Disney + Marvel = AAARRGGH (but not for the reasons you'd think)

So everybody is worked up about Disney buying Marvel, and I am too. Not because I'm worried about some kind of "Disney-fication," or that Disney might not even be inclined to print low-selling pamphlets at all. It's too soon to tell; I suspect not even Disney and Marvel have got a 10-year plan with every i dotted and every t crossed yet. I see no reason to become alarmist and scream OH MY GOD NO MORE SPIDER-MAN COMICS. Warner Brothers hasn't closed down DC Comics, after all.

But I am worked up. And here is why:

In 199 ... oh, was it 6 or 7 or 8? When Marvel was going through bankruptcy. I was in middle school, and I remember being dimly aware of how the stock market works. I opened up the business section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to find how much Marvel stock was worth. I seem to remember quite clearly that it was around 25 cents a share (which, with cover prices at the time, meant one copy of Deadpool could buy you eight shares).

Even at the time, I thought I should buy some stock. If nothing else, for the fun of getting the little certificate with the Marvel logo on it. I remember even my dad was joking about it. But we never bought any. As a preteen, of course, I couldn't have done it myself, and even as an adult, I doubt I'd get up the gumption to actually find out how to buy stock. Thus, I own zero shares of Marvel stock.

TODAY, MARVEL STOCK IS AT $48.41.

Now, I know little more about the market than I did as a child; I may calculate this incorrectly, so correct me if I am missing something. But if I had bought even 100 shares at 25 cents (a $25 dollar investment, the rise in stock, plus the $30 per share that shareholders are being given, would mean that I could have cashed in today for $7,841 ... NOT EVEN COUNTING the shares of Disney stock the purchase comes with. And if I could have bought more than 100 shares?

IMAGINE A WORD IN LETTERS FIFTY FEET HIGH THAT BEGINS WITH "F" AND ENDS IN A HALF-MILE OF EXCLAMATION POINTS.

I have been pretty fortunate in life not to have too many horrible regrets. If this is, possibly, my worst one, I suppose I ought to be VERY VERY thankful.

This week on MightyGodKing...

...Superman. Too predictable? Perhaps. Inspired by this post, I'm thinking of writing my next piece about the role of museums in superhero fiction (the Batcave trophy room, the Fortress of Solitude, the Flash Museum ... hm, no Marvel examples spring immediately to mind; do you reckon that might be significant?), so that might be a bit more interesting road to go down.

I Wrote A Thing! And You Can Read It!

I talked about Spider-Man today on Mightygodking.com, in case you missed it.

Being for the benefit of new visitors

So … Christopher Bird (nom du blogue*: MightyGodKing) has proven that his legendary wrath is matched only by his generosity, because he’s allowed me to become one of the new lot of guest posters on his site.

In case anyone has decided to follow a link back here (which, I imagine, is very much like attending a medium-large Hollywood party and then tagging along with a minor television personality back to his studio apartment), here’s what the deal is with this blog.

WHO AM I?
My name is Justin Zyduck. I’m 25 and live in Wisconsin. I am a writer, but the kind that does not get paid because he has not been professionally published (Note: this is most of us). I am a dude who is also a married dude.

WHAT’S THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG MEAN?
The Adventures of Wyatt Earp in 2999 is a comic book written by me, and drawn by my old pal Josh Lynch. A short synopsis of the idea is on the sidebar under “ABOUT THIS BLOG,” and you can read two “episodes” of it here. I have detailed what goes into the writing process here.

We shopped this comic around to several publishers and didn’t get much in the way of response (although Josh told me some guys from BOOM! thought it was kind of cool). We’re well aware that the format is problematic. There were plans to continue Wyatt as a webcomic, but it’s really time-consuming on the art side, especially when there is no upfront money in it and we both have day jobs.

The comic is unofficially on hiatus.

SO WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO READ ON THIS BLOG, THEN?
I never really intended to have a blog of my own, but with the comic on hold, I found myself with one. Most of what goes on here falls into one of two categories.

Superhero Theory is a series that used to be weekly, and which hopefully will be again soon. Here’s the mission statement, but basically I really love superhero comics, and I think really hard about them (to my social and professional detriment, I am sure).

Sideburns is my "lo-fi webcomic," and it's semi-autobiographical (meaning: mostly just the funny bits). I’ve always loved comic strips and used to draw them all the time as a kid, but as I got more interested in writing, I got less interested in drawing. So I decided, as an experiment, to try doing a weekly webcomic to see if I could hack it. Short answer: Not really, and now it’s updated less than regularly.

I also wrote a long (also: rambly) series on the live-action Batman movies called Seven Films for Seven Batmen (introduction here). It is notable, if for no other reason, for a spirited defense of Batman Forever, and the assertion that Batman Begins is the second-worst Batman film. Heresey!

HOW OFTEN DO YOU UPDATE THIS BLOG?
Time was, there was a new Sideburns every Monday and a new Superhero Theory every Friday. Those were good days; you guys shoulda been there, man. I have mentioned that I am a writer (should that be in quotes? I am a “writer”); I am working on a novel. I’m currently more than two-thirds through a first draft, so I’m buckling down on that. But if more people start reading this thing, maybe I’d better update more, huh?

ANYTHING ELSE?
I am a “musician and songwriter” in the same way that I am a “writer.” My brother (who is actually a talented musician, and not just somebody who can lay down a decent keyboard track if given enough takes) and I wrote, recorded, and produced an album a few years ago under the name Morrison Bass. There is a woefully neglected MySpace page here, as the band is, like so many other things, on an ill-defined hiatus.

The recordings betray our inexperience somewhat, as we were largely figuring out how to use home recording equipment as we went long, but I still think all of the songs we laid to tape (or digital file, as the case may be) are pretty damn good. There are CDs 4 cheep if anybody cares, but I will not hold it against you if you do not.

I would be remiss if I did not include: My wife, and her Etsy store.

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU MONEY OR POSSIBLY BE YOUR BEST FRIEND. HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU?
E-mail me at morrisonbass@yahoo.com. Or I’ll be here on this blog, or whenever I can post at MGK without overstaying my welcome.




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*-This is not actually French.**
**-I don’t think it is, at least.