Disney and Marvel

For being someone who writes on the Internet, I only read so much of the Internet reaction to things in general. I've found that reading a lot of Internet reaction will make your head hurt. What I've seen of the reaction to Disney buying Marvel has largely been hysterical, not the funny type, the over the top type. As I noted yesterday, up until a few years ago, I would likely have had a similar reaction. While I understand the concern of 'what will happen?!?' I do think the panic is overstated.

The press conference (link at bottom of entry) that was held to announce the purchase made a few things clear. In the short-term, things are to remain as they are currently. Licensing agreements will remain until the contracts expire and be reviewed at that time. Disney's prime motivation in purchasing Marvel is to take advantage of Marvel's connection with the young male market in the cartoon, TV show, and movie markets. Disney executives pointed to their relationship with Pixar as an example of how they expect this new relationship to flow. Eventually, Disney wants to be the sole distributor of Marvel based movies.

Based on this and some of the reaction from within the comics industry, what do I think is likely?

We are going to see a lot more Marvel characters on TV. The cartoons that Nick is currently running will eventually move to Disney related channels. Disney will probably generate a live-action show or two featuring some mid-level characters and starring whichever youths that Disney is pushing at the time. Geeks will complain about how formulaic the shows are but, in general, will watch them anyway because of the comic book related content. Kids will eat them up. There will be more Marvel cartoons. Slowly, the Marvel movie rights will start returning to Marvel, with Disney's money helping bring a few back early. Marvel will have more control of the movie content, like 'Iron Man' and 'The Incredible Hulk'.

Since the movies and TV shows are the primary goal of Disney's purchase, the comics themselves will largely left alone to be a testing ground. Short term, nothing will change. Long term, Marvel will change distribution methods for the comics, abandoning Diamond and breaking up their virtual monopoly. Whatever change is brewing for the overall style of comics will likely be speeded up by Disney's purchase. Will we see fewer mini series and more original graphic novels? Fewer monthly books and more manga-like magazines with multiple stories?

Will there be editorial mandates from Disney? No doubt on occasion. DC gets them from Time/Warner and there's no reason to believe this won't be the same. I don't believe it'll be frequent, in the style of Disney's relationship with Pixar. If that changes in a week/month/year and Disney starts engaging in the direction of the books, I wouldn't be shocked.

The situation with the theme parks is interesting. Marvel currently has their characters at Universal Studios Florida, a direct competitor to Walt Disney World. Within the last year or so, this contract was renewed. From what I understand, it doesn't allow Universal to make any changes to the area (so no new rides). It amuses me that Universal will be giving Disney money. In the short-term, I don't expect anything to change. Even if Disney wants to bring the characters into their parks at some level, it's unlikely they have a plan and the money ready to do so with haste. In five years or so, I could see that changing and Disney being keen to build an 'Iron Man' movie related ride or 'Spider-Man' something. The only way I could see something changing in the short-term is if Universal decides they don't want to advertise their competitor's product and shuts down the area. I doubt this will happen as it would probably let the rights revert to Marvel. If the area remains open, they'd probably get paid when Disney wants those rights.

Are there reasons to be concerned about the content of the books? Yes, certainly. Is it likely that the content will become 'Disney-fied'? I don't think so. Despite what you may feel about Disney, they are a premium brand and Marvel being bought by them elevates Marvel up to that level. I can see the good possibilities that can come from this. I believe there is reason for hope. I think, overall, this will be a good thing.

More Info found at: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22765

and: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22747

A Little Personal History with Uncle Walt

After thinking about it, I suppose some explanations are in order, some details, some background need explaining. With that in place, my reactions should make more sense.

I've been reading comics since I was twelve. When I say 'reading comics' I mean that I started deliberately buying and reading comics because they were comics. I started by buying Marvel Comics and the bulk of the comics I've purchased over the years have been Marvels. I've never really had a major issue with the company in general. I've bemoaned the loss of certain books, or certain creative teams, or decisions. I've been concerned for the health of the company or the industry. Over the years, I don't believe I've ever really had a big problem with Marvel.

Now Disney? That's another story.

