Marvel has announced higher guidance for 2002 and is predicting an even better year in 2003. Marvel raised its 2002 sales estimate $5 million to $280-$285 million for the year, and its 2002 EBIDTA estimate $6 million to $78-$83 million for the year.

Kenny Penman of Forbidden Planet International in the UK saw the ICv2 2002 Toy Awards, strongly disagreed with our choice of DC Direct as Toy Company of the Year, and offers this impassioned response.

Jason Bardyla of Happy Harbor Comics & Toys in Jasper, Edmonton, and Calgary, Alberta, who saw our recent article on Marvel prices and remembered our earlier coverage of Marvel president Bill Jemas' response to DC's price increases, sent us this comment.

When contacted by ICv2, a spokesperson for the store said that the company was planning a major new store in Osaka, Japan and wished to concentrate its efforts there.

These awards are given as a way of reflecting on the events of the year and to draw some conclusions from them. We chose Jakks Pacific's acquisition of the Dragon Ball toy license as the Deal of the Year, and the divergent price trends in collectibles as the Phenomenon of the Year.

We chose DC Direct as the Toy Company of the Year and Beyblades as the Toy Product of the Year.

We chose the FUNimation/Four Kids distribution agreement as the deal of the year, and increasing TV exposure as the phenomenon of the year.

A recent New York Times business section article took up the task of finding the common elements in the news that FAO Schwartz is nearing bankruptcy, and earnings warnings from Blockbuster, Best Buy, and Circuit City.

A quintet of familiar properties took the top positions in our Top 10 Cool lists of the top dollar products in pop culture stores in November.

FUNimation Productions Ltd. And Jakks Pacific Inc. have announced that FUNimation has granted the master toy license for Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT to Jakks, effective immediately.