Disney is going to buy Marvel..yep its true. $ 4 billion

so....read and think of what that means...the Marvel movie and animation machines got a HUGE boost...imagine the love the properties will get now.

read about it...

Disney to buy Marvel for $4 billion
Walt Disney Co. will purchase the comic book company behind X-Men and Spider-Man.

By David Goldman, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: August 31, 2009: 10:19 AM ET


Disney will buy the comic book company for $4 billion.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that it has agreed to purchase comic book and action hero company Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion.

If Marvel shareholders approve the deal, they would receive $30 per share in cash and 0.745 shares of Disney for each share of Marvel that they hold. The deal is valued at $50 per Marvel share, more than a 29% premium, based on Friday's closing price.

"We believe that adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation," said Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger, in a statement.


Marvel has launched a large number of action-hero movies over the past decade. Last summer's "Iron Man" blockbuster was the first to be fully financed and produced by by the comic book company.

Marvel also holds the rights to 5,000 popular action hero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Thor.

"Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses," said Marvel Chief Executive Ike Perlmutter. "This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney's tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world."

Shares of Marvel (MVL) soared 27% in morning trading. Shares of Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) were flat.

my new Punisher short story....

here is what joe Q is saying...about Punisher 75.

Kiel Phegley: After last week's CUP O’ JOE about Marvel’s pricing sparked discussion of what gets published under the MAX banner, you’re back with some MAX news this week on the Punisher front?

Joe Quesada: Yup. “Punisher: Frank Castle” #75 is a double-sized special with stories by Charlie Huston (“Moon Knight”), Gregg Hurwitz (“Vengeance of Moon Knight”), Peter Milligan, Duane Swierczynski and a great crime novelist, Thomas Piccirilli with art by Ken Lashley (“Black Panther”), Laurence Cambpell (“Punisher”), Das Pastoras (“Wolverine”) and more.


All the stories take a hard look at that fateful day in Central Park when Frank Castle's family was slaughtered in a mob crossfire, and the Punisher was born.

And stay tuned for Punisher MAX news coming out of San Diego Comic-Con.

Kiel Phegley: Is issue #75 the end of the MAX Punisher as we know him?

Joe Quesada: It will be bittersweet, let me just leave it at that.

Kiel Phegley: Now called “Punisher: Frank Castle,” "Punisher MAX" was the first really big book in the MAX line. When Garth Ennis wrapped his run on the title, did you and editor Axel Alonso have a debate on whether or not the book could be kept alive without him?


"Punisher: Frank Castle" #75 will be a double-sized special
Joe Quesada: It was absolutely a concern, but I think what happened was that we started to develop a readership in MAX product because of both Garth and what Axel does. Axel has a great sensibility for that kind of material. So I think when people purchase a MAX title, they really know what to expect. They do get their money's worth, they're very smart, sharp-edged adult comics beautifully drawn and wonderfully written. So I think really the line has established a real feel to it and a sensibility that attracts a certain kind of reader, and those readers are really incredibly faithful to that imprint in comic shops and bookstores.

And that's another reason why we don't expand on the imprint. I often get letters from people saying, "Hey, you should turn MAX into Vertigo and expand the titles." But that's not the way it works for us. We'd rather keep the title count low and the quality high. If we can manage that, in the end it services the imprint a lot better.

Kiel Phegley: One of the more interesting things about the MAX line is Alonso’s building up of a stable of contemporary crime novelists who’ve taken the reins of the imprint. Do you find that having the MAX imrprint draws a certain kind of talent that Marvel didn't have before?

Joe Quesada: Yeah. And that's a real tribute to Axel, who I consider to be the best story editor in comics. Probably the best since Archie Goodwin. It's also a great training ground for these particular crime writers to cut their teeth in comics and then start working on other books in the Marvel Universe. So MAX has been a really great place for us and a tremendous imprint.

Day 3..the arrival.

ok the trip had its ups and downs...well mainly through Denver. but l could see the light at the end of the tunnel...the problem is that the light was a smoldering desert ...now l'm not the sensitive type but l was a bit taken back at how VAST the desert is..l decided to drive with the windows open so as not to tax the the engine..( the light would still come on an off and the horsepower was weaker but it wasn't to bad).

we made great time all day and the GPS was the lifesaver.Well...like all things l hit the heat with all the brains of a flea..l was in the desert at noon....no water and a car on the blink...l never do things the easy way. l decided to go as far as l could before putting on the AC...people would pass me and stare...l made it 4 hours before it was just to hot to continue...l saved a ton of gas and made great time because we only stopped once for gas before Vegas. now most people would assume l stopped in Vegas but l was already late for my own house and l needed to get there ASAP...l felt as if l was wasting time if l was not driving...silly but true.

