Spider-Man's Mission: Save UN

(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»

Big screen adaptations bring fame to writers

(NEWSER) - Comic books—trendy? All of a sudden they are, the Los Angeles Times reports. “The geeks have won,” says Ed Brubaker, one of the many comic-book creators who now finds himself a celebrity. Brubaker’s Angel of Death premieres online today as a live-action series, but he’s not the only one signing autographs—the popularity of films like The Dark Knight pushed comics into the mainstream. 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»

Rising medium attracts established authors

(NEWSER) - Comic books have officially arrived as a literary medium, NPR reports, and big names are coming out of the woodwork to write them. “In all the years I've been writing, there's only one genre that's really debuted in the New York Times Book Review, and that's the graphic novel,” says novelist Jodi Picoult, who recently tried her hand at Wonder Woman. More»

Split, meant to entice younger readers, riles longtime fans

(NEWSER) - After 20 years of togetherness, Peter Parker and his beloved Mary Jane are kaput, and he's locking lips with a new mystery woman, according to the latest issue of the Amazing Spider-Man series. Longtime fans of the Marvel Comics classic aren't any too happy about the split, Newsweek reports. "This is an admission of a lack of ideas," said one disgruntled fan. More»