As a kid growing up in the late 70s/early 80s, Disney was just always there. Puzzles, Big Little Books, children's books, comic books (three packs of Whitman/Gold Key comics, the highlight of any trip to Ben Franklin), and, of course, television. Sunday nights still featured 'The Wonderful World of Disney' (in color of course) with Uncle Walt hosting. Watching it was just what you did. I don't remember questioning it. Heck, at that age, I don't know that I was aware Walt died a decade before I was born. How could he be dead? He was on television every week.

I know I didn't like all of it. I can't recall the name of the film but there was a live-action Disney film they had us watch twice in middle school as a 'treat'. I recall groaning as it started the second time and realizing it was the picture I'd not enjoyed the year before. As far as the product went, well, I was more of a Muppets guy anyway. I had no problems with Disney, I just liked other things more.

Then there was that weird period when Disney wasn't really doing movies anymore, from 1986 to 1992 or so. They moved to original cartoons for television. DuckTales! Man, I'd get home from school, make some microwave popcorn and watch a couple hours worth of cartoons. After the success of DuckTales, there were other cartoons that were good, but not as good to me. Even the DuckTales cartoons weren't as good as they could be as I'd recognized a few stories as coming from the comics where they had no silly little girl character and did have Donald.

Once those shows faded out and the new wave of movies began, I began to fall away from Disney. I had no interest in the films they were putting out and saw none of them. The controversies surrounding 'The Little Mermaid' and 'The Lion King' helped push me away. I was an adult and Disney was increasingly feeling childish to me. Without seeing much of anything from them, I felt able to criticize their product as formulaic and trite. Hey, it was the early days of the Internet. Isn't that what they Internet is for; criticizing things we haven't seen?

As time went on, it became 'clear' to me that the problem I was having wasn't with Disney in general. It couldn't be as I was still regularly getting Disney related comic books. I have a lot of Uncle Scrooge books as those adventures are my favorites. It wasn't the characters, not the old-school ones anyway. It wasn't Walt, who wasn't around to see anymore. Walt made you feel comfortable. If it wasn't that then it must be the new guy, the new guy in charge that was trying to act like Walt.

Michael Eisner.

Him I didn't like. Him I don't like. He became the focus for everything that was wrong with the company at the time, not unlike blaming Vince McMahon and Vince Russo for everything that's wrong with wrestling. It was all his fault!

Despite never having been to a Disney theme park and never expecting to go to one because of my hate for the company at that time (yes, I said it, hate), I started reading about the parks online. Why? The Muppets. MuppetVision 3D was still at Walt Disney World in Florida and I caught an article about that. It lead to me reading other articles about the parks in general and complaints some people had, mostly that they weren't being taken care of properly. Another thing to blame on Eisner. I would crank up Mojo Nixon's song 'Disney is the Enemy' and agree.

Walt's nephew, Roy Disney, started a campaign to 'Save Disney'. I joined up, receiving regular newsletters that may or may not have been authored by Roy. They were against Eisner as well! Get him!

In the midst of all this came a new player to the field: Pixar. I believe 'A Bug's Life' was my first full introduction to them as Dave Foley ('Kids in the Hall', 'Newsradio') was a voice in the film and I'm a fan on his. I loved the film. It was every thing Disney used to be to me but that they no longer were to me. 'Monsters Inc.' was even better. Pixar was knocking Disney for six with every successive movie. It irked me that Disney was getting to distribute Pixar films, that they were able to make money off their success.

It all came to a head when Pixar decided to leave. The Disney freakout, the attempt to buy, the failing, and suddenly, the ultimatum: Kick out Eisner and it would happen. He got the boot and the universe felt brighter again. The hate faded away slowly.

Earlier this year I got to go to Walt Disney World, one of those places I thought I'd never get to visit. I got to see MuppetVision 3D! Yes! Everything else was a bonus. As we walked around, I got comfortable again. There was Uncle Walt, in front of the castle, welcoming me back. As I am with things, I get a little obsessed. I enjoy movie history and Disney does take very good care of its history. I've not been accumulating a massive library but there's been park audio and video, pins, you know, stuff.

