Archive Page 2058

Disney (and Marvel's) financial future

More on the pro and con of the Disney/Marvel future here

Snyder Cut Justice League could get R-rated theatrical release

So says IGN

More about Snyder Cut Justice League

There's an IMAX remaster of Batman V Superman coming

Story at Movieweb

Zack Snyder cut of Justice League is nearing completion - Comic Book

Is Kevin Feige making Starlord Bi to attack Chris Pratt?

Story at rt.com

Rob Liefeld doing a four-issue miniseries reboot of The Mighty Crusaders in 2021

Story at CBR

More Archie

WW84 reviews starting to appear

'Wonder Woman 1984' is a rousing, retro throwback to Christopher Reeve's 'Superman' - Detroit Free Press/USA Today

Wonder Woman 84 cut scenes

Story about Patty Jenkins cutting scenes (which seems to have been done under protest) at Digital Spy

Wired Magazine thinks pirating is a good thing

It argues the benefits coming in 2021 (they predict it will be the "platinum age" of piracy) when the massive slate of Warners and Disney films going straight into streaming platforms where it will be far easier and faster to rip off the content for distribution through peer-to-peer systems:

...This piracy boon will be good for media companies and content creators as well, even if they lose out on some ticket revenue and subscription dollars. In 2021, more people will watch films on their release date than ever before, because the Warner films will travel into homes through HBO Max and through the pirate network. Many pirates are also good fans, and they will heavily promote the Warner films they like on social media, which will drive up HBO Max subscriptions and increase the cultural value of whichever of the offerings they like best.

Pretty incredulous argument about losing "some ticket revenue and subscription dollars" when their article states tens of millions of pirated copies of a single title will circulate around the networks, and that is not the equivalent of "some."

The other argument they offer is less fantastic, which is that pirating acts as a free, back-channel hype-system of promotion for their streaming properties and this will gain subscriptions for them in the long run. Another aspect of their plan to tacitly allow piracy, supposed by the Wired article, is that it boosts the "experience market" for in person contact:

A wide range of media-themed experiences are similarly likely to gain traction, including meet-and-greets, live performances, panel discussions (such as PaleyFest’s), and conventions (like Comic-Cons), where fans can pay for the privilege of seeing and even meeting creatives and cast members...

In this argument lies something unmentioned, the basis for something bigger than just brand and property awareness, but further transformation of fan groups into something like the framework of a cult group, with devotees making pilgrimages. In this way piracy plays a part as an agent of evangelism for the corporate product.

Batman anthology comic series for 2021

64-page monthly Batman: Urban Legends to feature multiple continuing stories.

Arrticle at Hollywood Reporter

And more about this at CBR

Batman: Urban Legends' first six issues will focus on Jason Todd/Red Hood, created by Chip Zdarsky (Daredevil, Sex Criminals) and artist Eddy Barrows (Detective Comics, Future State: Robin Eternal)...

Richard Corben has died

Born October 1, 1940 - Died December 2, 2020 - More on Richard Corben

Printer errors mar Lois Lane collection

Variety of goofs examined at Bleeding Cool

The Disney and Sony war over Jon Watts

Story about who would get to lay claim to the Spider-Man director's time at Comicbook

How the gaming and comic book industry responded to the pandemic

"‘When there was nothing to watch, comics kept rolling’: Comic book and gaming industry thrive amidst pandemic"

The article doesn't deal with sales numbers on pamphlet comics (down) or graphic novels (up), but one of the interviews with comic retailers does mention diversifying into vinyl records and skateboards, and mentions employment number reductions, which is clues to the downside of the economic impact, to say the least.

Story at wric.com

Marvel's plans mean expansion

Moving faster and getting bigger, or at the least, maintaining - more here

Marvel summary of productions, November 2020

Sicker than the Joker

"Why the Riddler Is More SADISTIC Than the Joker"

Is this about the puns?

Story at CBR

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man 3 linkage news from Disney

"WandaVision"

Story at Movieweb

Fantastic Four, new remake

...ever since the Fox-Disney merger finally went through last year, two questions have dominated the minds of die-hard MCU fans: When are the X-Men going to make their way over to the mainstream Marvel universe? And when are we finally going to see this world’s version of the Fantastic Four? Disney has finally answered that second question, announcing that Jon Watts—the helmer of two well-received Spider-Man films, Homecoming and Far From Home—has accepted the challenge of potentially making a good movie out of Marvel’s so-called First Family at last.

Story about the "potentiality" at MSN

Original page November 27, 2020