Based on Marvel's SEC financial reports, they are a healthy, profitable company. Revenues are evenly split between publishing, movies and merchandising, which is a key indicator of a healthy company - the old adage about not putting all of your eggs in one basket.

Admittedly, we have yet to see how this economic downturn will affect comics. But 1. that's completely out of Marvel's control and 2. is affecting nearly every business.

Given the strong performance of the publishing line, I don't think it's unfair to suggest Joe Quesada is doing a good job - even if those of us here don't like much of Marvel's current product. The guy is running a profitable operation and that's what matters to shareholders, not the quality of the product.

I think that the current staff of writers and for the most part, the artists who get their work in on time (the few that there are) are doing a good job at Marvel.  I just don't like Joe Quesada because he was too lenient with writers and artists who couldn't produce work in a timely manner.  I mean c'mon, look at Daredevil:Target.  That book is what, 6 years late!  Not to mention how long it took for another late book to be finished, Ultimate Hulk vs Ultimate Wolverine.  The practice of turning in stuff behind schedule is what needs to change at Marvel and the elimination of Joe Quesada would help solve that, IMHO.

Rick Whiting:

QUOTE: Simon, Quesada did not help bring Marvel out of bankruptcy, Avi Arad did with the movies and merchandise. And I would hardly call rehashing old plots and/or story ideas from the 80's and 90's as an example of Quesada moving away from creative stagnancy.

Exactly.

This is funny: Quesada and his coworkers talked about the previous Marvel (pre-2000) like that was horrible. But if it was so, why to recycle every idea from those years?
I'm waiting to read SECRET INVASION in Italy, but a friend of mine told me something about the story.
Skrull infiltration? Already seen it in "Power and glory", from CAPTAIN AMERICA by Mark Waid, or in the early FANTASTIC FOUR issues by Tom DeFalco.
Genetic bomb? A bell rings, and tells me "Live Kree or die!", an Avengers crossover by Busiek, Waid and, I think, Ostrander.
All '90s stuff. And I liked it.

And in the recent years... "Avengers disassemble"? Oh, wow, another "The crossing".
"House of M"? "Age of Apocalypse II", I'd say.

Oh, in this moment I'm enjoying some Marvel titles. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, INCREDIBLE HERCULES, AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL, some miniseries like WORLD WAR HULK, CLANDESTINE or CAPTAIN MARVEL.
But certain previews and events (like Dark reign) seem, or are, so depressing, for a reader like me who would simply read his favorite comic books...

QUOTE: I suppose the best way to show dissatisfaction with a comic company's product is NOT TO BUY IT.

The only problem, Pj, is that most people here dissatisfied with Marvel are NOT buying their books.  They want them to change so that they can buy them again, I guess.