November
7 Marvel reports strong 3rd quarter

Marvel announced its 3rd quarter results on Monday, with "Spider-Man 3" licensing leading the publisher to a tripling of its revenues from the same quarter last year.

Publishing was again a solid performer for the company, with sales up 13 percent over the same period last year to $34.9 million. "World War Hulk" and "Stephen King's The Dark Tower" were both cited as strong performers. The report goes on to say: "Marvel’s Publishing segment is expected to contribute net sales of approximately $130M – 135M in 2008 and to generate an operating margin of approximately 41% - 43%."

The company also gave the usual updates on its film, TV and game projects. On the self-financed side, "Iron Man" and "Incredible Hulk" are set for next summer. Marvel has a director and writer engaged on "Ant-Man" and writers assigned to (but obviously no longer working on, due to the WGA strike) on "Captain America," "Thor" and "The Avengers." In the licensed realm, "Punisher 2" has begun principal photography with a 2008 release eyed and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" is scheduled to make its May 1, 2009, release.

On the TV animation end of things, "Fantastic Four" from France's Moonscoop is now airing; "Sensational Spider-Man" is coming in the spring through a distribution agreement with Kids WB!; "Wolverine and the X-Men" and "Iron Man" are set for fall 2008, from First Serve Toonz and Method Films respectively; and a "Hulk" series is in development. Marvel also plans four more DVD animated features, including "Next Avengers" for July;  "Hulk Smash" for next October; "Thor" for April 2009 and a TBD title for September 2009.