Now, think about it... all those talented Disney artists in the Animation department... They can draw on model, they are fast, ...

Me think Blacksaad...

For some reason my sense is they will continue publishing. Disney knows how to tap into a passionate fan base - in the same way some comic book fans can be obsessive, there are similar Disney park and film fans. Disney has been savvy in how they target them.

Cutting publishing would be a drastic, New Coke-ish kind of sea change that would effect a passionate and vocal fan base. A fan base that has proven to be an opinion leader on building grass roots support for films, but only when they are quality films. While cutting publishing may seem like a smart business move, there's no denying the impact San Diego Comic Con and Ain't It Cool News have had on the entertainment industry. Keeping the characters in active publication may prove important to tapping into this group and ensuring they are along for teh ride.

But while I think publishing will survive, I think this may indeed be the moment when the form changes. This may be when Marvel stops publishing 22 page monthlies and goes to manga style trade paperbacks. The frequency of the titles could still be monthly or even weekly, but they need less titles, and each title needs more content per book.

And with this format I hope the content moves to a universal, all ages editorial approach that satisfies the older readers while being accessible to younger readers. Something like "Marvel Adventures" is completely counterintuitive to achieving a healthy readership. Once kids grow out of those titles, you lose them. You need titles that younger kids see older kids reading. Young kids strive to do what older kids do - that's how you get them both.

Sometimes companies prefer to spend $0 to make $10 million than spending $10 million to make $30 million.

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That's funny!  You must be a riot at the shareholders' meetings...