Anyone else hate that Marvel Writers can't help but be vague about their books?

[Chrysalis_Changling]

like if someone is extremely on the fence about a book and wants to know why they should pre-order it....just telling them it's gonna be awesome! isn't really enough of a hook to convince the nay-sayers or those writers who can't help but be all mysterious and cryptic about their books to the point where it's a complete riddle just trying to figure out the basic plot and what the hell is going on...which is something everyone should know so they can decide if the book is worth looking into or not

it just annoys me a lot....i don't know about you guys but i have a Sizable pull list i must maintain at all times to make sure it doesn't get too big and expensive....and when making decisions every bit of info helps since i have to finalize my pull lists months in advance unfortunately since some writers prefer to keep everything in the dark until issue one comes out I'm constantly left wondering if i should take the gamble and risk money on a comic I'm not even sure if i have any interest in because the basic plot is still locked away by Marvel And Friends....

[RobinFan4880]

It doesn't bother me in the least.

Just wait for the solicits. Does it sound interesting? If you are still on the fence, then wait for the preview. If you are still on the fence, then buy the issue or wait for a review.

[Kuwagaton]

I bought my first comic in 1994, and didn't have home internet until 2002. Then, same as now, if I am interested in a book, I just buy it. Interviews are nice but if they really mattered that much I wouldn't bother buying, I'd just get by reading interviews. If an interview tells me what I want to know, what is left but to just look at some art.

[RobinFan4880]

I bought my first comic in 1994, and didn't have home internet until 2002. Then, same as now, if I am interested in a book, I just buy it. Interviews are nice but if they really mattered that much I wouldn't bother buying, I'd just get by reading interviews.

Truly, you were a comic buying cowboy. :P

[Chrysalis_Changling]

problem is sometimes the interviews don't really help and even the solicits on some books can have you wondering just what the hell is this suppose to be? it might not be as much of a problem if so many books weren't double shipping these days making for larger monthly pull lists than can possibly be managed


it's just not easy to simply try out every book that looks somewhat interesting i gotta have a big hook to really try something out and make it worth adjusting my monthly selections like tetris blocks

[cranger]

While I think a writer should be able to explain the book in a few words I really do not care to know much more than that. For most of the books these days we all know so much about the characters already. Besides, most of the times the people involved get all gushy on the details they usually are misleading, inaccurate or get changed anyway.

[Chrysalis_Changling]

While I think a writer should be able to explain the book in a few words I really do not care to know much more than that. For most of the books these days we all know so much about the characters already. Besides, most of the times the people involved get all gushy on the details they usually are misleading, inaccurate or get changed anyway.

true but any details at all is better than just being told a bunch of riddles and if we want to know what the hell this book is about then just buy the first issue....

far too many books I'm looking at and to add them all would put me over 20 books....it's a nightmare to keep myself from going overboard

[Galerion]

true but any details at all is better than just being told a bunch of riddles and if we want to know what the hell this book is about then just buy the first issue....

far too many books I'm looking at and to add them all would put me over 20 books....it's a nightmare to keep myself from going overboard

Pretty sure that is Marvels goal after all

[Holt]

Not really, though there are times where I look at interviews and wonder why the creators even agreed to it if their answers were vague for the sake of it. A lot of the ANAD Marvel titles have been like that so far. A lot of pointless mystery and suspense for stuff most people would probably have figured out on their own (like the new Hulk's identity).

[RobinFan4880]

problem is sometimes the interviews don't really help and even the solicits on some books can have you wondering just what the hell is this suppose to be? it might not be as much of a problem if so many books weren't double shipping these days making for larger monthly pull lists than can possibly be managed


it's just not easy to simply try out every book that looks somewhat interesting i gotta have a big hook to really try something out and make it worth adjusting my monthly selections like tetris blocks

Why don't you just divide your list of comics that you are interested in into two piles - one for books you are buying and one for books you are interested in but need more info?

For the latter pile, read the solicits and the previews. If you aren't sold, wait for the reviews. Then you can make an informed decision. Sure you may miss out on buying the first issue the day it comes out but if it winds up interesting you, then you will be there for all the following issues the day they come out.

[LordMikel]

like if someone is extremely on the fence about a book and wants to know why they should pre-order it....just telling them it's gonna be awesome! isn't really enough of a hook to convince the nay-sayers or those writers who can't help but be all mysterious and cryptic about their books to the point where it's a complete riddle just trying to figure out the basic plot and what the hell is going on...which is something everyone should know so they can decide if the book is worth looking into or not

it just annoys me a lot....i don't know about you guys but i have a Sizable pull list i must maintain at all times to make sure it doesn't get too big and expensive....and when making decisions every bit of info helps since i have to finalize my pull lists months in advance unfortunately since some writers prefer to keep everything in the dark until issue one comes out I'm constantly left wondering if i should take the gamble and risk money on a comic I'm not even sure if i have any interest in because the basic plot is still locked away by Marvel And Friends....

I very much hear what you are saying. You read these articles, the previews, and they are so vague, it makes it almost impossible to determine anything about the book. Even sometimes when they show you preview pages, the pages are vague. Look here is a house where the character lives ... here is the character, and that is all I'm going to show you. Especially when they are trying to keep parts of the comic book a secret to surprise the audience.

Personally I know from experience, those "surprises" don't sell the book if no one ever buys the book to read it. When Thunderbolts #1 came out many years ago. The first few weeks sales were mediocre at best. Then about the third week I finally read Thunderbolts #1 and I got to the last page and discovered the Thunderbolts were really the Masters of Evil. I got everyone to buy it because that was a great twist in the book. I doubled my sales that week. So the Marvel sales pitch for the book failed, it was my sales pitch that worked. I got people to buy it by showing them the end. "Thunderbolts are more popular than the Avengers and the Thunderbolts are one big con job."

[Kuwagaton]

true but any details at all is better than just being told a bunch of riddles and if we want to know what the hell this book is about then just buy the first issue....

far too many books I'm looking at and to add them all would put me over 20 books....it's a nightmare to keep myself from going overboard

Plot spoilers have no bearing on execution, but a presumable effect on sales. If people are deciding not to buy something because of a description, then they might miss out on a book they would actually enjoy. If they buy something just because of a reveal, that doesn't mean they will actually like the finished product or even the idea in context.

Not really, though there are times where I look at interviews and wonder why the creators even agreed to it if their answers were vague for the sake of it. A lot of the ANAD Marvel titles have been like that so far. A lot of pointless mystery and suspense for stuff most people would probably have figured out on their own (like the new Hulk's identity).

To be fair, in that case marvel did reveal it before they initially said they would. Elements like that sure, it's nice to know what you're actually reading about. But what happens during the story, eh.

[QBall]

like if someone is extremely on the fence about a book and wants to know why they should pre-order it....just telling them it's gonna be awesome! isn't really enough of a hook to convince the nay-sayers or those writers who can't help but be all mysterious and cryptic about their books to the point where it's a complete riddle just trying to figure out the basic plot and what the hell is going on...which is something everyone should know so they can decide if the book is worth looking into or not

it just annoys me a lot....i don't know about you guys but i have a Sizable pull list i must maintain at all times to make sure it doesn't get too big and expensive....and when making decisions every bit of info helps since i have to finalize my pull lists months in advance unfortunately since some writers prefer to keep everything in the dark until issue one comes out I'm constantly left wondering if i should take the gamble and risk money on a comic I'm not even sure if i have any interest in because the basic plot is still locked away by Marvel And Friends....

Hype has always been a thing, every book is awesome when you're trying to sell it.

I'll admit to being a long term vet, even to the point where I was buying books before I even knew what a solicitation was.

Basic point of reference I use now is the 3C one - do the concept/character(s)/creators interest me? If it hits all 3 then it's added to my pull list. If it hits at least 2 of the 3 then I'll at pick up #1 off the shelf. If it fails 2 of the 3 then I'll pass initially. I have been swayed a few times to try a 3C fail based on feedback from people whose opinions I trust steering me towards a book so nothing is ever completely out of bounds.

[nightw1ng]

It's amazing how the internet has changed entertainment consumption over the years. In the past, fans were very limited in what they knew before watching a new show/movie or reading a new book/comic. Now, so much is revealed before something even comes out, you can practically guess the whole story. Our society has become addicted to spoilers.

[QBall]

Pretty much, some people seem to need to know everything about something before they'll even consider trying it then complain that there was nothing new in there when they've finished it.