Marvel, Perlmutter, Lee and Arad Sued For $750 Million

Shareholders of an ill-fated Stan Lee venture are seeking more than $750 million in profits from films and other works based on Marvel comic characters such as “Spider-Man,”"X-Men” and “Iron Man.”

The lawsuit was filed Monday in a Manhattan federal court on behalf of shareholders of Stan Lee Media Inc. Defendants include Lee, his partner Arthur Lieberman, Marvel Entertainment Inc. and its chairman Isaac Perlmutter, and former Marvel Studios president Avi Arad.

The suit names four shareholders who live in Florida, California and Canada. Their lawyer, Martin Garbus, said the suit is aimed at reclaiming money for all Stan Lee Media Inc. shareholders.

The lawsuit claims profits from Lee’s comic creations belong to the company, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2006. The suit claims Lee, Marvel and others have violated Stan Lee Media’s copyright interests and that the firm is due profits from all properties, including blockbuster films that were made after 1998 and based on Lee’s creations.

The lawsuit’s allegations were immediately rebuffed, with Marvel issuing a statement that said the lawsuit is filled with “ridiculous claims.”

Lee’s attorney, Mark W. Williams, said: “We look forward to a positive resolution for Stan Lee and his family.”

Marvel also claimed the lawsuit features claims that have been pursued in previous cases.

Garbus said Monday’s suit differs in that it names Lee, Arad and Perlmutter. “It’s a very different lawsuit,” Garbus said. “It’s different money.”

He said he suspects that Lee, who once sued Marvel over profits from his creations, entered into an agreement that deprived Stan Lee Media of the windfall from blockbuster movies such as the “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” trilogies.

“He made a deal,” Garbus said of Lee’s confidential settlement that led to his reconciliation with Marvel. “That money should have gone to the corporation.”

Source: ComingSoon.net

Captain America, Daredevil Comic And Film News

Ed Brubaker, who writes Captain America and Daredevil comic books for Marvel, told reporters to expect a big shock in the upcoming 50th issue of the Captain America series he writes. Leading up to that, the stories of the new Captain, Bucky and Sharon Carter (who killed Steve Rogers while brainwashed) will get complicated. Brubaker also has news about the coming Captain America movie, as well as other Marvel films he may be involved with.

“Lots of big stuff is coming,” Brubaker said in a group interview last week in Universal City, Calif. “This summer’s going to be really exciting, big stuff with Captain America coming up. Currently in the storyline, Bucky is sort of the new Cap, and he’s being faced with this horrifying past as the Winter Soldier. So that’s all sort of coming to a head. We’ll have a whole issue soon devoted to Sharon Carter and her memories of the day that Captain America died and starting to see things from a different perspective, actually; maybe learn some new mysteries.”

In the Daredevil universe, a familiar villain will return. “Kingpin’s about to come back to town, and it’s not going to be pretty,” Brubaker said. “I just saw some pages this morning from an issue that’s all the Kingpin, that’s a solo issue about the Kingpin in Spain.”

Brubaker added that he’s also busy starting a new comic-book series. “[I] just launched a new book called Incognito that is about a guy who’s like sort of a pulp villain living in witness protection,” he said. “That’s a huge sellout nationwide, actually, and we’re going back to print on that. I’m [still] writing Captain America. Daredevil, just finishing up a big storyline in that, and a couple special projects for this coming summer that I can’t talk about yet. Really big Marvel stuff, not crossovers, but big Marvel stuff. You’ll like it if you read comics.”

As more Marvel movies go into development, Brubaker expects to be involved in a Captain America film as well. “I think I’m going to,” he said. “I’ve talked to the Marvel Studios guys, and I think I’m going to be part of the brain trust on that, like they had for Iron Man. They’ve talked to me about it already. I talk to those guys a lot.”

As for the rumored Daredevil movie reboot, Brubaker is not in the loop. “I mean, I’ll be involved if they want me to be, but no,” he said. “I’ll be involved in any of that stuff they want me to be. I’m just trying to weasel my way in on as much of it as I can.”

The movie Brubaker really wants to see is Iron Fist, which was one of Marvel’s earliest movie proposals in a version Kirk Wong would have directed, starring Ray Park. Lately, Iron Fist has been on the back burner with director Steve Carr.

“I’m really, really pressuring them to do an Iron Fist movie, because I think that would just be awesome,” Brubaker said. “With our take on it, it’d be great, I think. They’re interested, so we’ll see. I’m hopefully going to meet with them tomorrow and just try to push them some more. They’re interested in it. Marvel Studios has a lot of plans, though, so I’m just trying to sort of get my way in as soon as I can.”

Source: Scifi Wire

War Machine #1 Rises Out Of The Dark Reign Saga

Spinning out of Dark Reign, the hero known as War Machine has a new mission to save the world and critics can’t stop raving about his new series! Acclaimed scribe Greg Pak (WORLD WAR HULK, X-MEN: MAGNETO TESTAMENT) and rising star artist Leonardo Manco team up for WAR MACHINE, the new series that puts the iron clad hero on a quest to take down some of the world’s greatest threats! This one man army takes no prisoners, leaving fans and critics alike with their jaws on the floor!

