AvX was a far as it got away from the Secret Wars model



Publishing | David Gabriel, Marvel's senior vice president of publishing, says that Marvel is putting "the biggest marketing investment that we’ve ever put into a series or an event" behind its upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men event. The campaign will include online, social media, radio and television promotion. “They’re actually treating every issue as an event, because there’s a different fight going on in every issue, and I’m told that they are pushing every single issue through all 12 issues,” Gabriel said. “The story itself has three acts, and each of those acts has a natural marketing hook to it, so they’re pushing those as well.” [ICv2]

Publishing | While DC's New 52 has been good for comics sales overall, there is a dark side: Sales of pre-reboot collected editions are down. ICv2 also lists the Top 10 comics and graphic novel franchises in a number of different genres. [ICv2]

Legal | The Justice Department brought more charges of fraud and copyright infringement against Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom and his colleagues on Friday, but also revealed that Megaupload isn't all that mega: The file-sharing site had only 66.6 million users, not the 180 million previously claimed, and fewer than 6 million had ever actually uploaded a file. The indictment mentions one user who uploaded almost 17,000 items, including copyrighted movies, which were viewed 34 million times. [The Washington Post]

Publishing | Tom Spurgeon counts down "five reasons to worry about comics that aren't piracy." [The Comics Reporter]



Publishing | How well did the original Ghost Rider and its spinoff series sell, back in the day? John Jackson Miller compiles the numbers from the statements of ownership in the original 1970s-'80s series and two later incarnations. It's interesting to see how the fortunes of the franchise changed over the years, going from a solid but unspectacular seller in the 1970s to hot-hot-hot in the 1990s and then stumbling along with the rest of the industry mid-decade. [The Comichron]

Awards | Nomination ballots are now available for the 2012 Harvey Awards. Ballots are due by April 16 and are open only to comic book creators. The awards will be presented Sept. 8 at the Baltimore Comic-Con. [Harvey Awards]

Comic strips | The Japanese animation studio Madhouse, which is responsible for classics like Cardcaptor Sakura and Satoshi Kon's Paprika and collaborated on the Marvel anime, is working on a Peanuts anime. [Crunchyroll]



Creators | Mark Millar discusses all of his upcoming comics and movie projects, and talks about why he focuses more on making comics than movies: “I haven’t been to Los Angeles since 2008. Wanted and Kick-Ass premiered there. I didn’t go because of the heat. I love living in Scotland. The climate is perfect for me. In a weird way that makes you more desirable because everyone else plays that game of kneeling down in front of the studio executives. You hear about guys renting apartments near the movie studios in Los Angeles and pitching ideas to some guy looking at an egg timer. It’s so demeaning. I took the JK Rowling approach. I write my books and get on with it. If anyone wants to make them into a film, they’ll make an appointment and we’ll talk in Glasgow or London. I can’t drive. I don’t have an extravagant lifestyle to fund so I’m not over there hawking things.” [Daily Record]

Creators | Peter Bagge draws and talks about his early experiences, including discovering underground comics in art school, in a video interview. [The Forbidden Planet Blog Log]

Creators | Amy Dittmeier settles in for a half-hour podcast interview with Cullen Bunn, writer of The Sixth Gun. [Heave Media]

Creators | Letterer Todd Klein shares memories of his time working for DC Comics, from when he hand-lettered the display lettering on covers to when he received his first desktop computer. [Todd's Blog]

Graphic novels | Tim Caron talks about using Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece's Incognegro as a text in a variety of different college courses. [Comics and the U.S. South]

Humor | Was Abraham Lincoln America's first superhero? [Hero Complex]