we blew past Las Vegas...and headed towards LA ...l could almost see the light.....so we kept rolling....and a few hours later we were in San Diego...l called the housemates and we were cruising....we made our way up to the house and we parked the van in a garage bulit for a bike...but hey, l'm here so l'm not complaining.

the first to greet us were C-unit and V-boss...they happen to be coming from the liquor store..( which is also the convenience store). l checked out the house...beach front..ahhhh not quite but still very nice. the TV had 12 channels...so very unAMERICAN....but l'll live...also it was 23 inches...l didn't think they still made that size?.

so we arrived..ALIVE...48 hours after we started...4112 km....a 37 hour drive...not bad for one guy and a navigator...

next day we get our badges....and the Con begins...so much fun to be had.

Anna Torv....l love her......l must meet her, that was my mission.

big things are happening....

whoa...life is rolling along..look at my first Black Panther cover..l inked it myself..not to shabby.

day 2...the HORROR..of driving.

ok..here we go...the day was humming along ...we were making great time. l was staying within the speed limit ( dude..l'm a black guy driving in the states). The day was pretty ordinary...until the dreaded light on the dashboard...it was a problem we spent 4500 dollars fixing the year prior and it was the light that makes a driver go crazy. l decided to pull over and let the transmission cool down...now most of you would either leave the car and fly but l was bringing a ton of stuff so that was out of the question...also the beachhouse was being enjoyed by Cornbread, Spike and Mr Q...l had to get moving.

l got pulled over in IOWA...yep, it's true. l was pulled over because the plastic cover on my plate was covering some info...RIGHT, buddy. l got no ticket but he asked me where l worked...how long l worked there...etc.( l wasn't aware that you had to have a job to drive in IOWA...if that was true there would a lot less cars on the road). oh well...l have been Black a long time so l should not be surprised....back to the drive.

the light went off and l continued on....for about 2 hours then...BLINK BLINK...so l stopped and the light went off...we continued on...the BLINK BLINK..3 hours later of course.

so we went on because we were about 15 hours away from home....and l had a ton planned in SD. the problem is...Denver!!!!! the car was humming along and then we hit the mountains...HOLY CRAP....the mountains went from side to side....up and down...the curves were nuts...and they went on for 5 hours...the minivan did it's job but with the light and the loss of torque it was the scariest drive..imagine trying to climb a hill with no guts...pitch black and you are 17 hours from home....it was a test of wills. l have footage from that night but because of my language l could not show it ....l was swearing like a football coach all night.

At one point l was stuck behind a truck because he could only go 20KM and hour and l didn't have the torque to pass....so l spent 2 hours behind him. l went for as long as l could before l just pulled into a truck stop and took a break. l called home and took it easy for about an hour...then l realized that l needed to get moving so l hit the road again...it was about 3am ...l drove through the night ...l can't tell you how happy l was to see the sun rise....l have come to appreciate life after a night like that....you think about things differently when you have a sobering experience like that...l made a ton of promises to myself that night...l plan on doing all of these things on my new checklist.

day two is done...next day..the arrival.

San Diego 2009..ROADTRIP..day 1.

ok..here is the silliest thing l have ever done. l decided to drive to San Diego ...now most of you would say that was 'CRAZY' but l am preparing for a big adventure that will involve me driving to SD next year. l was doing a bit of research on how long it will take...if one guy could do it...if it was nuts to try. In the end it was not that bad.

here is how it went...my car was primed and ready to go...l had all the kits...emergency...car boosters...you name we had it. my wife made us a ton of sandwiches ..we had fruit,water, granola bars...no beef jerky.

fedel was ready to roll....his laptop was primed...lets roll.

so l decided to leave on the Sunday because my daughters birthday was on the Saturday...well that went from early Sunday to late Sunday. 5pm was when we were ready to roll. l started out...the GPS was humming and we made amazing time before it got dark . we hit a truck stop just outside of Indiana . we decided not to get a hotel but to crash at a rest area...that saved us time..we slept for 3 hours and then we were off again.

so day one was just a funny mix of driving and laughing. the next day was funny as hell...stay tuned. Monday is coming...so scary...

SD Con..WOW.

Well time to talk SD con...here are some images for the floor and the Black Panel...l will post tonight on how the week went and who l met and how my life will never be the same...A big gig at Mattel...more Hasbro love...an AMAZING gig at Marvel. and l may be rolling to NY to work with some very talented people ...l met up with some talented people...Kevin is great...he spent some time with us at the house.

more to come...l got over 1200 pics from the rip...oh did l tell you we drove ...THAT WAS NUTS...oh l saw the actress from FRINGE...she is soooooo hot...makes me think of someone l know.

peace