Tag Archive: Marvel


stoppayingfortv

These are tough times for television networks, particularly the “broadcast” ones.

For example, check out this Reuters article about the fact that the main four channels had to accept the lowest average rate hikes in three years:

>>U.S. broadcast networks head into their biggest ad-selling season this week, competing with streaming services like Netflix, battling online players for ad dollars, and fending off hits starring zombies and duck hunters on cable.

The increased competition will force ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC to settle for their lowest average rate hikes in three years during the “upfront” selling season, Wall Street analysts say.

During the upfronts, networks preview shows for their fall schedules, trying to persuade advertisers to buy billions of dollars worth of commercial time in advance. View full article »

Did you like this? Share it:

Now that the San Diego Comic-Con is history for 2010, it is time to look forward. Where will comics be in five or ten years?

Every once in a while, someone comes along and announces they are going to “save the comics industry.”  They usually start up a company that does well for a while.  But comics are an expensive proposition, and eventually even the wealthiest of investors cuts his or her losses, then disappears.

Also, occasionally the word is that comics are all going digital.  One comic I can think of in particular is only available online.  And some of the older comics have been available on PDF for a while now.  Will we make our weekly trek to the local comics shop to pick up a disc of the comics we want on it?  Or will we download them from an FTP site and save ourselves the trip?

Predicting the future is always a tricky thing.  I’m always amazed at the project that appears “out of the blue,” taking people by surprise, and being a big hit.  I always refer to the Harry Potter books as a good example.  Since most of you know that story, I won’t repeat it again here.  Let’s just say that J.K. Rowling went from abject poverty to being the richest woman in the U.K.  And no one expected it.

View full article »

Did you like this? Share it:

Only bad writers.  Or at least, writers who don’t know what to do with the characters.

How many times have we seen comics characters go down in flames, even die, only to see them rise up again “because you demanded it?”

My favorite examples of this come from the DC Comics universe—Green Lantern, The Flash, and the Justice Society of America. (We’ll ignore Superman and Batman for the moment.)

It was about 20 or so years ago that the good folks at DC decided that nobody could write The Flash.  After all, he’s so incredibly fast that he could solve any problem as soon as it happened.  It was impossible to challenge him.  Or so we were told.

View full article »

Did you like this? Share it:

For fans of comics and genre-related television and films, this weekend is literally Christmas in July. Now, I’ve never been to the San Diego Comic-Con, but I hope to get there next year, if I’m at all lucky. I do understand it takes over a huge portion of the city, and trying to drive is a big mistake … better to use the local cabs and buses.

I do have a friend who has gone to Comic-Con several times, and he enjoys himself. He remembers when Comic-Con only dealt with … comics. Now it is a huge media event, with trailers and promos for upcoming film and television programs turning into big business. A good example of this was the first Iron Man film, which got a huge boost from word-of-mouth publicity, and that’s largely credited for making it a franchise for Marvel. Of course, others took notice of that, so there will be trailers and preview footage for Green Lantern from DC and Tron: Legacy from Disney as well as the upcoming Thor film for Marvel.

View full article »

Did you like this? Share it: