snap judgments

My friends, I stand at a crossroads.

I have been a loyal though critical Marvel fan for quite some time now.  I have hung in there through recent events such as Avengers: Disassembled, House of M, Spider-Man: the Other (Evolve or Die) and at least half of Planet Hulk because I followed the idea that after I read each new life-changing storyline, I would be better able to understand the Marvel Universe at large.  I stopped reading Planet Hulk when I came to the conclusion that the book really wasn’t what I wanted to read anymore, the character wouldn’t be the way I wanted to see him.  Once again, I voted with my paycheck and took the book off my pull.

Today, I got into work and opened the store to a media blitz of a gigantic spoiler for Captain America #25.  A spoiler retailers were not privvy to, but major news outlets like CNN were.  Because of this lack of knowledge, my boss had ordered regularly on the issue and we were sold out of the book by 1pm.  Now, I’m not even going to touch on the major plot point (okay, maybe in the subject header) because it’s something I have no problems with.  I’d talked about it over at the Fifth Color at Blog@Newsarama and said my piece on why it’s actually a pretty good idea considering.  What I have issue with is the lack of communication with the people who sell Marvel Comics.  They didn’t have to ruin the secret surprise ending, they just could have dropped a line saying that they would be advertising through major media outlets on the day of Captain America #25’s release and it might be a good idea to raise the numbers on your initial order to keep up with the attention the book will receive.  Just a little heads up and I would not have had this huge waiting list for a book that I think we’re going to be lucky to see in second printing.

No one came officially to represent Marvel at WonderCon this year.  In years past that I have gone, there has been no booth or welcome from Marvel Entertainment at San Diego Comic Con.  Today, we had to squirrel away issues of Cap #25 to make sure we could take care of our pull customers.  I have had to sit through event after event, waiting on resolution to plot points that come one after the other (the Other, anyone?  What about who remembers what from House of M?).  I have watched characters I respected and enjoyed turn into two-faced liars.  If the New Avengers came out in 2004, it has nearly been over three years since I’ve seen a team of Avengers fight an actual villain with the power to do the world harm.
All I’m saying is that Tina Turner put up with a hell of a lot from Ike before she got wise and kicked his sorry butt to the curb.