Rather than cancel three titles with lagging circulation, Marvel COO Bill Jemas has decided to raise the cover price of Spider-Girl , Black Panther , and Captain Marvel by 25 cents.

In Marvel's press conference today, Marketing Manager Bill Rosemann ran down an impressive list of Spider-Man projects scheduled for the spring in order to feed off the heat generated by the Spider-Man movie, which opens May 3.

Next fall John Wiley & Sons will publish a lighthearted but rigorous look at the scientific underpinnings of superhero and science fiction comic books.

In contrast to the heady days of the late 90s, Hasbro has pruned back its offerings.

Although the total for sales of traditional toys rose only 2% in 2001, the action figure category registered a solid increase of 36% according to figures released at Toy Fair by Toy Industry Association.

No comic publisher has ever assembled a more formidable phalanx of films based on its characters than Marvel Comics, which has no fewer than five major motion pictures set for theatrical release during the next 18 months.

DC's Dark Knight Strikes Again was the top-selling comic for the third consecutive month, according to orders placed with Diamond US from pop culture stores. The initial raw order was over 171,000 copies, which was around 10% over initial orders on #2, and nearly as high as the initial orders on #1.

Estimated quantities for initial orders on comics shipping in February 2002 from pop culture stores ordering from Diamond US.

Free Comic Book Day is gaining strength as more publishers have agreed to participate and as the promotional heat picks up.

The December Top Ten Cool lists, which reflect how products actually sold through in pop culture stores, had big products selling big...