Were comics more exciting before the internet?

Having lived with the internet for 15 years, you always think about how mainstream it is to be connected to information all the time. We have a trend now where spoilers upon spoilers of information is fed to us by various websites and marketing gimicks are easily available and sometimes accidentally stumbled upon. I know a lot of us seek out the information so we get what we deserve. Having all my PoP!s to talk about books with and speculate has its own fun as well.

But...

Where comics more exciting when you had to wait that whole month to see what happens next? Did it mean a lot more to you to get your favorite issue because nobody had spoiled it for you yet?

I have to say yes. I didn't know anything about solicits. I speculated with my friends after we passed around our books for the week. Nobody knew for sure what was going to happen, cliff hangers meant more, overall I think it was a little better. I guess the WWW just increased the size of an interest group and now insider information is too atainable for anything to really be a surprise. Really I predicted Sinestro to be the white lanturn durring Blackest Night #2 or #3. It seemed like a reasonable conclusion to draw, and I saw it come to fruition as predicted. But the images were leaked and word spread so fast when it happened that almost everybody knew before they picked up their books. Guess that is why I stay clear of the Comic section of the board before I read my books, just to be safe.

I think so. I can remember being at summer camp and waiting with such excitement for the next issue of "Kraven's Last Hunt" and I remember reading "A Death in the Family" with such anticipation. Yeah. I would agree. You just didn't know what was going to happen in future issues and it was so exciting.

I'm sure they were, but I can't say for myself. When I was little I only occasionally read comics. I'd get an issue here and there, but I wasn't a collector. I've only been actively collecting for about 4 years, and obviously the internet has been around that whole time.

I know I'd be as into comics without the internet. I don't actively seek out spoilers, so the internet doesn't really ruin anything for me. I get spoilers here and there, but nothing major. However, without the internet I wouldn't really have anyone to talk to about comics. Sure, I'd have the people that work at my LCS, but none of my friends read comics, so I come here to talk about them. So, my comic experience wouldn't be as fun without the internet.

Absolutely. This is why I've avoided reading spoilers or solits for the last 3 years. I wanted to be surprised by my books and now I am. If I get even the slightest hint of a spoiler as I read a thread I immediately click away.

This might make me late on conversations, but at least my books are enjoyable again.

Batman25JM wrote:I'm sure they were, but I can't say for myself. When I was little I only occasionally read comics. I'd get an issue here and there, but I wasn't a collector. I've only been actively collecting for about 4 years, and obviously the internet has been around that whole time.

Same here. I never really followed a series as close as I do now, I just got books that looked cool or interesting with characters that I liked.

Solicits actually get me excited for certain arcs, so I like them. I actually think the internet increased my excitement for comics because I liked message boards for years before I got back into comics and once I discovered that there's active comic news on websites and discussion like there is for bands, I loved it. If there was no internet, I'd have no one to seriously discuss comics with and I'd be a lot more bored.


I enjoy reading opinions on books and sharing opinions. Getting comic news on websites actually gives me something to look forward to and now I know that eventually when I have to stop buying comics due to either having zero free room, budget issues or not having enough time for them, I can always count on the internet to keep me up to date.

I have to wonder how nostalgia-goggles play into this. I do agree, to some extent, that comics were enjoyable before internet and so forth. I speak more from a stand point of someone who was not serious about comic collecting in the past and was mostly oblivious (aware of but not caring) of websites devoted to comics and such. I do agree that previews and spoilers remove the fun and excitement from comics arcs and so forth but at the same time, i feel such thing enhance comics in their ability to help people filter out crap and unwanted stories. I know I've saved myself some time and money due to spoilers and such. Personally, I am always interested to see how things went down in comics and the "fuck yeah" moments as well, so I don't feel myself as being too far deprived of excitement by spoilers. As for "nostalgia-goggles" I mentioned earlier, personally, I'm much more cynical now than I used to be in the past, thus reducing the mindless pleasure I could get from certain comics. Moreover, I've grown more critical and more aware of the various aspects of storytelling, pacing, characterization, and the plot itself. Knowledge of company practices and their feelings towards fans has also colored, though to a limited extent, my view of comics as a whole. In short, with the more I know about comics, the less I enjoy them due in part to the ability to discern things I would consider mistakes on their (the writer or company) part. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

