NYCC’09: Marvel Comics Sunday Edition

Here’s our rapid-fire roundup of items coming from the Marvel Panels at the New York Comic Con.  Warning for those with sensitive skins and egos – there is commentary after the jump, and some of it may not favor the love of your life.*

This just in… Steve Rogers is still dead, because fans prefer Bucky!

Digital Comics

• Spider-Woman gets the digital motion comic treatment, written by Brian Michael Bendis and art by Alex Maleev
• Depending on who you ask, the motion comics will precede the print comic’s release. This is kind of cool as it does two things for Marvel; it’s a tease for viewers to go and buy the comic, and Marvel gets people to purchase the same issue twice.
• Print retailers will be involved in some way.  Those plans are being kept secret for now, which means wait until the retailer convention in Boston for more information.  How about this Marvel, print a code in the comic to download the motion comic for free?
• Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men will also get the motion comic treatment.  Don’t think this will change Cory’s attitude about the series though.
• There will be four 16-page War of Kings online comics.
• Dark Reign: Made Men only on Marvel’s DCU (that’s Digital Comics Unlimited, for those that don’t get Marvel’s “joke”).
• There are more than 5,500 comics on the Marvel DCU site.  Does anyone have a subscription to this service?  Just wondering.
• If you do want to subscribe, use the code SPIDEY46 in the discount code window to save 10 percent off your purchase.  If you are looking for discounts at GoDaddy.com, you can use the codes Roundup1, Roundup2, or Roundup3 for additional discounts.  Just passing along saving to readers everywhere.  Perhaps it will prompt others to start up their own website where they can lavish praise on those less deserving… or trash this site, it’s your choice.
• Expect all these motion comics to get a DVD release down the road.  Reading between the lines it means Marvel gets you to buy the same content THREE times.

Mondo Marvel

• The Marvels Project starts in June, which promises to retcon reveal the true origins of the golden age heroes.
• Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers… I got nothin’ as the jokes practically write themselves.  I can see this title being as popular as Marvel Apes.
• There is a five issue Punisher Noir series coming in August
• Planet Skaar begins in May
• Ron Lim returns to Silver Surfer
• The Norman and Harry Osborn dynamic comes to a head in American Son.  It is a five-issue arc beginning in Amazing Spider-Man #595
• Doc Ock returns in Amazing Spider-Man #600 (July).
• How do you counter Batman: The Long Halloween?  Amazing Spider-Man: The Short Halloween.  The story will be written by SNL members Seth Meyers and Bill Hader.
• Ultimate Prowler in Ultimate Spider-Man.
• According to Jim McCann event comics are alive and well and are indeed a way of doing business.  Joe Quesada countered with the usual “vote with your dollar”.
• An impromptu vote indicated that Bucky-Cap was more popular than Steve Rogers.

Quotes of the Day:

Question (not THE Question, just a question): Does Marvel have any plans to use user-generated content?
John Dokes: We’re not ready to comment on any fan fiction, but we’ve embraced people doing movies on YouTube and that kind of thing on Marvel.com.
Dan Buckley: We know fan fiction is out there, and we’re not going to kill it or anything. But how we proceed with that, that’s something we’ll deal with next.
-Quote via Newsarama

*Yes, that is sarcasm