Its exactly one year since Disney brought out Marvel.
The move itself made perfect sense.
It was a match made, if not in heaven, then at least in the Magic Kingdom.
Of course, on the flip side, Marvel was itself in the perfect position to be bought.
To outsiders, it might have seemed like a strange time to sell up.
Why would Marvel consent to being bought by Disney when they seemed poised to become thenextDisney?
The present was bright, but the future, deeply uncertain.
The punters wont come running for Iron Fist or Dr.
Strange the same way theyd come for Spider-Man or Wolverine.
In that light, its no wonder Marvel sold up shop while they still looked like an attractive buy.
Had they left it any longer, the interest would have disappeared.
Of course, the jokes started flying immediately.
Mickey with Wolverine claws.
Hulked-out versions of Donald Duck.
Rumours of a Punisher-Goofy crossover.
Unsurprisingly, the results of the Marvel-Disney deal have actually been far less overt.
A year on, the content of Marvels books has seen no significant shift.
It might not immediately be obvious why fans should care, but to Marvels readers, its a no-brainer.
Can that same spirit be captured, day-in, day-out, from Orlando?
(Though Ill believe that theres aDazzlermovie only when I see it, and not before!)
The number of Marvel movies on the go also reflects a strange shift in Marvels publishing strategy.
Marvel has taken individual characters such as Wolverine and the Hulk and heaped spin-offs and derivations upon them.
The X-Men currently have four ongoing series bearing the name with various adjectives attached, as do the Avengers.
Whatever the truth, one thing is certain.
Today, thats the one thing which definitely isnt the case.
Only time will tell what the effects of the Marvel-Disney deal will be at the end of year two.
