's reassuring, I think, to the American public to see the same family"—in his case, Billy, Jeffy, Dolly, PJ, and their parents (wife Thelma was the inspiration for "Mommy," and her spitting image, notes the AP). More»

Chris Evans stars in Joe Johnston's film

(NEWSER) - Captain America: The First Avenger, starring Chris Evans, isn't exactly deserving of 50 stars, but as far as superhero flicks go, it's an enjoyable, if somewhat enhanced, period piece. Just don’t expect Dark Knight-quality stuff.

• "Captain America, like its unapologetically corny hero, is propelled by unpretentious and plucky ingenuity,” not to mention a “winningly pulpy, jaunty, earnest spirit,” writes AO Scott in the New York Times . “Enjoyably preposterous” and “occasionally touching,” “its goal seems to be refreshment rather than reinvention.”