To wrap-up, I've been politely positive to Disney for the past five years or so and back on board for the past few months. Hearing the news that Disney bought Marvel was a surprise but was there panic? Not so much. There's a lot of dust to yet settle. There's a lot of 'we shall see' to follow.

Do I have some thoughts? Yes I believe I do.

Disney buys Marvel? Wha?

I do want to talk about today's news of Marvel being purchased by Disney but the impact is still a bit fresh. I'm hoping it'll settle in my head a bit in the next couple days and I can start rolling through it.

In general, I'm not against it at this point. Short-term it doesn't look like there'll be changes so I will still be getting comics. Long-term, well, who knows?

The way I figure it, at worse, the comics will get horrible and I'll have more money cause I'll be buying less comics.

If this had happened about five years ago, I would probably have thrown-up from the news in a panic. Now, not so much. One of the best things Pixar ever did was get Michael Eisner ousted from the Mouse.

Hell's Kitchen Episode 7

Hell's Kitchen Episode 7 - 10 Chefs remaining.

Seems like forever since I watched the episode before this one.

Recap: We review the challenge with the men's effort referred to as a 'joke', Robert became ill again, Tennille snaps back at Chef Ramsey, Sabrina fails on the meat station, Andy fails on meat, Jim is accused of 'sleeping' on the job, Jim gets eliminated despite not being a nominee.

The Teams return to the dorm. Sabrina apologizes to the Team for her poor performance. Andy continues his campaign against Robert, saying that he would lose to anyone but him. By morning, Robert has not returned.

Challenge: Chef Ramsey has a craps table with two 12 sided dice, each side with a different letter on. The chefs will roll one die, one is red and the other blue, and will select an ingredient starting with the letter they rolled. The Teams must then assemble a dish using the selected ingredients. Wow. This one is different.

It's not like they get all five rolls and then figure something out. They roll the letter and call it out immediately afterwards. Red Team goes first. In Interview, Dave notes that the Red Team put together a 'classic dish'. The Blue Team does not answer so snappily. They hesitate, their minds go blank, it gets awkward. Dave rolls a 'F' and calls out 'figs' to the dismay of his team. The guys are not thrilled with themselves in general. They have 30 minutes to create their dishes.

The Red Team has an easier job from the selections they made and get right down to it. Suzanne quickly gets on everyone's nerves by micro-managing the process but she doesn't care what they think. Tennille thinks their garlic puree is too strong and suggests softening it with sugar but her suggestion is rebuffed. The Blue Team struggles to generate a solid dish. Dave feels bad about his selection and desperately tries every way he can think of to include figs. Kevin adds some to his sauce on a whim and it works! The guys are fascinated. They come up with this late in the process and struggle to be done in time. Commercial.

The Red Team's dish looks perfect. Chef Ramsey compliments it but does note that the garlic puree is a bit strong. The Blue Team's dish isn't as grand looking but Chef Ramsey compliments it, seeming impressed by their use of the figs to cut the acidity of the tomatoes in their sauce. The Blue Team wins. Chef Ramsey points to the strength of the garlic as the key to his decision.

Reward: trip to Las Vegas and a luxury suite. Punishment: bringing in the day's delivery, unboxing it, putting it away, and cleaning and prepping both kitchens for the next service.

The Blue Team parties in Vegas. They have a basketball half court in their suite! The Red Team gets beat up by the toting and lifting. A delivery arrives at 1 AM when they are all asleep. By the time the gentlemen return the next day, the ladies are sore, cranky and tired. Robert is still not back. The Blue Team has bonded while in Vegas. They feel confident and don't miss Robert. Of course, this is when he walks back in to Hell's Kitchen, an hour before service starts. Commercial.

Robert explains his medical condition as having 'a small heart for his body'. Ha! Robert is a BIG fella so any normal sized heart would be undersized for him. The Team gives him the cold shoulder. In Interview, Robert notes that he doesn't care, it acts as incentive.

