Walt Disney and Marvel Entertainment: A Match Made in Comic-Book Heaven!

Goofy teams up with The Fantastic Four? Doctor Doom meets Daffy Duck? It just might just happen now that Walt Disney has added Marvel Comics to its holdings.

In the overall scheme of things, the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group (creator of Fantastic Four, the Hulk and Spiderman among others) and Walt Disney Studios (creator of Mickey what's-his-name) is not going to cure world hunger or solve the country's indecision on healthcare. It might however give the entertainment industry a much-needed kick in the pants in addition to giving Disney control of one of the preeminent comic book publisher in North America.

According to Robert A. Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company the transaction "...combines Marvel's strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters with Disney's creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories.."

The merger seems to favor Disney more than perhaps Marvel. Whether comic book fans will support comic books that have Spider-Man and Mickey Mouse in the same comic book universe remains to be seen. Having said that, it seems logical that kids who enjoy the adventures of Goofy will have the opportunity to get turned on to the Avengers or the Hulk.

Commented Ike Perlmutter, Marvel's Chief Executive Officer, "...Disney is the perfect home for Marvel's fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses." At the same time, Despite Marvel's familiar brand name, it can't hurt to be partnered with Walt Disney. A name so ingrained in the public consciousness that you have to wonder if there remains a location somewhere in the world where Mickey Mouse and friends aren't known.

Added 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..."

According to an article in the online comic-zine Newsarama, Disney will acquire ownership of Marvel including its more than 5,000 Marvel characters. Perlmutter and his staff will oversee the Marvel properties, while working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build and further integrate Marvel's properties.