Were they more enjoyable? I'm not sure I'd say that. I don't believe the internet has impacted the enjoyment level at all. There are more things to enjoy about reading comics than just surprises. Do you expect to be surprised every chapter in a book? No, yet you keep reading it. Same for me with comics - I don't believe a writer needs to keep hitting me with surprise endings or surprises in each and every issue. In fact I think if a writer pursues that all the time they're probably neglecting a lot of other elements that make up good writing. Drama, characterisation, action - these are all part of it and the internet hasn't impacted those things at all.

One thing I would say, and as someone who was away from comics for at least 15 years I think I've got a unique view, the art in comics is consistently improved across the board. Now that's got nothing to do with the internet but it has increased my enjoyment of comics between then and now. I would say writing across the board is still the mixed bag it was back then - some great, some good, some ordinary and some downright crap.

Were there more surprises? It's probably the same however what has increased is the possibility to spoil surprises and that is far more out there without a doubt. However, I'm with Lordd3r3k when he says it can be avoided.

I'd say pros and cons have switched or stayed the same. I mean, in the back of most comics the "next ish" gave you a little description of what's coming up. There were more comicbook ads in oldschool issues. Like events and the like. But now, we can actually get a gist of what that event is and go, "Pff. No thanks," or, "NO WAY!"

Completely understand LordD3r3k's comment. I only pop into the titles I read at the end of the month, when I get and have read my books.

Great insight everyone. I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying. For me personally, I think the internet has made comics more exciting, particularly message boards and stuff. I don't have any true comic-reading friends, so message boards are pretty much my only outlet to talk comics. And I love being able to talk about the books with other comic fans.

I also really like getting comic news and such from the various websites. I'm careful about what I read though, avoiding straight up spoilers the best I can while still checking out teasers, creator interviews, non-spoiler covers, etc. Partly so I have a general idea of what to look forward to and partly cuz I just enjoy it. Personally, that balance of keeping up with comic news yet staying spoiler-free for the actual stories makes my comic experience much better. But there certainly is a fine line between staying updated on news and spoiling a story, you just have to find the right balance I think.

Bigtymin504 wrote:Great insight everyone. I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying. For me personally, I think the internet has made comics more exciting, particularly message boards and stuff. I don't have any true comic-reading friends, so message boards are pretty much my only outlet to talk comics. And I love being able to talk about the books with other comic fans.

I also really like getting comic news and such from the various websites. I'm careful about what I read though, avoiding straight up spoilers the best I can while still checking out teasers, creator interviews, and non-spoiler covers and such. Partly so I have a general idea of what to look forward to and partly cuz I just enjoy it. Personally, that balance of keeping up with comic news yet staying relatively spoiler-free for the actual stories makes my comic experience much better. But there certainly is a fine line between staying updated on news and spoiling a story, you just have to find the right balance I think.

The internet is definitely a double-edged sword. I agree with your point, as also stated by others, that there's a sense of enjoyment gained by sharing comments with fans on messageboards. Honestly, when WUMB closed down I was pretty crest-fallen. It sounds silly, but a small part of the comic fan in me died. You spent a good amount of time at a place, build friendships with the community, and then to have it gone in the blink of an eye really came as a blow to me. Those couple of weeks following I was noticeably enjoying my comics less because I lost the ability to share the experience. Thankfully, I remembered this charming site and decided to give it a solid effort, and slowly but surely I'm getting back to that mindframe I used to have.

So yeah, I totally recognize the value of having the web. But on the flipside, I'll use a recent Green Lantern issue for my example. It's Wednesday and my buddy calls me up and says "Dude, did you get your comics yet?"
"No, why?"
"I won't ruin it for you, but Green Lantern is going to blow your mind"

I get to my shop and on the cover of Green Lantern is the return of Parallax, to which I had a "HOLY SHIT!" moment. Now, had I even innocently viewed solits or reviews, odds are I would have came across that cover and the excitement I experienced in the comic shop would have been extinguished.