“A new, cybernetically enhanced War Machine becomes like an international Punisher. He’s a one-man war on worldwide crime…Manco’s work is a good fit for this series, with its scratchy detail illustrating a world that is anything but bright and shiny. This is a sordid, tarnished Marvel Universe, and Manco ‘s style suits it perfectly.”—Timothy Callahan, ComicBookResources.Com

“Leonardo Manco does a great job capturing a gritty technological feel, and Greg Pak does a great job keeping the pace up. I think this series will be one to watch.”– Brendan McQuirk, Newsarama.Com

“Leonardo Manco’s beautiful art matches the subject material perfectly, giving Rhodes a rough, gritty world to rocket through and providing some gorgeous splash pages…(for the) shoot-’em-up comic with a sci-fi/tech twist.”—Bryan Joel, IGN.Com

“The lines between man and machine, hero and monster, justice and murder can be entertaining and interesting to explore under a talented pen and Pak certainly has that talent…[Manco] provides a gritty realism to the horrors of battle as well as to the horrors of Rhodey’s situation.”—Tonya Crawford, BrokenFrontier.Com

Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on WAR MACHINE, as the series continues to draw acclaim from all corners.

WAR MACHINE #1 (OCT082347)
WAR MACHINE #1 VILLAIN VARIANT
Written by GREG PAK
Pencils & Cover by LEONARDO MANCO
Villain Variant by MIKE DEODATO
Rated T+ …$2.99
ON SALE NOW!

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook

Source: Marvel.com

Sony To Release Madhouse’s Marvel Hero Anime Worldwide

The Variety entertainment trade news source confirms that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has agreed to globally distribute the four series that the Madhouse anime studio is producing with “re-imagined” characters from Marvel Comics. The company created a new International Product Expansion Group that signed the deals.

Vice President Tony Ishizuka has been assigned to lead the new group with Maxwell Mattord as a director. Marvel revealed in August that the first of the 12-episode series with Marvel’s Iron Man and Wolverine characters is launching on Sony‘s Animax premium anime channel in Japan in Spring 2010.

Source: Anime News Network

The Stand: Captain Trips #1 – Initial Thoughts

I admit it: I’ve read Stephen King’s The Stand three times in the last 20 or so years. The second and third time it was like I was coming home for a visit to the old stomping ground. All the familiar characters came to life once again and took me for that gut-wrenching ride through King’s plague-ridden land.

As soon as I opened up Marvel’s The Stand: Captain Trips #1, I got that same feeling all over again. Stu Redman, Larry Underwood, Charlie Campion and more, all caught up in the flood of the story, because once it starts, it takes you along on it’s whirlwind ride and doesn’t let you off until the end. Read more

Preview: Skaar Son Of Hulk #3 – Shipping August 27th

Shipping next week on August 27th is Skaar, Son Of Hulk #3 and TC Games has an early look at the issue.

Written by GREG PAK
Penciled by RON GARNEY & BUTCH GUICE
Cover by RON GARNEY

He’s the Son of Hulk, born in fire, raised by monsters, and destined to smash. She’s the Hero Protector of Imperia, claimant, and the deadliest and most beautiful warrior of the battlescarred wastelands. Will Skaar and Princess Omaka join forces to protect the refugees fleeing from Axeman Bone’s merciless barbarians — or will they tear each other to pieces in the radioactive swamps? Plus: A shocking second story pencilled by star artist Butch Guice! Read more

Astonishing X-Men #26 Preview – Shipping August 13th

Astonishing X-Men #26 ships next week and TC Games has a look at the first few pages of this issue titled, “Ghost Box” Part 2.

The superstar team of Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi take the X-Men to the “Second Stage”!
“Messiah Complex” pulled the X-Men team together, “Divided We Stand” tore them apart. Now the X-Men are back to business — with a new look, a new base of operations, and a mystery to solve that will take them into previously uncharted territory and test them to their core. Read more

Logos For Upcoming Marvel Feature Films

Once you’ve got a logo you HAVE to make the film, right? If you’re going to go with that horrible logic then it’s been set in stone, get ready for a whole lotta Marvel films the next three years. Once again I stumbled onto this cool little image at New York’s Licensing Expo (who knew something with such a boring name could yield such interesting things?). I wouldn’t call the below a poster or anything that will resemble a final title treatment for any of the below. Hell, one or two of these films may never even happen. But it’s still fun to look at and ponder the superhero goodness to come, no?

Source

Featured Back Issue Set: Man-Thing

This week’s featured back issue set is the volume 2, 1979 run of The Man-Thing – complete

Issues #1 -#11

These comics are in F-VF condition although I am not a professional comics grader.  Each issue will come bagged and boarded.

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