In a press conference today, Marvel announced that it will be simultaneously releasing three Marvelous Adventures of Gus Beezer one-shots in late March, which will star a young boy living in the Marvel universe.   Described as 'Calvin and Hobbes meets the Marvel universe,' the books will be appropriate for very young readers, and will be 'a simple jumping-on point' for young fans.  The Gus Beezer character is a seven- to eight-year-old boy who's very immersed in the Marvel universe, imagines himself to be a superhero at times, and actually encounters the superheroes from time to time as well.

 

The three one-shots will feature Spider-Man, the Hulk and X-Men.  The books will be written by Gail Simone and drawn in a 'cartoony' style by 15-year animation veteran Jason Lethcoe.  All will be solicited in the February Previews and street March 26th.  They will be printed to order, but if they sell out quickly, an inexpensive compilation will be released 'within weeks.' 

 

In recent weeks, our Talk Back section has been rife with retailer comments lamenting the lack of books appropriate for young readers, in particular books that could take advantage of the tremendous interest in Marvel properties arising from their massive media exposure.  Marvel EIC Joe Quesada acknowledged that this was 'uncharted territory' for Marvel.  'We haven't done anything like this for a very long time,' he said.  In addition to the direct market, Marvel is hoping for a good reaction 'also and primarily from bookstores.'  Here's hoping that this treatment of the Marvel characters succeeds at recruiting a new generation of young comic readers.