September
17 Marvel advertises on TV, offers web-only comics

Marvel's making some waves by promoting its projects with TV ads. A pro-Skrull commercial aired on ESPN2's coverage of a minor league baseball championship, and is notable for not  mentioning Marvel or its Secret Invasion series by name. (You can see the ad at MTV's Splash Page blog.) Instead, it directs folks to a site called "Embrace Change" that promotes acceptance of the alien invaders in everyday life. The site also has a short video spot for Marvel's comicbook adaptation of Stephen King's "The Stand," though it's not clear if that ad is airing on TV or just making the rounds on the web.

Marvel also has announced a new online initiative, with the launch of two web-only comicbook series that pick up where the "Iron Man" and "Incredible Hulk" movies ended. "Iron Man: Fast Friends" will focus on Jim Rhodes, the role played by Terrence Howard, while "Incredible Hulk: The Fury Files" will focus on Nick Fury (played in an "Iron Man" cameo by Samuel L. Jackson). The comis will be available in weekly installments to subscribers of Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited service starting Oct. 8.