AI Exclusive: Marvel Entertainment hints at big plans for Thor comic book tie-in

Singapore - C.B. Cebulski, Marvel Entertainment senior vice president for creator and content development, was struck by the impact of seeing one of Marvel’s long-time characters in a big Hollywood production when Marvel Studios released the first trailer for Thor.

“It’s gorgeous. It’s one of those ones where I get goose bumps every time I watch it,” he said. “It’s a lot like the original one, the one we had at Marvel, and they’ve added to it a little. So it was interesting to see what they fixed, what they tweaked,” Cebulski said of Kenneth Branagh’s interpretation of Marvel’s Norse god.

Cebulksi, who is also a talent scout, editor, writer and comic book artist for Marvel Entertainment, said there are plans to introduce the mythos of the comic book Thor to the mass audience ahead of the movie’s release in April 2011.

“When the movies are coming out it’s a good time for us to gear up and sell comics not [just] to the comics fans to the mainstream market as well, because there’s a new understanding of different heroes,” Cebulski told Asia Image in a one-on-one interview held on the sidelines of the Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention.

“We started a lot of that with Spider-Man, more of the second [installment] than the first,” Cebulski continued. “The first Spider-Man was such a big hit, books kept selling out and we didn’t have enough [to meet demand].” He said they have learned not to underestimate what a movie franchise can do for a comic book asset since then.

Learn more about Marvel’s big publishing tie-in for the early summer release of Thor in the January-February issue of Asia Image.