Date: Mon, 7 Nov 1994 07:00:57 -0600 From: Automatic digest processor <[L--TS--V] at [UNLVM.UNL.EDU]> Subject: COMICS-L Digest - 4 Nov 1994 to 7 Nov 1994 There are 10 messages totalling 258 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Industry News - Marvel buys Malibu 2. Marvel/Malibu...damn! 3. Marvel buys Malibu (7) 4. Administrivia - Dan Chichester Typo correction ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:20:07 CST From: Bill Hayes <[IANR 012] at [UNLVM.BITNET]> Subject: Industry News - Marvel buys Malibu Malibu is going to be an autonomous company and operations will remain the same, with the exception that Scott Rosenberg is now a senior VP at Marvel and reports to Terry Sewart. Malibu benefits in that it now has access to Marvels printing costs (which are lower), their distribution, and their connection to companies like Fleer and Toy Biz. Marvel benefits from having a new talent and editorial pool, more characters to license and Malibu's expertise in computer coloring and other areas. I see this as a win/win situation for all concerned. We Ultraverse creators have the same deal, but we now know that Malibu has more money to pursue an agreessive marketing of the Ultraverse. We're also told that there will be cross promotion oin Marvel books so expect to see house ads for Malibu titles in Marvel books and visa-versa. How all this will pan out in the long term is anyone's guess, but for now I'm very optimistic. James D. Hudnall ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:25:22 CST From: [DEBY 2261] at [splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu] Subject: Marvel/Malibu...damn! Date sent: 4-NOV-1994 07:39:57 Why? Why? Why?! I finally find a comic book universe to drag me away from Marvel and after only a year and a half of freedom, Marvel buys it out! I thought that Malibu had a strong financial position and was up there with the big boys in that respect. If Marvel makes any changes in the Ultraverse or crosses over with it, I'll be one very unhappy camper! I also hope that this doesn't ruin the upcoming crossover with DC, I was eagerly awaiting this, especially if it was the Prime/Shazam story. Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait and see! Mike Debyah (Long Live the FF!) SUNY Plattsburgh ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:26:31 CST From: Daniel Newcombe <[N--CO--E] at [AA.csc.peachnet.edu]> Subject: Marvel buys Malibu > I've fired out quite a number of messages about the Marvel buyout of Malibu > to comics creators I know to be on-line. Your reactions are also sought. > Does this bode well for the smaller independent publishing houses who > also tend to give comics creators more rights to their works? No, it is horrible news. Once again we see that Marvel is a business that cares nothing about anything but the mighty dollar. I guess they figured by pumping out a new series a month just to take up shelf space and force smaller comics off the shelf wasn't working, so they switched to a more direct tactic. Is Malibu the ones with the Ultraverse? If so, I remember that was getting to be a hot seller...guess Marvel felt threatened. Must be content-envy...as Marvel's content sucks. I guess we can also expect the newly bought titles to be restarted at #1, with a special cover, and a slightly changed name. (What, instead of Dinosaurs for Hire, is it gonna be Dinosaur-X :) -- Dan A. Newcombe Clayton State College Computing Services E-Mail Address: [n--co--e] at [aa.csc.peachnet.edu] (404)-961-3421 - You, the child that once loved, the child before they broke his heart. The heart, the heart that I believed was lost. So it's me I see, I can do anything. I'm still the child. (Marillion, Childhoods End?) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:27:22 CST From: Zen Faulkes <[Z--F] at [UVVM.UVic.CA]> Subject: Marvel buys Malibu Hi all, It's *very* hard to say at this point what Marvel's purchase of Malibu means. One possibility is that Malibu will, for all intents and purposes, continue to operate as a separate press imprint. This is what I hope will happen... because anything else is very, very scary indeed to think about. What will be most interesting to see is what happens to Ultraverse. The creators own a good chunk of those characters, but so does Malibu... it's not clear if the Ultraverse founding fathers have the option to walk and take the Ultraverse elsewhere if they don't want to work for Marvel (which is a very real possibility, I think). I talked to Rick Hoberg (_Strangers_ penciller) some time ago (you can look through COMICS-L back issues for a summary of of that discussion) and he said that Marvel was really worried about Ultraverse and wanted it dead. At the time, Ultraverse comics were outselling 1/2 of what Marvel released, according to Rick. Is the purchase of Malibu an attempt by Marvel to end the comptetition? Or will Mantra, Rune, and the Night Man join the Marvel universe? Either way -- I hope not. I *reeeaaaaallllly* hope not. Otherwise, readers are going to be losing out big. >>>Zen Faulkes!