Kool-Aid said:
I hate how Marvel spoiles things too. I remember reading something, what it was I forget, but what it was was either Joe or Bendis saying the public likes things spoiled.
It was some interview for a Joe Friday's around when DEADLY GENESIS was still coming out and Joe Q was throwing a hissy fit because instead of selling in the Top 10 like was probably expected, it was "underordered" and "only" debuted in the Top 15. Yes, the Top 15 is "underwhelming" for Marvel sometimes. Then, by that standard, Dan DiDio must want to slash his wrists because he has PLENTY of DC books that sell below the Top 50.
On that topic, to digress for a bit, the reason DEADLY GENESIS was underordered was simply a case of Marvel's past stupid actions catching up with them. See, DEADLY GENESIS was yet another X-mini series. Far too many of these had been passed within the past 2-4 years or so, and all the time, they're solicted as being "important", and rarely are. So fans and shops got the hint when they've overordered some of those mini's and then had to eat them, to basically see an X mini series and go, "Wait, I've been burned before, Marvel always says everything matters when it doesn't, let's be conservative here." Alas, this time with DG, Marvel really DID see a wolf attacking the flock, but no one believed them. So the book sold a little worse than Joe Q expected, and he naturally blamed the ol' reliable source; anything but himself and Marvel, which is above all fault. Its the fans and the retailers that are always to blame for Marvel's ills or decisions. Its almost ironic how critical Marvel comics are of the Bush Administration when they basically do the same thing; refuse to admit or acknowledge any mistake and always twist the blame for any misstep on someone else.
Anyway, yes, in that interview, Joe Q claimed that fans WANT to be spoiled for critical plot information and cites research that Hollywood studios have conducted regarding movie trailers (which naturally concluded that with movies, people like being spoiled and are more likely to see a movie if they pretty much know what to expect). Of course, Joe Q fails to see these differences:
1). Movie trailers have to appeal to a wider audience; they are aimed for EVERYONE, age 8 to 80 as the saying goes. The comic audience, by contrast, is a far smaller target group and naturally that means that what might apply for a wider audience may not apply for this smaller, specific one, and vice versa. Its like applying research done on Hip Hop fans for Alternative Rock fans.
2). Movies are far more expensive than a comic book, so it stands to reason that people would be more cautious about comitting their dollars and thus would want spoilers in trailers. I'm not sure how it is across the nation, but in NYC, a full price ticket can be as high as $10.50 or even $11 in Manhattan. In some theatres in the outer boroughs (like Brooklyn, where I live), it is usually less, maybe $8.50 or $9 or something. That is STILL far greater than a typical comic book, which averages $3 (and at most expensive, $5). Even MATINEES for some rare theatre showings these days average about $6 and up. Plus you then have to include snacks at a theatre which of course are horribly overpriced, but many moviegoers (especially those who travel as a group, on a date, or with family, which is most moviegoers) do buy something at the theatre despite the cost. My point is that because of costs, moviegoers have a good reason for wanting spoilers. Comic fans don't have the same pricescale and so, again, transferring the data is not accurate.
Naturally Joe Q claims that because of ferocious fans on the internet that fans scream for spoilers do. But that's the way of anyone in anticipation. And besides, as much as Joe Q and Marvel whine about the Internet, they readily exploit it for their gain and than bash it when it disagrees with them. Why are the fans to be listened to when they seemingly "want spoilers", but can be ignored when they "complain about what we're doing with [INSERT FRANCHISE/CHARACTER HERE]"? You can't have it both ways. If the fans are so right about them wanting to be spoiled, maybe it stands to reason that they could be onto something when Marvel makes a character misstep? And conversely, if the fans aren't to be listened to regarding characters because "they all hate change and whine about anything", then why are you buying their "spoiler whines" like hungry guppies?
Now, both Marvel and DC spit out solicts for comics MONTHS in advance; sometimes 2-3 months in advance. This is to build hype, but can't they be done in a way that keeps the stories more of a guess? I'm sure there are no end of writers who grow frustrated when a story they worked hard to construct is spoiled by Marvel a few months before the big finish. Imagine if Yahoo aired footage from the final 10 minutes of any movie about 2-3 months before said movie aired, and you'd understand. DC seems to do better with keeping their secrets under the lid than Marvel, in which nearly every major "event" storyline has had the key bits well-known before the issue hits stands. But, Joe would say, "the sales back it up". So there's not much to be done.
That said, despite Marvel all but allowing the "who will die" target to only fall on about 4 of the Runaways (Gert, Chase, Old Lace or Xavin), the story was still effective and my prediction was still wrong on who bit it. That's a testiment to BKV's prowess.
