If you didn’t happen to catch the news yesterday, it seems that Mickey Mouse will be adding a few new superheroes to his posse.  Disney announced that they are set to purchase Marvel Comics for a cool $4 billion dollars – a surprise deal that sent shockwaves through the comics world.  As you can imagine, this acquisition will create an explosion of the franchises of America’s favorite superheroes.  There will be more Spiderman roller-coasters, Iron Man action figures, and X-men major motion pictures…. just to name a few of the 5,000 Marvel characters in existence. 

A major motivation for Disney’s multi-billion dollar purchase will be upping its appeal to the young men who flocked to theaters to see movies such as the Fantastic Four in recent years.  Purchasing the intellectual property of Marvel will also allow Disney to create superhero TV shows for their new male-focused channel, Disney XD, as they attempt to counter the success of female-dominated shows such as Hannah Montana.

So what does this major merger mean for adult comic fans and collectors across the world?  Well, for Marvel shareholders, it means $30 per share in cash, plus 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share they own. Marvel shares shot up $9.91, or 26%, to $48.56 in midday trading Monday, where Disney shares fell 3% to $26.02. 

Although the comic world has been abuzz about the two powerhouses joining forces, not all of the chatter has been positive.  Many feel that Disney is a money-hungry powerhouse out to destroy the purity of America’s classic comic book heroes with special effects and theatrics, while others are thrilled to see their favorite characters come to life in video games, television, and on the big screen.  And what about the value of the comic books that collectors have so passionately accumulated?  Will they rise with the popularity and exposure they will receive from commercialization, or fall as people forget about the significance of the original first-edition comic books of the past? 

I will leave the answers up to you, the reader – what do you think?  Post your comments below!

Also, check out our Comics section in the iTaggit gallery to add to your collection!