Guest Steviekick Report post Posted June 25, 2003 from www.newsarama.com While it's not news that Marvel often seeks to generate controversy, their latest has gotten them attention from royalty. In an article about Princess Diana returning in the pages of X-Statix, a Buckingham Palace source has said the use of the Princess is "utterly appalling." Cue sales increase. The comment comes in a Daily Mail story which is a follow up to an interview Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada gave on Fanboy Radio two weeks ago, wherein he said that the late Princess of Wales was a mutant and, ""Like every good superhero, she's coming back from the dead. This defies my 'Dead-Is-Dead' Rule. Princess Di is coming back and she's gonna be... she's going to join one of the X-Men teams. "If comics are anything, we're subversive. This is really a wonderful story." It was later confirmed for Newsarama that Diana would join, in some form or another, X-Statix. The Mail states that the comic is expected to sell around 150,000 copies worldwide, interestingly, a number that is roughly 120,000 copies more than estimated numbers shipped via Diamond. The article also quotes Rich (Lying in the Gutters) Johnston who has yet to read the story, says that the storyline is "tasteless and sick," adding that "Princess Diana is the first time a specific celebrity has appeared in the book and I think there is a reason for that - to attract more attention. Johnston was also quoted as saying: "There are many internet sites dedicated to comic books and they have been buzzing with discussions about this cartoon. Most people think it's in incredibly bad taste." However, when contacted by Newsarama to clarify his comments (as it was odd to hear Johnston condemning anyone else for doing somehting to attract attention to themselves), Johnston said that he was: "Mispelt, misquoted, misrepresented - I love The Daily Mail. I said 'reaction is about half and half, some people think it's cool, others think it's sick and tasteless.' Would I refer to X-Statix as a cartoon? "But it's all good for the Marvel hype machine - hopefully it'll get picked up across the world and give Marvel X-Statix sales a much needed kick up the backside." It is not mentioned once in the article that X-Statix is written by Peter Milligan, himself and Englishman. Early results in a Daily Mail poll posted with the article show Mail readers slightly more than a half and half split, with 72% saying Diana's appearance in the comic is harmless fun, and only 28% voting that the storyline and appearance is disrespectful. For the record, The Daily Mail's question asks: "Should the Princess Diana comic character be banned?" According to the Mail, a Buckingham Palace source said: "This is utterly appalling. It appears to be just a cheap attempt to cash in on Diana's fame and the tragic circumstances surrounding her death." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
