There is a new series on Saturday night sky arts about Marvel Comics Gav. Think it starts around 8. Usual suspects on the trailer although I doubt we will see Steve Ditko sadly.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Disney more or less leave the comics side of the business alone. Marvel as a comics publisher alone isn't a hugely profitable business: it's the film adaptations that have mostly done well at the box office (some of which have even turned out to be decent action films) and the intellectual property rights to a whole bunch of characters yet to appear on the big or small screen that Disney are really buying.

I'd guess that if Marvel's comics line has anything to worry about from the new owners, it'll be pressure to drop some of the titles that don't sell well enough and aren't linked to a big screen property. How much room there'll be in future for goofy, entertaining stuff at the fringes of the Marvel Universe (the likes of NextWave, New Universal, Cable & Deadpool, Dan Slott's run on She-Hulk, Runaways) is the big question IMHO.

It does seem that they are buying the 'cast' of Marvel characters to exploit their likenesses on t shirts, theme park rides, telly shows etc. The position of Marvel Studios (Iron Man, Incredible Hulk) in all of this is interesting. The studio was set up to make Marvel films under Marvel creative control without having to flog off the licence to Fox, Sony and the rest. As a part of Disney, where do they stand in terms of artistic autonomy? High School Musical Thor?

My wish list would involve Disney leaving the comics side of the buisness alone although it's not unfamiliar territory for them, Donald Duck comics are suprisingly good sellers! The fact that Marvel have happily worked hand-in-hand with challenging, adult-minded writers such as Vaughan, Ellis and Millar has shown a commitment to mature audiences and it would be a shame if this disappeared.