Sometimes the pop culture products industry gets pretty wild and woolly, and last week was such a time, with three stories in different venues providing some diversion from our regularly scheduled programming.

Since the implementation of Marvel's 'no overprint' policy, some retailers that were shorted on initial shipments were not able to get replacement copies.

Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , which over the past weekend became the first foreign language film to gross over $100 million, will be released on video this June.

Although its ability to execute its strategy is yet to be proven, Marvel is in fact pursuing a two-pronged strategy that includes substantially increasing its output of trade paperbacks and graphic novels as well as trying to imrove sales of its periodical comics.

Art Asylum will produce four or five action figures based on characters from the film and create a comic adaptation of the story in conjunction with Image, which will publish the graphic novel version.

Marvel President Bill Jemas' defense of his no overprint policy has fed the continuing discussion over the future of the comics business.

The big news from the Orlando, Florida Megacon last weekend was the announcement from Marvel and DC that the long-awaited JLA/Avengers crossover will become a reality.

In a statement released Friday, March 2nd, Marvel President Bill Jemas has reinforced Marvel's decision not to over-print its periodical comics, c alling the past policy of 10-20% overprints, '...a desperate, shortsighted effort to squeeze every last dollar out of every last book.'

In an analysis of March orders to Diamond from comic stores, we've discovered what has long been talked about in general terms -- just how far comic sales have fallen from their once lofty heights.

Fantagraphics Books has announced that the Ghost World film, based on the Daniel Clowes graphic novel, will be released in June, somewhat later than previously announced.