Some people can look at those previews and still get a sense of mystery from the story, but for me, previews were totally killing it. I was looking up months ahead, and pretty much seeing how a story would progress before the first issue even hit. That's when I decided I had to stop.

LordD3r3k wrote:

Bigtymin504 wrote:Great insight everyone. I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying. For me personally, I think the internet has made comics more exciting, particularly message boards and stuff. I don't have any true comic-reading friends, so message boards are pretty much my only outlet to talk comics. And I love being able to talk about the books with other comic fans.

I also really like getting comic news and such from the various websites. I'm careful about what I read though, avoiding straight up spoilers the best I can while still checking out teasers, creator interviews, and non-spoiler covers and such. Partly so I have a general idea of what to look forward to and partly cuz I just enjoy it. Personally, that balance of keeping up with comic news yet staying relatively spoiler-free for the actual stories makes my comic experience much better. But there certainly is a fine line between staying updated on news and spoiling a story, you just have to find the right balance I think.

The internet is definitely a double-edged sword. I agree with your point, as also stated by others, that there's a sense of enjoyment gained by sharing comments with fans on messageboards. Honestly, when WUMB closed down I was pretty crest-fallen. It sounds silly, but a small part of the comic fan in me died. You spent a good amount of time at a place, build friendships with the community, and then to have it gone in the blink of an eye really came as a blow to me. Those couple of weeks following I was noticeably enjoying my comics less because I lost the ability to share the experience. Thankfully, I remembered this charming site and decided to give it a solid effort, and slowly but surely I'm getting back to that mindframe I used to have.

So yeah, I totally recognize the value of having the web. But on the flipside, I'll use a recent Green Lantern issue for my example. It's Wednesday and my buddy calls me up and says "Dude, did you get your comics yet?"
"No, why?"
"I won't ruin it for you, but Green Lantern is going to blow your mind"

I get to my shop and on the cover of Green Lantern is the return of Parallax, to which I had a "HOLY SHIT!" moment. Now, had I even innocently viewed solits or reviews, odds are I would have came across that cover and the excitement I experienced in the comic shop would have been extinguished.

Some people can look at those previews and still get a sense of mystery from the story, but for me, previews were totally killing it. I was looking up months ahead, and pretty much seeing how a story would progress before the first issue even hit. That's when I decided I had to stop.

I totally hear you on WUMB man. I really enjoyed my short time there, but thankfully you told me about PoP after it shut down. Now I love to post here and still some at Marvel.com, but it hasn't been the same there since a lot of the classic posters like you and Wade stopped posting.

I hear you on the preview thing too. But I do find that most spoiler-heavy covers like the GL one you're talking about aren't usually shown until right before the comic is released. I think I saw that cover online a little before GL #50 was released, so I guess I had the same reaction as you, just a few days earlier.

But if I do look at solicits, I'm pretty careful to avoid spoilers. And I pretty much never read the text. I mainly just like to look at the pretty pictures lol. For the most part though, I avoid em too.

Bigtymin504 wrote:

LordD3r3k wrote:

Bigtymin504 wrote:Great insight everyone. I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying. For me personally, I think the internet has made comics more exciting, particularly message boards and stuff. I don't have any true comic-reading friends, so message boards are pretty much my only outlet to talk comics. And I love being able to talk about the books with other comic fans.

I also really like getting comic news and such from the various websites. I'm careful about what I read though, avoiding straight up spoilers the best I can while still checking out teasers, creator interviews, and non-spoiler covers and such. Partly so I have a general idea of what to look forward to and partly cuz I just enjoy it. Personally, that balance of keeping up with comic news yet staying relatively spoiler-free for the actual stories makes my comic experience much better. But there certainly is a fine line between staying updated on news and spoiling a story, you just have to find the right balance I think.