<<< ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:27:56 CST From: James Drew <[j r d] at [frame.com]> Subject: Marvel buys Malibu I don't know *how* to look at this. Will it be another New Universe? (Will Gruenwald gut the concepts into his next book?) Will the Ultras be retconned into being Mutants? Hard Case in the Avengers? Will Marvel officially fold Epic but keep Bravura around? Is Steve Gerber working for Marvel again, then? Jim ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:28:31 CST From: "Ronald A. Evry" <[r--v--y] at [pen.k12.va.us]> Subject: Marvel buys Malibu There are a couple of things to consider in the Marvel buy-out of Malibu. First, rumors have been flying for MONTHS now that Malibu was on the block for sale (they repeatedly denied this, but that's show biz, right?) The obvious is that Malibu has been propping up their Ultraverse titles for quite a while using all of the money they made from distributing Image for its launch year. Most Ultraverse titles have been easy to find in 25 cent bins, signifying lack of sell-through. Dealers have been adjusting their orders to account for this. The Bravura titles, while meeting with more critical success, have not really been great shakes on sell-through either. Marvel, however, may put some of the Ultraverse characters to use (imagine Rafferty/Punisher crossover or Thor/ Prime); their main motivation may have been to get ten or twenty competing titles off of the racks in comic shops. Retailer space is at a premium these days. When you're publishing almost two hundred titles a month, bowling over the competition, either through lawsuits (ie- Defiant) or buy-outs is the only strtegy available (EXCEPT, perhaps, publishing top quality, creative comics ---naaah, you can't justify that on a ledger sheet). Anyway, I guess that only time will tell how this will turn out. Just remember - be careful using the words "Super-Heroes" -- that's a registered trademark of DC and Marvel comics..... Ron Evry *"Ron" is TM Ron Evry *"Evry" is TM Ron Evry *"is" is TM Ron Evry ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:29:35 CST From: [j r m] at [grove.ufl.edu] Subject: Marvel buys Malibu I see nothing wrong with Marvel's buy out of Marvel, this will at least hopefully bring Marvel up to date in comic coloring technology. I know that Malibu has a significantly better package of benifits for creators than does Marvel (royalties, etc..). I want to see how sincere Marvel is, when they state that Malibu will be completely autonomous. I see this having no negative effect whatsoever on smaller publishers. I don't think that 5% market share (most of which consists of superhero comics) will "bump" any smaller publishers. The obvious exception is other small publishers that put out similar superhero comics. I think it is good that more "creator-owned" comics are under Marvel's aegis, the Bravura line specifically, I am very interested in how that pans out. Geoffrey R. Mason | [j r m] at [grove.ufl.edu] Editor - Indy Magazine | 611 Northwest 34th Drive College of Law - Univ of Florida | Gainesville, Florida 32607-2429 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:30:40 CST From: Neil Ottenstein <[o--t--n] at [quark.umd.edu]> Subject: Marvel buys Malibu > I've fired out quite a number of messages about the Marvel buyout of Malibu > to comics creators I know to be on-line. Your reactions are also sought. > Does this bode well for the smaller independent publishing houses who > also tend to give comics creators more rights to their works? > > Bill Hayes, [ianr 012] at [unlvm.unl.edu], moderator, COMICS-L > I was just shocked to read about it. It will be interesting to see what happens to Malibu's comics. I would like more details - will the Ultraverse be a separate Marvel imprint now? Does the ST:DS9 go along with it? Will all the creative people want to be working under the Marvel umbrella now? I really have enjoyed a lot of Malibu comics in the past year or so and I just have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about this. Neil Ottenstein [o--t--n] at [quark.umd.edu] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:32:25 CST From: [D G CHI] at [aol.com] Subject: Re: Marvel buys Malibu Bill - I don't know enough details on the deal to comment. My understanding was that it was 1) To get hold of Malibu's color separation equipment and setup, and 2) To consolidate and immediately increase Marvel's market share (Malibu's percentage points will be added to Marvel's). If Malibu is allowed to continue to operate as a separate entity, then it really makes no difference to the industry. There's still those titles and opportunities for professionals and readers to become involved with. Better companies come together than go out of business altogether. As more details become known, I'll be happy to comment on the specifics; all conjecture up to this point is purely just that: made up maybes. Best, DGC (DGC = Marvel writer Dan Chichester, in case you wondered -- Bill...) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Nov 1994 21:38:15 CST From: Bill Hayes <[IANR 012] at [UNLVM.BITNET]> Subject: Administrivia - Dan Chichester Typo correction This is a pre-emptive correction, in case I really did mess up Dan Chichester's last name when I appended it to his message. The above is the correct spelling. Now you know why I'm NOT a journalist. Sigh! Bill... ------------------------------ End of COMICS-L Digest - 4 Nov 1994 to 7 Nov 1994 *************************************************