Modern Marvel (New York Times)

Similarly Marvel, which has produced comics in various forms since 1939, is a company that teems with talent while it is confined by its traditions and is enjoying a hard-fought moment in the spotlight while it grapples with larger difficulties afflicting the publishing world. ...

While its movie business thrives, its print business is contracting, and those responsible for creating its comics — a seemingly seat-of-the-pants enterprise — are more cognizant than ever of their place within a larger corporate structure. ...

Changes in the publishing industry continue to affect every part of the film industry - even the tentpoles. While I'm the first to say Hollywood needs to stop relying on comics for ideas, I definitely don't want them to go away. That said, I also don't want to see "Marvel on Ice" - an idea that was floated in this article as a companion to "Disney on Ice." There are limits, people.

Read the full article here.

Stan Lee Talks the Future of Comics, Comic Book Movies and Superheroes (Moviefone Inside Movies)

Q: But there seems to be so many superhero movies these days; do you think audiences will ever reach a breaking point?

A: Only when the writers run out of ideas. I'll give you an example: Ever since I can remember, and I can remember a long way back, there have been gangster movies. There have been movies about, you might say, cops and robbers -- movies involving detectives, police and criminals. Now, they still have movies like that. You would say, "Well, isn't the public sick of seeing cops chasing the bad guys on the screen?" Not if it's done well and not if each story contains some surprises.

A nice little interview with Stan Lee, who sounds as if he's going as strong as ever. And he's still enjoying himself, loving the creative process, and has remained unjaded.
Read the full article here.

Image Comics Has New Kirkman Imprint, and Two Others (Publishers Weekly)

Reinforcing once more the increasingly interconnected worlds of Hollywood and comics publishing, Image Comics has announced several new imprints with varying degrees of Hollywood connections. Making the biggest splash is Skybound, a new division by Image partner Robert Kirkman, who's funding the line with some of the profits from the upcoming AMC Walking Dead TV show based on his zombie apocalypse comic. ...

Marc Guggenheim — a producer and screenwriter on television (Flash Forward) and film (he's credited as a writer on the upcoming Green Lantern movie) and a well received comics writer on such titles as Spider-Man—has launched his own mini-imprint, Collider, which is looking to develop transmedia properties with comics as the launching pad. Producer Alisa Tager (Serenity) is a partner in the venture. ...

A third new line of comics at Image is being spearheaded by producer Michael Benaroya (New York, I Love You), which will eventually release six titles...

I have nothing against these type of deals, but wonder if they don't still impact Hollywood's dependence on existing material rather than creating original fare. Is it becoming a moot point altogether?
Read the full article here.

Is Marvel Losing Fan Goodwill? (Cinematical)

Marvel's strange and suicidal desire to mix and match their cast -- especially if they continue to be drawn to such difficult actors -- may prove their undoing with fans, box office, and industry pros alike. In 2012, we may point to this very public "There's the door, Norton, show yourself out!" spat as the moment when that seemingly well-knitted universe came apart ... or we'll laugh that we could ever be so easily lost to a game of public statements.

I didn't see either version of The Hulk films and don't follow comics enough to know what the deal is with The Avengers. So really, the only thing I can say is that perhaps part of the fanboy outcry is about exactly what's mentioned above - this rotating door attitude when it comes to casting these types of films. I'll take it one step further and say that it's also indicative of how tired we all are with Hollywood's continued lack of originality. And why should any fan bother to get invested when a "re-boot" is just around the corner? That's my two cents. What do you think?
Read the full article here.

Off the Streets of Cleveland: 'American Splendor's' Harvey Pekar, Dead at 70 (Publishers Weekly)

But no matter if he was chronicling his co-workers at the hospital or his frustrations with standing behind old Jewish ladies in a supermarket, Pekar was direct, funny and—despite his withering honesty and intellectual chops—compassionate; he brought understanding and social context to his subjects, not malice, dismissal or condecension. He made everyday life a heroic scenario that worked out one way or another, and turned the city of Cleveland into a kind of real-world Metropolis or Gotham City without the spandex.

I'm not personally familiar with Pekar's work, but I thought this was a lovely overview of the man and what he meant to the world of comics.
Read the full article here.

Begun, The Digital Age of Comics Has (NPR)

Marvel has gone out of its way to assure parsimonious fans (and nervous retailers) that today's experiment is just that, and that they're still figuring things out, particularly when it comes to pricing. DC, on the other hand, has signaled that they're prepared to barrel ahead, even hinting that several series will be going the same-day-download route soon.

I guess my only surprised is that anyone is still surprised by this. This is no different than the e-book/Kindle revolution - it's just happening later since comics fans had to wait until a device could show graphics in color. I'm not a huge comics reader but would definitely be interested in checking out some of the classic books I've missed, and am certainly more likely to do so on an iPad than head down to my local comics shop. You?
Begun, The Digital Age of Comics Has : NPR

Marvel Developing Short Films? (/Film)

[He] pitched the concept of a live-action television series called Marvel Heroes where the comic turned movie studio could introduce third tier comic book superheros to mainstream audiences. The idea being that the characters that connected with audiences could be developed for the big screen. That idea might never happen, but it looks like Marvel/Disney could be planning something similar.

Just a rumor for now, but still worth taking note. Could be a game changer, creating a system for features that is a lot like the current television pilot season.
Read the full post here.