The internet is definitely a double-edged sword. I agree with your point, as also stated by others, that there's a sense of enjoyment gained by sharing comments with fans on messageboards. Honestly, when WUMB closed down I was pretty crest-fallen. It sounds silly, but a small part of the comic fan in me died. You spent a good amount of time at a place, build friendships with the community, and then to have it gone in the blink of an eye really came as a blow to me. Those couple of weeks following I was noticeably enjoying my comics less because I lost the ability to share the experience. Thankfully, I remembered this charming site and decided to give it a solid effort, and slowly but surely I'm getting back to that mindframe I used to have.

So yeah, I totally recognize the value of having the web. But on the flipside, I'll use a recent Green Lantern issue for my example. It's Wednesday and my buddy calls me up and says "Dude, did you get your comics yet?"
"No, why?"
"I won't ruin it for you, but Green Lantern is going to blow your mind"

I get to my shop and on the cover of Green Lantern is the return of Parallax, to which I had a "HOLY SHIT!" moment. Now, had I even innocently viewed solits or reviews, odds are I would have came across that cover and the excitement I experienced in the comic shop would have been extinguished.

Some people can look at those previews and still get a sense of mystery from the story, but for me, previews were totally killing it. I was looking up months ahead, and pretty much seeing how a story would progress before the first issue even hit. That's when I decided I had to stop.

I totally hear you on WUMB man. I really enjoyed my short time there, but thankfully you told me about PoP after it shut down. Now I love to post here and still some at Marvel.com, but it hasn't been the same there since a lot of the classic posters like you and Wade stopped posting.

I hear you on the preview thing too. But I do find that most spoiler-heavy covers like the GL one you're talking about aren't usually shown online until right before the comic is released. I think I saw that cover a little before GL #50 was released, so I guess I had the same reaction as you, just a few days earlier.

But if I do look at solicits, I'm pretty careful to avoid spoilers. And I pretty much never read the text. I mainly just like to look at the pretty pictures lol. For the most part though, I avoid em too.

Good points all around. I'm in the minority when I say I hate suspense so the spoilers don't bother me as much (in terms of covers and such). I look at them as moments to anticipate and thus I personally fnd it fun to see how things reach that point or how that a certain character, largely unexpected to show up, will play a part. I can understand how teasers and so forth can do more than merely tease and give things away. I have felt this way about alot of things involving the Heroic Age. Had it not been for alot of the previews I have been seeing, I would be more excited about it. But currently I'm not. The only thing really holding me in DC is Blackest Night, what Brightest Day will yield, and the possibility of Grant Morrion on everything (exaggeration but still). In any case, I feel the internet has its uses and can be beneficial but is indeed a double-edged sword.

^Oh Wade, your Bruce Lee/Chuck Norris sig is so epic I can't concentrate enough to read your post.

Yes and no. The solicits have ruined my personal excitement for the books due to the spoilers or story information, which is my general problem with the internet..there's no escaping spoilers! At the same time, the internet has greatly promoted comics and can bring many different interesting opinions on the industry and has given us some great retrospects and interviews.

It's pretty much half and half for me right now.

Bigtymin504 wrote:^Oh Wade, your Bruce Lee/Chuck Norris sig is so epic I can't concentrate enough to read your post.

Thanks. I have a whole folder of these that I may make into an animated sig (nothing special, just a roll call lol). My own little war of lights.

^Just noticed your additions to your sig as well. I'm incredibly jealous.

Foreigner_Man wrote:^Just noticed your additions to your sig as well. I'm incredibly jealous.

Thanks.

LordD3r3k wrote:
So yeah, I totally recognize the value of having the web. But on the flipside, I'll use a recent Green Lantern issue for my example. It's Wednesday and my buddy calls me up and says "Dude, did you get your comics yet?"
"No, why?"
"I won't ruin it for you, but Green Lantern is going to blow your mind"

I get to my shop and on the cover of Green Lantern is the return of Parallax, to which I had a "HOLY SHIT!" moment. Now, had I even innocently viewed solits or reviews, odds are I would have came across that cover and the excitement I experienced in the comic shop would have been extinguished.

Aw, Parallax is back?! ...you dick.

The first time I actually realized how the Internet age ruined my enthusiasm for new comics was when the whole world talked about Spider-Man unmasking hours before the actual issues was offered for sale. Even if I wanted to stay away from the spoilers, I couldn't escape the big headlines and revealing front page images on Newsarama. I kept on reading industry news and publish them in my LCS' website, but after couple of years I got tired of them and nowadays I ignore most news reports/interviews. PR people give a fuck about the thrill and enjoyment of the readers, mistaking unveiling important future plot points of twists as a way to generate readership.

BlueMaxx wrote: Aw, Parallax is back?! ...you dick.

See thats what I'm talking about, who would have thought a spoiler lurked in a thread like this?

Tomer Soiker wrote:The first time I actually realized how the Internet age ruined my enthusiasm for new comics was when the whole world talked about Spider-Man unmasking hours before the actual issues was offered for sale. Even if I wanted to stay away from the spoilers, I couldn't escape the big headlines and revealing front page images on Newsarama. I kept on reading industry news and publish them in my LCS' website, but after couple of years I got tired of them and nowadays I ignore most news reports/interviews. PR people give a fuck about the thrill and enjoyment of the readers, mistaking unveiling important future plot points of twists as a way to generate readership.

And websites and news sources want to be the first, and have the best coverage, etc. I don't visit the PoP! main site until Thursday or Friday most weeks. It is just part of the business now.

Batman25JM wrote:

I know I'd be as into comics without the internet. I don't actively seek out spoilers, so the internet doesn't really ruin anything for me. I get spoilers here and there, but nothing major. However, without the internet I wouldn't really have anyone to talk to about comics. Sure, I'd have the people that work at my LCS, but none of my friends read comics, so I come here to talk about them. So, my comic experience wouldn't be as fun without the internet.

THIS + w/o the internet I would probably not be reading some of the books I'm reading now (like The Walking Dead and Chew).

The first time I actually realized how the Internet age ruined my enthusiasm for new comics was when the whole world talked about Spider-Man unmasking hours before the actual issues was offered for sale. Even if I wanted to stay away from the spoilers, I couldn't escape the big headlines and revealing front page images on Newsarama. I kept on reading industry news and publish them in my LCS' website, but after couple of years I got tired of them and nowadays I ignore most news reports/interviews. PR people give a fuck about the thrill and enjoyment of the readers, mistaking unveiling important future plot points of twists as a way to generate readership.

I think the nearest this happened to me pre internet was the "death" of superman....

Man fuck the uks slow news week that week...

But yeah I can exactly tell the last time I was excited for a us comic pre internet and that was the breakdowns saga which ended the Jli

of course as a reader of [SCI FI ANTHOLOGY COMIC] I still have that sense of surprise especially in {RUSSIAN LADIESMAN STORY] when {RUSSIAN LADIESMAN} killed [RUSSIAN LADIESMANS EVIL ASSHOLE BROTHER] man what a week that was and then there was the time [FUTURE COP WITH BIG CHIN] was pretty much exiled from his city

hrdwrkngXsoldier wrote:
And websites and news sources want to be the first, and have the best coverage, etc. I don't visit the PoP! main site until Thursday or Friday most weeks. It is just part of the business now.

Just don't read our reviews until after you read the books. Otherwise, we don't spoil anything.

^ That is why i wait until Thursday or Friday . If you guys got an exclusive sneek peek though wouldn't you also put it on the main page, spoiler or not? People are always posting stuff from other sources on the boards, so I would assume that in the spirit of compitition that you would.

Bigtymin504 wrote:Great insight everyone. I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying. For me personally, I think the internet has made comics more exciting, particularly message boards and stuff. I don't have any true comic-reading friends, so message boards are pretty much my only outlet to talk comics. And I love being able to talk about the books with other comic fans.

Same for me - I pretty much only get to talk comics to the guy who owns my comic shop and on here so it's good. For me I pretty much don't open threads on comics I read until I've read them that week. But occassionally a spoiler sneaks in elsewhere but that hasn't happened to me much at all really.