Marvel Fans on Disney Deal: 'SOOOO NOT HAPPY!'

(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»

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."

Latest 'Twilight' entry enjoys 3rd-biggest weekend ever

(NEWSER) - In the third-largest weekend debut ever, The Twilight Saga: New Moon rang up $140.7 million, riding records for a midnight opening and a single day to totals trailing only The Dark Knight and Spider-Man. Audiences were four-fifths female, with the remaining 20% mostly teen boys, USA Today reports. The Blind Side outperformed expectations, doing $34.5 million. Precious fell out of the top five but remained in the top 10, taking in $11 million. The top five: 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»

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»