This week (July 3rd to be exact) Major Spoilers celebrates its first birthday. When I started this site a year ago, my hope was to create a place where fans could come to find news, reviews, and interviews about the comic and related industries. Little did I know what fun I was about to embark on and all the wonderful people I would meet along the way.
Major Spoilers was set up on my kitchen table while my wife rolled her eyes wondering what trouble I was getting myself into. She wasn’t too far off. While I had been writing some comic related stories for many of my other jobs and personal websites, it wasn’t until one year ago, that I decided to round everything up in one place.
It wasn’t easy (and still isn’t). In the last year, I’ve had the pleasure of working with major public relations people, begging getting them to provide sneak peeks, advanced previews, and even hard copies to talk about on the site. While I haven’t been able to get responses from every company out there *cough*Aspenreturnmyemails*cough*, tune in this time next year to see where we stand.
For months I took every possible moment of my free time to get stories and reviews up for readers to enjoy, even landing early interviews with Wes Molebash, Tad Stones, and Adam Beechen. Major Spoilers is committed to providing you with even more content over this next year (it’s going to be huge!).
And through all of this, my wife has been with me every step of the way and has supported me throughout the year. Thank you beautiful wife!
In October I had the pleasure of running into a friend from college during one of my cross state trips to various comic book shops. I was able to bribe convince Matthew to use his tremendous knowledge of comics, and his wonderful writing skills for the better good. Since that day, Matthew has been cranking out some really awesome reviews. He’s even been the lifesaver in getting some of our Day of Release Reviews up, as he works at Gatekeeper Hobbies in Topeka, KS (stop in and ask them about the Major Spoilers Special), as it isn’t until Friday before my comics arrive at my doorstep.
Thank you Matthew for being a huge part of Major Spoilers – I just wish I could pay you more!
The first month of operation Major Spoilers had just over 1,000 total visitors (I’m sure half of them were me hitting the refresh button). Heck, I was happy to have 100 visitors the first week! Today, Major Spoilers has the pleasure of providing entertainment to between 90,000 and 100,000 unique visitors each month.
I remember how excited I was the first time Major Spoilers broke 500 unique visitors in one day, then how happy I was when 1,000 visitors paid a visit, and recently Major Spoilers broke the 3,000 daily unique visitors mark.
In other words – this site is nothing without YOU! I want to thank you for helping to make this site what it is today. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I know there are other sites out there covering the industry, but it is a real honor for me to know you spend a portion of your day, right here, checking in to see what monkey shines we are going to come up with next. (Seriously, I think we are going to have to resort to shining monkeys.)
I’m proud of Major Spoilers and what it has become. But the site still needs work – it needs to grow and evolve. So please help out! Tell your friends, tell your comic shop owner, tell everyone you meet to stop by and pay a visit to this growing gem of a site. And keep coming back again and again (and clicking all the ads)!
I’m always open to suggestions and ideas, and you should feel free to contact me via my e-mail address any time you like (you can find it in the About Us section).
A preview of coming attractions
- Anyone up for some free stuff? We’ll have some contests coming this year.
- Want more interviews? I’ve got three lined up, just around the corner.
- Want more reviews? We’re cranking them out as fast as our stubby little fingers can type!
- Want more news? My list of industry contacts is growing and each day my hope is to provide you with the latest news direct from the source.
- Top Ten Lists? Oh yeah, we got’em
- Polls? More than you can shake a stick at!
- Shining Monkeys? Ok, so maybe we won’t be shining any real monkeys anytime soon…
It’s been a tremendous year. Since Major Spoilers started, I’ve moved to new digs (the grand tour tomorrow), grown my comic collection by easily 2,000 comics, and have seen the birth of my first child.
I really want Major Spoilers to be a big deal. My hope is that Major Spoilers can generate enough revenue so I can quit my other jobs and focus on this site 24/7, with enough extra to grow the writing staff (remember kids – you can get all the Luthor Dollars you want!).
Again, I feel honored to have you visit this site, and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making Major Spoilers what it is today.
Here’s to Year Two and more good things to come!
Cheers,
Stephen Schleicher
Major Spoilers
10 Comments
It’s a rare day if I don’t check out Major Spoilers at least once (often multiple times). Thank you guys for all the great work you do.
This Shawn agrees with that Shawn. I’m relatively new to Major Spoilers but I visit the site quite often so keep up the good work and I wish you continued success.
Again, I feel honored to have you visit this site, and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making Major Spoilers what it is today.
What he said goes double for me, Spoilerites. Tell your friends, wake the neighbors, year two is going to make year one look like year zero!
And by the way, Stephen, thanks for letting me in on the ground floor of Stately Spoilers Manor… It’s given me a place to vent on the comics of the day without scaring people away from purchasing, for which my other bosses thank you as well. :)
Happy birthday Stephen !!!
I’m a french comics fan or, as i use to call myself, comicspectator.
I discovered your site few month ago, and since that time, I visit it daily.
You are now part of my favorite sites with the huges Wizard and Newsarama.
It’s a bit of contradiction, because I try to avoid all spoilers, but i just can’t help to come and visit Major spoilers.
It’s a lot of fun every day, thanks to you, so, Thank you ;)
Long life !!!
Congratulations!
I’ve actually started buying comics again, after reading some of the review on your site (thanks to Scott Johnson at ExtraLife for pointing out your site, wouldn’t have found it otherwise). I’d gotten disillusioned with comics in general (altho I still liked the Dark Horse Star Wars titles), until I read some of your reviews for New Avengers (on a side note, I actually like that art style, but maybe that’s because I’m an amateur artist myself). Now I’m piqued about some of the other favorite Marvel titles that you’ve reviewed, and looking forward to getting them as well.
M.S. is probably my favorite comic site right now b/c it’s timely and the writing is intelligent, funny and incredibly well-informed. I also really dig the vibe in the feedback sections. A lot of comic site forums seem to degenerate into unabashed soapboxing and nerd trashtalk. so thanks to all of the commentators who keep the vibe positive and fun! It sounds cliche but the site does feel like a community.
Congratulations!
I visited this web for the first time looking for a review of nextwave #11.
Since then, it has become one of my favourite comic related sites, and I wish it a long life.
Stephen and Matthew,
Thanks for the excellent site.
I’ll have to stop at Gatekeeper sometime on my way through to KC.
Maybe on the way to/back from SD ComicCon.
As always, I’ll send my customers to your site, and let me know if there is anything I can do to help (that doesn’t take too much time).
I look forward to another year of Major Spoilers!!!
I’m a week late, but happy birthday! This site rules. I’ve only recently started to post comments, but I already feel like part of the group. Extralife pointed the way, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
You guys rule. I’d be happy to help anyway I can. Thanks for a great year, looking forward to many more.
just getting back into comics and a co-worker suggested your website. Your reveiws have been very insightful on choosing a new series too start on or jumping back on the old ones. BEING an amatuer artist I’d love too see your sight do an artwork sight. Any thanks Matthew for the suggestion.