Over the last few weeks, I’ve been talking to people within the comics industry to try to sniff out Apple’s plans.

It’s an easy presumption for comic book fans. The Sun Times‘ Andy Inhatko is betting that LongBox, a digital distribution platform for comic books, will make an appearance on Apple’s upcoming tablet. More than just an appearance, really:

I’m pretty sure that Apple is entering into a formal alliance with LongBox. When I asked [LongBox CEO Rantz] Hoseley about what kind of partnerships the company is forming, he spoke vaguely of what was taking up most of his time at the moment: a lengthy and complicated agreement with a seriously large company operating in the media space.

One problem: Several sources I spoke to over the last couple of weeks, including top-level executives at giants like Marvel and DC, have said they’ve not heard a whisper from Apple — despite a nearly desperate hope that Apple would come a-courtin’. One executive said to me, when I mentioned the possibility of putting his comic books on the Apple tablet, “If you’ve heard anything from Apple, please tell them I’m ready to do it.”

That means that LongBox may be the only distribution option for comic books at the tablet’s launch, through some sort of dedicated LongBox app. And if LongBox’s distribution plan for the Apple tablet is just an app, why would they need to do any negotiations with Apple? Launch the LongBox app, sell the content and go. No Apple nod necessary.

We know that Apple has been reaching out to select publishers. It was Andy Inhatko who passed on the rumour about “trucks loaded with books” earlier this year. It all fits with the moves we already know Apple is making in its outreach to magazine and newspaper publishers. For Apple, the tablet is about cleaning up; with the addition of books, newspaper, magazines and comic books, there isn’t a single vector of mass media that Apple won’t be able to distribute through iTunes. With the success of the App Store—a success I think even Apple wasn’t expecting to such a degree—they’re even a major distributor of software and games.

Oh right, there’s also music and video.

Marvel content, especially, seems like a given. Disney bought Pixar, putting Steve Jobs on the Disney board. Then Disney buys Marvel. Marvel has already dabbled in publishing content through iTunes, with a new “motion comic” version of The Astonishing X-Men hitting iTunes on October 28.

Last week, I spoke to Inhatko on my tiny Apple tablet about his story. He’s increasingly persuaded that Apple is content to let print publishers distribute their content through apps, not through the iTunes store itself.

He may very well be right, at least at the tablet’s launch, especially given Apple’s reticence to even acknowledge the tablet’s existence, let alone provide publishers with detailed, unified specifications for an “iRead” format. But it also strikes me as an inelegant solution at best, especially considering iTunes 9’s iTunes LP format is an HTML- and JavaScript-based 720p format that would work just wonderfully for a digital magazine and comics format.

Could just be wishful thinking on my part—I’d rather manage subscriptions through iTunes like podcasts, rather than individual apps—but either way it’s a win for Apple, who will happily get their cut no matter what system of digital print distribution ultimately takes off.

There is one shocker I discovered in my discussions with Marvel folk: It’s been confirmed to me that Hulk is stronger than Thor. Chew on that one for a while — at least until you can buy Hulk vs. Thor on iTunes. Excelsior!

The free online app allows you to select between a slew of page layouts, then drag and drop your favourite (mini) Marvel heroes into each panel. Of course it can also add text, sound effects, objects — whatever you need to flesh out that 4-part series you’ve always wanted to see in which a prepubescent Wolverine struggles to uncover the roots of his inexplicably persistent five o’clock shadow.

But the best part is that the whole system is vector based, meaning that you can enlarge any element (like characters) as much as you’d like before exporting your comic to a fairly high res PDF (that’s free from watermarks or any other stuff that could sour the experience).

Though, I must admit, I fear to see what your minds come up with in the comments. Please keep in mind that none of these superheroes are of age. [Marvel via GeekDad]

They were showing the Marvel comic app on the upcoming PSP Go!, and the first thing worth mentioning was that it looks great. The colours are vibrant, the text is easy to read on the smallish screen and everything looks incredibly high res and gorgeous.

