X-Men and Bambi cosy up

You probably missed this news story because you had more important things to worry about – Disney has bought Marvel Comics,

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So what? I hear you say. Well if you've ever enjoyed a Spider-Man film or watched in awe as the Incredible Hulk rips another pair of purple trousers and chucks a car at someone then I will eventually remind you of the folly of those words.

Since X-Men was a hit at the box office in 2000 the comic book industry has enjoyed a sort of renaissance.

More and more people have wanted to continue absorbing the adventures of the men and women in the tight spandex and that love affair with the superhero has led to even more movies.

It's easy to say that Marvel has done very well for itself with its own spin-off flicks, bringing in millions with Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man and others. Of course Marvel hasn't exactly shown itself to be completely capable of going it alone. There were some dreadful howlers – Wolverine, Spider-Man 3 – I mean, seriously, did he really have to go all emo?

But despite the $4 billion Disney is bringing to the table there are a lot of very unhappy comic book fans out there. Already there are people afraid that their favourite superheroes will be toned down, the violence will have to have a purpose and good will have to win out in order to uphold the wholesome values of Mickey Mouse and his cohorts.

Of course comic book regulation is nothing new. It was only this decade that Marvel broke free of the Comics Code Authority, which was set up in the 1950s in response to public concern about the graphic nature of comics. It seems the angry mobs didn't quite get that comics are meant to be graphic – they contain graphics.

Instrumental in the setting up of the code was a piece of work by Frederic Wertham, called Seduction of the Innocents. He concluded that Batman and Robin were clearly having some sort of perverted affair and that 90 per cent of delinquents had at some stage read a comic book. He neglected to consider that 90 per cent of delinquents had also drank milk or eaten beef.

* Some of my favourite bits of the code are these:

* If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.

* Criminals shall not be presented so as to be rendered glamorous or to occupy a position which creates a desire for emulation.

* In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal be punished for his misdeeds.

* Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities

I have gained a lot from reading superhero comics. In the absence of any particular religious leanings I learned from Spider-Man that with great power comes great responsibility. From the X-Men I learned that differences are to be celebrated, not feared, and from the Incredible Hulk I didn't learn anything, I just liked the stories.

I think any story with a character who tries to do good things and beat bad people is good for a child's development. And that's why, despite how I cannot watch Bambi without wanting to pull out my own teeth, I think Disney's financial clout will probably be a good thing – just as long as they leave the Draconian Comics Code in the past where it belongs.