BURBANK, Calif. – Thousands of costume-clad comic book fans filled the streets in a super-powered protest Tuesday, at one point surrounding Disney’s corporate headquarters in Burbank, California, causing traffic delays that lasted throughout the night.

Police were on edge as tensions escalated into a showdown wherein demonstrators dressed as super villains began taunting their hero-bedecked counterparts.

The confrontation soon ended when members of both groups began regaling each other with word-for-word recitations of their favorite Marvel tomes, resulting in an impromptu comics trivia ‘slam’.

The outrage stems from entertainment giant Disney’s recent multi-billion dollar acquisition of Marvel Entertainment Inc and subsequent announcement of an all-new lineup of ‘crossover’ characters that draw from both brands’ seemingly bottomless pools of cartoon properties.

Image issued by Disney showing concept sketch of newly announced 'Spider-Mouse' character

“I’m not sure what the fuss is all about,” said Frill Hostel, Chief Magic Officer for The Walt Disney Company. “We’re giving Disney and Marvel fans the best of both worlds here.”

Among the new characters revealed were ‘Spider-Mouse’, ‘Donald Hulk’ and ‘Wolverella’.

“They’ve taken away all manner of inspiration in my life,” a fan dressed as the Green Goblin bemoaned. “They’ve turned yet another art form into a commodity that exploits children’s imaginations.”

“Hogwarts!” replied Hostel. “The Disney Engimagining Team really has accomplished quite something here. They’ve added the endearing timelessness of our most loveable characters to the iconic Americana of Marvel’s pantheon of heroes. What’s not to like?”

A small group of Disney fans – eight to be exact – had planned to stage a counterdemonstration but became frightened and quickly disbanded.

One person was hospitalized after a tentacle from his Doctor Octopus outfit became snagged on the side mirror of a passing tour bus.

Originally posted 2009-09-02 08:00:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter