I really didn't believe it when conspiracy theorists started suggesting that, because they don't control the movie rights (or, more importantly, revenue), Marvel was downplaying both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four in their comics and associated swag (posters, shirts, etc.).
I didn't believe it because it didn't make any sense. If Marvel sells an X-Men book, they get the money for it. If they sell a Fantastic Four t-shirt, they get the money for it. Yes, it might add some hypothetical amount to the money made by someone else with an X-Men or FF movie, but it's not actually robbing Marvel of any money.
And even if it's a matter of feeling like an FF comic or X-Men t-shirt will not produce the same hypothetical downstream revenue from movie activities that an Iron Man comic or Guardians of the Galaxy tee would, if the item itself is making money, then it's making money. And that has nothing to do with showing the Thing or Wolverine in a poster full of Marvel characters.
It just doesn't make any sense except from some sort of bizarro corporate accounting world.
Except, apparently, it does. Because there are too many examples here — including changing t-shirts with classic covers on them — to keep me believing that Marvel could be so near-sighted. Though, to be honest, I doubt it's Marvel per se, but the House of Mouse that owns them, and that has long been uber-sensitive to playing with properties that they don't own lock, stock, and barrel.
And that really kind of torques me off. Because it's one thing to make publishing decisions based on aesthetics, and another to make them based on sales, but it's still another (and a galling thing at that) to make them based on some sort of territorial Intellectual Property pissing match. That's not just about money, it's about abandoning artistic merit and story-telling integrity.
And it's a real shame.
What is Happening with the X-Men and Fantastic Four properties at Marvel Licensing and Publishing?
‘What’s going on with the X-Men and the Fantastic Four comics’ is the question ringing in the ears of astute comic book fans. Since Marvel owns the films rights to many of their own characters, the…
Comics and movies are becoming linked in a very uncomfortable way. Even before rights became an issue, I saw how the big screen was affecting long-established characters, with the most noticeable being comic book Nick Fury suddenly going from old white guy to bald black guy. Marvel/Disney is VERY determined to keep the same look and feel across both forms of media so it's not surprising to see them torpedo certain comic book titles just because they don't own the movie rights. Not surprising but I still hate that it's happening.
+Marty Shaw Yes, it makes it more product than art/story. Which sounds terribly naive of me, I know, but …
I can kinda-sorta understand about Nick Fury (both from the events that led up to the mainstream MU's Nick being changed). If Nick hadn't been so long established in the MU, I would have resented the change (and the rather clumsy way it was handled) a lot less. I suppose that will be smoothed out a bit post-Secret Wars.
For what it's worth, the vision might not be as irksome as it seemed: http://www.comicsbeat.com/marvel-welcomes-fantastic-four-and-x-men-heroes-into-their-all-new-all-different-universe/
Smooth move if they really are trying to shove FF and X-Men in the shadows. A female Wolverine isn't the same as the original, although a female Wolverine and Old Man Logan in the same universe opens the door for some interesting storylines.
Same with Ben Grimm. I'm assuming that's still him under all that rock. Lose the rest of the team and make the Thing a member of GotG. He was always my favorite, anyway.