A string of online games with Marvel's atypical comic book characters will soon make their way to the gaming world - thanks to a noteworthy partnership between comic book biggie Marvel Entertainment and the San Mateo, California-based online game startup Gazillion Entertainment!

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Tuesday's deal - the financial aspects of which remained undisclosed - is an exclusive 10-year agreement between Marvel and Gazillion, an Allen & Co and Oak Investments-backed company. The deal allows Gazillion to make as many online games as it desires, based on any of the 5,000 characters in the Marvel universe.

The agreement also represents a beginning in the new direction for Marvel. Its 2006 online game with Microsoft and Cryptic Studios - called Marvel Online Universe - was later terminated in 2007.

The very first offering by the new partners will be the game Gazillion has been working on for the past one year - a kid-oriented online world based on the most-recent Marvel property "Super Hero Squad." While the game itself is scheduled for a 2010 release, the show kids will make its appearance on the Cartoon Network in the fall.

Other than the Super Hero Squad game, Gazillion will move on with its own edition of a massive Marvel game, Marvel Universe, for both the PC and video game consoles.