Marvel Entertainment Group

Marvel Entertainment Group Inc. said financier Ronald Perelman offered to pay $350 million for new Marvel shares in a bid to keep the troubled comic book company from filing for bankruptcy. Marvel's stock tumbled because the plan from Perelman's Andrews Group Inc. means issuing 410 million shares at 85 cents each. That would sharply cut the value of existing shares to about $1.30 each. The stock is collateral for $643 million in bonds.

Scott Sassa, who resigned last month from a top-ranking position at Turner Broadcasting System, is expected to take the helm of New York financier Ronald Perelman's ailing Marvel Entertainment Group, according to television sources. Sassa could not be reached for comment Monday. But television sources say the 37-year-old executive is preparing to move from Atlanta to New York to become chief executive of the financially troubled comic book company.

Carolco Files Claim Against Marvel: Lawyers for the production company, which is operating under Chapter 11 of U.S. Bankruptcy Code, are disputing in a court filing a Marvel Entertainment claim that Carolco's rights to make a live-action film based on the comic book superhero Spiderman reverts to Marvel this week.

To his friends, Rob Liefeld seems to have attained the ultimate Generation X lifestyle. He works odd hours drawing cartoons and drives around Southern California in his Jeep, stopping off for Mexican fast food when the urge hits. But corporate America has a pretty grown-up job for the laid-back 28-year-old millionaire. Marvel Entertainment Group Inc.

Marvel Entertainment Group, the behemoth publisher of comic books, said Thursday that it has acquired Malibu Comics Entertainment Inc., the innovative West Coast Wunderkind of the comic book industry, creating an entity that will control 40% of the market. Details of the sale were not disclosed, though Malibu is to continue fully autonomous operations and remain in sole charge of its business ventures, including plans for feature movies, television cartoons and other merchandising.

Batman has Robin. Superman comes with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson. But only "Youngblood" has '90s-style sidekicks: Spin doctors. Speech writers. Video trainers. Wardrobe consultants with expertise in spandex. This is not just a comic book for the MTV Generation. It's from the MTV Generation. And "Youngblood"--the new, in-your-face group of superheroes--is taking the comic book industry by storm.

BIFF! SOCK! WHAM! That's how it must have felt Tuesday in the New York offices of Marvel Entertainment Group, publisher of Spiderman and other Marvel Comics, as Wall Street gave the firm a hammering. Marvel's stock tumbled $11.375 a share to $54.625 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange, losing $137.6 million in market value, after Barron's, a weekly financial newspaper, published a story over the weekend critical of the comic book firm.