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by R.J. Carter Published: June 27, 2007
Spoilers are a sensitive subject. Nothing invites ire in an online message forum than someone putting important tidbits about a movie or book in a discussion without putting a so-called spoiler warning. And woe be unto him who dares to put such information in the title of the thread! Current netiquette is to place a clear warning in the title of the thread or -- at the very least -- several lines ahead of the information being imparted. After that, it's let the reader beware. But the latest dustup comes out of the DC Comics message boards, where a prominent poster was making a name for himself by posting detailed information on issues of DC's weekly series, 52 -- the day before the book hit the shelves. The threads were clearly labeled as spoilers, and the respondents were generally positive, even thankful for the information. But another hazard of the Internet era is how quickly information can spread from one place to another, and the best placed warnings disappear with the click-and-drag of a mouse as messages from one board start appearing on others. In this particular case, the messages escaped the confines of the DC boards, and took it on the lam to Newsarama, requiring the original author to follow up with disclaimers. The spoilers continued for several months. But finally, the teakettle came to a boil when DC's newest weekly issue of Countdown coincided with the release of Justice League of America and The Flash, which saw the death of Bart Allen in the role of the Scarlet Speedster, and the return of Wally West and family with the help of the Legion of Super-Heroes. These spoilers apparently pushed a few readers to the brink, with one claiming to have gone so far as to trace the author's IP (Internet Protocol) address, which identifies the network through which someone connects to the Web, often with enough detail to pinpoint a physical location. Phone calls were made, sabers were rattled, and the author not only ceased posting, he also felt bullied to the point to withdraw his account entirely. And then the sides began to be formed. Some claimed the author didn't have the right to post the spoilers, stating he was using a privileged position to violate the trust of the publisher. Others were appalled at what appeared to be -- if not cyber-stalking -- cyber-vigilantism, and said the spoilers increased their anticipation for the impending titles. Suddenly, what started as a tiff had spilled over from DC and Newsarama to other sites of panelology discussion: ComicBloc, Silver Bullet, Comic Book Resources. It was seemingly everywhere (except, ironically, the Gutters forum at Rick Veitch's Comicon, where -- with all the temper, vitriol, whining, snark, threats, and smarminess -- it would actually have been quite at home.) Highlighted by all this is that there seems to be a genuine appetite for detailed spoilers, something that other media have taken advantage of -- with rare exceptions. Book publishers release advanced reader copies -- ARCs -- to reviewers sometimes months in advance of the title's street date. But for every hundred or so titles that go out every season, there's the inevitable Harry Potter novel, veiled in secrecy and hidden from everyone until the official date of publication. Of course, the thing with the Harry Potter matter is that the hunger is already so great for the information in the book that customers would buy it even if they had a few tidbits of information. Honestly -- if someone came out with incontravertible proof that Harry's owl Hedwig starts talking in the next book (and I'm making a facetious guess, don't anyone go getting excited), would that actually stop someone from going through with the purchase? Movie distributors release stills from the set -- sometimes showing unannounced characters -- or publish details of a plot, in order to keep the fan interest stirred up until the film hits theaters. They often put out previews open to the public to drum up word of mouth, exhibiting no spoiler control at all. Didn't seem to hurt "Spider-Man 3", even with the spate of negative reviews that circulated. In point of fact, comic publishers do open themselves up for word of mouth spoilage. Many retailers participate in what is called a "Sneak Peek" program through Diamond Distributors, where they receive a sampling of comics a full week ahead of time, allowing them to judge whether or not they should ramp up their order numbers for some of the titles. The books can't be sold until the following week, but until then retailers are free to display them under their counter, or openly atop the counter where customers can peruse them fully and decide whether they'll be purchasing the title the next week. Or not. Sometimes, publishers even beat the spoiler posters to the punch, if the title is a lesser selling one and will contain a blockbuster surprise. When Marvel's Captain America #25 was due to hit the stands, the surprise end to the book was spoiled through outlets like CNN. The issue, wrapping up Marvel's multi-line event storyline, Civil War, culminated with the assassination of the patriotic superhero. Without the release of the spoiler in advance, people would still have found out through word of mouth, but it wouldn't have created quite the rush at the counter of speculators looking to find a copy. But by and large, comic publishers don't release information in advance. Sometimes a black and white photocopy may be intentionally leaked out, or a graphic novel reprinting past issues. But finished product doesn't normally make it through the media review circuit as do films, music and books. And perhaps part of the reason is that, due to their size and -- relatively -- paucity of story, they're damned near impossible to review adequately without spoiling the whole thing. With a ninety minute film, you can write a review that covers everything from opening theme to closing credits and still leave a bulk of surprises for moviegoers. Likewise with a 300 page novel. But with 22 pages of words and pictures, easily readable in half-a-visit to the toilet, sometimes the review could end up being longer than the issue. Without spoilers, a review of The Flash #13 could easily come out, "The Rogues have Flash on the ropes. Will he survive?" Face it: If you want non-spoiler information about an upcoming comic book, the solicitation caption in Diamond's Previews catalog is all you can read -- and even then you're not safe, as Previews often wants the retailer to know key points of an issue in order to prepare for a potential rush of customers. For the moment, advance spoilers of comic books are on the outs. But it's only a matter of time before someone else starts them up again. Maybe publishers should consider countering by playing the spoiler game themselves. |
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