"So you think it's wrong for a gossip site to spoil things? Where's your outrage when MARVEL spoils things?"

I was asked variations of this questions a LOT yesterday BEFORE Marvel dropped a major spoiler in the news (about a story that's being released today).

And I gave an answer.

And I'm being asked that question even MORE now as greater numbers of readers are hitting that big spoiler online.

So I'm going to answer it again-- here on Twitlonger where I can explain my take on it in more than 140 characters to make my case.

What's different about a leak that comes from Marvel?

First off, when Marvel drops a major spoiler in the news, they let the creative team know it's coming ahead of time. And you'll find, every time, that those creators will use social media to warn you that a spoiler is about to hit so you can have the best chance of avoiding it. (You can see the writer of today's comic making that effort now.)

Do the creators like it? No. As people who work crazy hours and put lots of time, energy, and passion into telling stories, we WANT them to reach you completely unspoiled.

The flipside: Marvel is a business and they want to sell these comics to as many people as possible. And, in cases like this, they REALLY want to sell these comics to people who aren't regular comic book readers-- either people who haven't set foot in a comic shop for some time and might be lured back by this big news-- or someone who's never set foot in a comic shop at all, but is familiar with this characters from movies, TV, video games, cartoons, or what have you.

A hit in a nationwide newspaper or on a TV show is invaluable. It's a chance to bring in large numbers of all-new readers or lapsed readers into the fold is good for the industry. It's why we have initiatives like Free Comic Book Day.

And if those potential readers set foot in a comic book shop for whatever reason-- a character's dying, two character's are getting married, Obama's on the cover, etc.-- they might pick up some other comics as well-- from ANY company. And even if they don't come back for the very next issue, they might start dropping by that comic shop every now and then-- and eventually become a regular reader.

That's the hope. And the more new and lapsed readers who are drawn in from outside the current pool of regular readers-- who join in and become regular readers themselves-- the healthier the ENTIRE industry becomes.

For the short term risk of a day when that spoiler is out there, we all could gain a better long term health for the industry as a whole. And, like I said before, the creators who are on those potentially spoiled titles will do their best to try to steer you away from those spoilers before they hit so you can be prepared.

When a leak comes from a gossip site it's different in these ways:

For the most part, the creators are blindsided by it. And then the best we can do is warn you that the barn door is already open.

In this case, the information is aimed at the already initiated. It's going out to the people who are already invested in comics enough that they're following a comic gossip site. And while it may pique the interest of some lapsed readers, it's not really going to go far outside of that pool.

Also, because of the nature of gossip sites, you're going to get extra spin and commentary thrown into the mix.

You're not just getting the leak, you're getting the leak and usually a lot of salt, snark, and personal agendas. It's usually being delivered to you in a way to make you feel outrage or disappointment.

This isn't going to a movie theater and seeing a trailer-- it's someone pulling you aside and either describing the trailer to you-- through their personal lens and usually in the worst way possible. (If you're lucky, you get a blurry screen shot-- or part of a sequence taken out of context-- and, in some cases, a weird theory thrown in as well (which you'll later find out is completely false, but that won't stop people being mad about it on message boards for years-and-years... even though it's not in the story at ALL).

The more salacious the spin and commentary are-- and who can get that leak up there first-- is what will score that gossip site the most hits and clicks.

And that's what it's really about. Eyeballs. It's common sense. Gossip sites want you to visit their page. It helps them chug along, get ads, and do what they do the next day. And the comic company is really no different in that regard. They want you to pick up the comic, they want the revenue, so they can put out more comics the next month. Again, this is all common sense and we all get this.

For creators, it's frustrating. Because end of the day, we're all storytellers and we want to tell you unspoiled stories. Anyone who's followed my feed knows that I can't stand spoilers in any form. In a perfect world, I wouldn't even want there to BE previews-- or covers shown three months in advance. I'd dearly love it if you could see that cover for the first time on the rack-- and have NO idea or clue or hint what was inside until you flipped to that first page.

But that's not the world we live in.

Do I like that spoilers hit major news outlets? No. But I understand why companies do that and how the lure of new readers is good for everyone in the long run. When they're projects I work on, I get advance knowledge that the spoilers are heading your way and I do my best to warn you. And, hopefully, you get to read the story the way the storytellers intended-- you get to read the work that teams of artists spent weeks of hard work putting together-- a story presented to you in the best possible light.

Is it more frustrating when a site spoils that work and all that time and energy just so they can get your clicks? You bet. Is it crushing to see it shown ahead of time with blurry images, misinformation, and snark thrown in? Yes.

In the end:

It's the difference between a studio putting out a trailer that gives away too much of the movie-- but with people who worked on it running out ahead and saying, "Don't watch this!"

Versus the guy who sees someone about to make a joke, so they jump in, yell out the punchline first. Most times getting it kinda wrong. And then usually adding, "Didn't that joke suck?". But, hey, at least they got your attention.

Reply · Report Post