Disney to Buy Marvel for $4B

(NEWSER) - Comics fans are just a little miffed by Marvel’s $4 billion acquisition by Disney: “SOOOO NOT HAPPY! Spider-man should not be co-mingling with Goofy,” reads one blog post. The problem, Linda Holmes writes for NPR, is “one of perception: Put simply, Marvel has a cool factor and Disney doesn't.” Marvel devotees don’t “see themselves as close cousins of people who love Donald Duck just because there's drawing involved.” 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»

Film industry loves gritty comics, but what does it mean for the medium?

(NEWSER) - Still tallying the proceeds of the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises, Hollywood is turning to darker, underground graphic novels like Wanted for movie adaptations—and comics auteurs have mixed feelings, Time reports. Some argue the mainstream success of ultraviolent adaptations like 300 and Sin City can only mean good things for the graphic-novel underworld, but others worry the interest will suck the medium dry. More»

Joss Whedon directs Robert Downey Jr. in superhero blowout

(NEWSER) - Sure, it's an effective moneymaking scheme: release movies about individual superheroes, then one about all of them. But with Joss Whedon at the helm, The Avengers really works. What critics are saying:

• "Even if you don't particularly like comic-book adaptations, this film just might make a believer of you," writes Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times . "Whedon is the key reason why this $220 million behemoth of a movie is smartly thought out and executed with verve and precision."

Company leaks details of 'Death of Spider-Man' ending

(NEWSER) - Spider-Man is going to die tomorrow, or at least a Spider-Man will. For those who haven’t been following comics lately, here’s the skinny: The Spider-Man that’s been around since 1962 is fine. The Peter Parker who’s biting the dust is “Ultimate Spider-Man,” an alternate version of the character introduced 11 years ago in the hopes of appealing to new fans. More»