The key element of the reader though is Autoflow, which zooms and scrolls through the comic as you read it. This is the element that could make or break the service. And I have to say that it’s probably going to make it. To read through, you just keep tapping the right directional button, and the software automatically zooms and pans. On large images with quite a bit of text, it will pan across to the text as you go along, letting you read everything in order. If you want to get a closer look at an image, you just push the right shoulder button to zoom in (left button zooms out) and the analogue stick to move around. The up and down d-pad buttons turn the pages forward and backwards without zooming in using Autoflow.

I started reading an issue of Iron Man that was loaded on the PSP Go! and I was hooked within moments. They practically had to pry the PSP from my hands so they could show someone else the device.

Sony reckon the service will launch before the end of the year. There’s no word on pricing, but they expect it will be “pretty cheap”. It’ll work with the old PSP as well, although you’ll probably need to upgrade your memory stick to handle all the comics you’ll almost certainly download. Even though I’ve never really been a comic book reader, I sincerely believe this will get me started…

Of course this Iron Man anime is totally badass—Japan’s made cartoons about dudes in robot suits for over 40 years. And of course, Iron Man is blowing up a bunch of other dudes in crazy robot suits.

That bad guy is creepy—like a cross between M. Bison and this dude I saw on the cover of an anime in Blockbuster when I was 5 and gave me nightmares for a while and Guyver.

The show’s for the Japanese market by the animation giant Madhouse, so except for Iron Man looking like Iron Man and beating arse, it won’t be a whole lot like the all-American Iron Man we know. Still, I seriously hope they consider re-importing it so I don’t have to download fansubs.

But uh, don’t <a href=”even ask what they’re doing to Wolverine. It’s just better that way. [Topless Robot via Technabob]

Marvel’s Joe Quesada said the project would be “not quite comics… not quite animation.” The first Motion Comic to be offered, “Astonishing X-Men #1-10″ will be directed by John Cassaday. I don’t know… when reading comics, did you ever actually feel the need to watch Jean Grey blink? [Buzznewsroom]

We want a “DC vs Marvel: the Springfield Wars” miniseries now. [Springfield Punx, Thanks Oscar]

…View digital distribution of our comics as an area of great growth potential…and also soon in mobile distribution…so they can read our new comic books on their mobile device…

I’ve been using Marvel’s online subscription for a month now and the flash based player is a bit wonky at times, but overall, 10,000 back issues for $US5-$10 a month isn’t something to complain about. [IESB via PopSyndicate]

For those not just interested in the tech-based superheroes, Marvel also announced dates for Thor, The Avengers and a Captain America standalone. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Feature Film Slate Update:

Marvel today updated its feature film slate strategy and plans for the next three years, locking in key release windows for its character franchises. In order to focus its attention on maximizing the success of an Iron Man sequel and the launch of Thor in the summer of 2010 and because Marvel believes that the summer is the optimal time to launch a new property, the Company will not release a self produced film in 2009. Marvel plans to launch its 2010 film slate with the release of the sequel, Iron Man 2, on April 30, 2010, followed by the launch of Thor on June 4, 2010. Additionally, Marvel is planting its feature film stakes for summer 2011 with an Avengers-themed summer – a two-picture project which will debut on May 6, 2011 with The First Avenger: Captain America (working title), followed by The Avengers in July 2011.

Marvel’s Chairman, Morton Handel, commented, “Adjusting for the strong year-ago contribution from the Spider-Man JV, Marvel’s Q1 2008 operating results continued to demonstrate strong global demand for consumer products based on the Company’s portfolio of characters. Marvel’s self-produced feature film slate launched this past weekend with a performance that firmly establishes Iron Man as a major new film franchise, and the Company eagerly awaits the June premiere of The Incredible Hulk, Marvel’s second self-produced film. In addition, Marvel has been investing in other important areas of growth such as the Internet where, to lead the Company’s newly formed Global Digital Media Group, Marvel recently announced the hiring of Ira Rubenstein. Marvel has a strong foundation to build from, and the Company is adding infrastructure to maximize these opportunities.”

[via Maxconsole]