NextPlanetOver.com Announces Licensing Deal with Marvel Comics

Posted on September 17, 1999

NextPlanetOver.com, an online comics store, has announced a one year marketing and content licensing deal with Marvel Comics. Terms include a year of run-of-site advertising on Marvel.com. In addition, NextPlanetOver.com will sponsor monthly "CyberComics" created exclusively for NextPlanetOver.com by Marvel.

NextPlanetOver.com co-founder and CEO, Dave Scott, said, "Our license with Marvel Comics deepens our working relationship with a leading player in comic book publishing. We are thrilled to be playing a key role in bringing this form of entertainment to the Internet, where it can be reached by tens of millions of potential fans. Our mission is to broaden the appeal of comic books and bring them to the forefront of the entertainment world."

The CyberComics, which will exclusively appear on NextPlanetOver.com, will feature Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, Thor and the Incredible Hulk, and will fit into current Marvel plot lines. NextPlanetOver.com has also purchased rights to 12 previously created episodes from Marvel's CyberComics library. In addition to the CyberComics, NextPlanetOver.com currently carries over 600 Marvel products including comics and books that are available for sale to the site's users.

Peter Kelley, Vice President, Programming, Marvel.com said that Marvel signed the deal with NextPlanetOver.com because of the company's opportunity to reach out to develop new fan bases. "CyberComics' bring our characters to life in new ways, and we believe that they will have broad mass appeal. NextPlanetOver.com is leveraging that appeal to market our published comic books to these new fans, ultimately increasing sales of our publishing division," comments Kelley.