At the pre-service meeting, Chef Ramsey informs the Teams that, for the first time, there will be chef's tables in the kitchens. Executive Chefs from some of Chef Ramsey's restaurants will be dining at them tonight. Interesting wrinkle as not only will it put pressure on the chefs but allow the Executive Chefs a chance to observe the contestant chefs and report in.

The Chefs arrive quickly for both tables. Dave is the apps man for the Blue Team and goes to say hi. He makes them risotto without asking what they'd like to eat. Once they receive it, they do compliment it as does Chef Ramsey. Ariel is running apps on the Red Team and has to be prompted to visit them. She does, at least, take their order. The scallops are a bit overdone, not bad, and need more salt.

Apps fly out today. 25 minutes in and the Blue Team is ready to start on their entrees. Van messes up his first order of fish by forgetting to remove the wax paper wrapping that appears to be holding in some spices before sending it out. Unfortunately, this happens a second time and Chef Ramsey explodes, calling Van out in front of everyone and telling him to [flip] off. Commercial.

Back from break and focus is demanded from Van. He starts over. The Blue Team gets so focused that they forget about their chef's table. Chef Ramsey has to yell at the Team to get things moving. Van doesn't do a very good job explaining the available dishes to them. Robert has issues with cutting the lamb and gets yelled at for it. He's struggling as he still doesn't feel well but considers his '75%' to be better than most of the other chefs.

Sabrina has issues with a dirty pan while working on garnish. The Red Team does remember about their chef's table and get complimented on the fish and meat orders. Amanda and Tennille are doing well with the entrees. Suzanne continues to 'manage' everyone. In Interview, Sabrina refers to this as looking busy. Chef Ramsey comments that the Red Team's speed seems to drag if they are not being watched.

With the Red Team almost done, Chef Ramsey visits the Blue Team. After the problem lamb, Robert brings a raw order of rabbit to the pass. Chef yells again and orders them to switch it off as we go to commercial.

The men are kicked out. The ladies are allowed to finish. The chefs eating in the Red Kitchen compliment the Red Team. The Blue Team get no such compliment. Red Team wins. Van and Robert are pointed out and Dave is announced as Best of the Worst.

Robert admits that he and Van had a bad night. Based on this night's performance, they deserve to be nominated. Overall, he points to Andy. Andy's not there when he first says it. Andy didn't get picked on tonight, but was also on the dessert station and didn't get a chance to work. In Interview, Dave agrees with this assessment, on both points, but seems less impressed with the little verbal argument that Robert starts with Andy. Dave is not sure what to do next for the betterment of the Team as well as his own betterment.

First nominee: Robert, for tonight's weak performance as well as his health issues. Second nominee: Van, based on tonight's performance. Chef Ramsey has them step forward and then calls out Andy's name. Commercial.

Andy is also called forward. Robert, while there in line, expresses his pleasure with this situation. Van offers no excuses for his failure with the wrapping tonight and declares Chef Ramsey to have an eye for talent. Van is sent back to the team. Robert's defense is his overall performance. This is his first time on the block and he's 'disgusted' to share it with Andy, whom he then criticizes. Andy addresses this and their argument from upstairs restarts. Chef Ramsey looks bemused by the whole thing. He rubs his head until they finally settle down.

Robert is eliminated. He's had more services in Hell's Kitchen than anyone and brought something raw to the pass. Robert gets a longer 'look back as he leaves' moment than most, much like the ones they do late in the season. It was the right thing to do but I'm still sad to see him go. I like Robert. He comments on how the experience has been good for him in general, how he was honored to be able to return, and how he'll bounce back from this. Despite the argument, he does leave like a gentleman, apart from one last jab at Andy.

Trailer: Blue Team hates Andy. Red Team hates Suzanne. Both Teams plot to eliminate those members but the plans backfire. It looks like both services go poorly. There's footage of Sabrina walking through the dining room towards the door with the implication she's been kicked out mid-service.

Looked good: Dave, Ariel.
Looked bad: no one looked horrible this week, just not as good as they should have done.

Busy, tired, this.

From this week's release Tales of the TMNT #61.

Until I have the energy for reviews, this sums up (1) what I think about Michael Bay and (2) why Turtles still equal a good time for me.