Marvel comic packaged with 'X-Men' DVD
By Mike Snider
USA Today
The collector's edition DVD of "X-Men: The Last Stand" has an X-tra-special extra: the first new comic in five years from Marvel Comics' Stan Lee.
The tale is packaged with Lee's three favorite classic "X-Men" adventures in a 100-page, paperback-size comic.
"I thought I would do something funny, but somehow keep it true to the X-Men, almost as Mad magazine would do it," says Lee, 83, who executive-produced the "X-Men" films and with illustrator Jack Kirby created the "X-Men" in 1963.
Fox is producing a limited number of the $40 collector's editions (there's also a $30 standard DVD), and 10,000 have comics autographed by Lee.
Tacking on extra-special extras is an attempt by studios to make their releases stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
"Studios are trying harder to find original interactive content and interesting extras that relate to the movie," says Bill Hunt, editor of The Digital Bits (www.thedigitalbits.com), which covers home video. "There is a trend to make certain releases a little bit more special."
Other DVDs with special powers:
The exclusive "X-Men" comic rewards fans of films, says "X-Men: The Last Stand" director Brett Ratner. "We wanted them to have the movie right away. It's a longer process to create all the other materials," he says. "So we are saving that stuff for the special edition," due in 2007.
Fans will appreciate the gesture, says Ian McKellen, who plays Magneto.
"I'm constantly being asked to sign DVDs," he says. "It might be a marketing ploy, but for some fans, (special editions) might be the equivalent of having the complete Dickens on the shelf."
