Marvel Entertainment is going to be making its inaugural appearance at SXSW! Apparently on March 11, they intend to announce some ground breaking news on the Arcade Stage. The panel is going to include Axel Alonso (Marvel Comics Editor in Chief), Jeph Loeb (Head of Marvel Television) and Peter Phillips (SVP & GM, Marvel Digital Media Group).

Marvel has been making a big push to move into digital comics. They launched Marvel Digital Comics in 2007, which was really the first major digital comics program around. And yes… there is an app for that, on both iOS and Android.

While I am excited to be there as I am all for comics, my ComicCon friends they seemed to be a little prickly that Marvel is going to a non comic event to do a big announcement. Let me tell you it started a very heated discussion over digital comics versus traditional that made me regret even mentioning it. Personally I think it could be a great platform to make an interactive innovation announcement.

To borrow a roller derby term I am fresh meat for SXSW (this year will be my first to finally attend!) so I find myself wondering how the traditionalists see a comic incursion to the Festival. Is this blurring the line between the festival and the plethora of comic cons a little too much? Or is it just another example of how many different aspects of our lives are touched by interactive media?

# January 27, 2012,