In all the crazy confusion that is my life at the moment, this one almost slipped passed me — Major Spoilers is another year older! Today, marks the third anniversary of this website coming into the world, all kicking and screaming, and covered in goo. The good kind of goo mind you, not that horrible disgusting stuff you find inside the snack aisle at you local 24/7.
I’d like to think Major Spoilers made it this far because of an awesome staff of people working around the clock covering the comics and pop culture industry, and to an extent it is true, but it largely due in part to you, dear reader for being the most awesome group of people in the world.
Once again I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with some really fantastic people in the industry this year. Many go unnoticed and unnamed simply because they are the ones sending out the press releases and advanced previews, instead of being forced into the spotlight to talk about their books and projects. Chip Mosher over at Boom! Studios has once again proven he has what it takes to be an awesome marketing director, as he helped line up a couple of our key interviews this year. And I can’t let Ralph Tedesco at Zenescope and Jason Ullmeyer at Dynamite Entertainment slip out of the room without giving my thanks for sending us the low down on what is going on at their companies. While I’m only naming a few, there are plenty more at their respective companies that are feeding us information, sending us previews, and providing a firm but gentle “I said NO COMMENT Schleicher! What part of that don’t you understand?” to my many inquires (I get it DC, I really do, but you can’t blame me for trying) and I think everyone is deserving of a big thank you for everything they do.
While my contact list of companies continues to grow, I know the site hasn’t caught the attention of everyone, but we are working on that to bring you, one of the premiere comic and pop culture sites on the web. If you are one of those fine marketing folk, and want the news about your titles spread far and wide, you know who to contact.
Should I dangle that carrot on the stick now, and let the PR and marketing folk know that there is a special award Major Spoilers is giving away for best PR and Marketing person of the year? Hmmmmm…
I also need to thank the many sponsors and advertisers who have taken the chance and started a campaign with Major Spoilers. You can show your thanks to our advertisers by taking the time to click on their ads and seeing what they have to offer, who knows, there might be something you might want to buy.
This year also marked a year of continued growth. Not just because so many new and shiny faces are showing up on the site daily to share their thoughts and comments – even about those things we don’t write about, but because we’ve added to the Major Spoilers family and to the site.
Those paying close attention over the last couple of months may have noticed the site going up and down at odd times throughout the day, or being completely gone from your ISP. The reason was quite simple; the Major Spoilers website grew so much, there wasn’t room on the shared server to accommodate our growth, and it was upsetting those other websites on the sever (whoever they are).  I made the decision to move Major Spoilers to its own dedicated server two months ago, and move couldn’t have been better. We’re now getting much better service from our provider, the site is running like a well oiled machine, and the growth has continued to the point that we nearly went over our bandwidth allotment in the first month on the new server. Yes, that means an added expense on our end, but it’s worth it to bring the Major Spoilers Experience to you!
I can’t let this article go by without once again thanking Matthew and Rodrigo from the bottom of my heart. These two have helped the site and me, more than you might know. Whether it is the rapid exchange of e-mails during the late hours of a holiday weekend, or the conference calls over a beer at mid-night, Matthew and Rodrigo are two dedicated members of the Major Spoilers family, and without their wisdom, thought provoking dialogue, and great content, the site would have folded a long time ago.
Matthew continues to amaze, humor, and annoy the heck out of me with his well thought out opinions on the comic book industry, while Rodrigo keeps a watchful eye on the Major Spoilers forum to keep that pesky spam off the site. If you are a gamer, you’ll be happy to know you are getting more of Rodrigo on the site in the form of his gaming articles he’s been cranking out. And of course both are awesome contributors to the Major Spoilers Podcast.
Then there is the new addition to the Major Spoilers family in the form of Marlowe Lewis. Marlowe hails all the way from England and provides not only an international perspective on comics, but an aged one as well. Marlowe’s only been writing for Major Spoilers for a few months, but he is most welcome on the site.
Keep checking back, as there might be one more new addition to the Major Spoilers family before the end of the week.
The Major Spoilers Podcast continues to thrive. We had a great time talking with listeners during the 100th Issue Extravaganza, and we will be doing more live shows in the future. Also, today kicks off something many of you have been requesting for a while – The Major Spoilers Dungeon Crawl, where Rodrigo, Matthew, D&D Brian (not to be confused with Skrull Bryan) begin a journey of epic proportions – EPIC I SAY!
I said last year that I wanted to get Skrull Bryan more involved in the show once his job allowed him breathing room, and for those of you who pay attention to the open and close of each show, you’re hearing his mellow tones that sooth much of Abilene, Kansas. Even though he doesn’t appear as regularly as he should, Skrull Bryan is still a great asset to the Major Spoilers Family.
Another small but important player on the Major Spoilers Podcast is our good friend Dr. Peter Coogan, the director of the Institute for Comics Studies. Dr. Coogan has become a regular guest on the show over the last year, and it has been a real pleasure getting to know him, and learning from him about the comic book industry. We know you dig having Dr. Coogan on the show, and we enjoy having him on too, which is why you will continue to hear more from him in the future.
I’m always listening to what fans of the Major Spoilers Experience want, and we answered this year in the form of Major Spoilers Merch. There are T-shirts in the store now, but I’m hopeful we’ll add more items before the end of the year. The F’Continuity! and Bear Reading Comics T-Shirts have been big sellers, and I want to thank those of you who took the time to buy, and more importantly wear, those shirts in public.
Even with all the help of Matthew, Rodrigo, Skrull Bryan, Marlowe, Dr. Coogan, and others, this site and podcast are nothing without YOU! I not sure everyone is aware of just how special each and every one of you are to me. I know there are other sites out there, but to know that hundreds of thousands of you out there make Major Spoilers one of your stops of the day is one of the high points of my day (the other high points of my day are of course my wonderful wife and child). All the kind words I have received from you are special to me, and keep me going on days when things are really dark.
But even with our continued success, Major Spoilers is set to have another growth spurt this year. Just like it’s weird to look back at pictures of my son from a year ago and see how much he has changed, it is equally weird to look back at this site and see how much growth, expansion, and change has occurred in a very short 365 days.
I’m always open to suggestions and ideas, and unlike other executive producers of similar websites, I’m just a click away and am always willing to listen to what you have to say. I’m even happy to read criticism of the site and content because it proves two things 1) people are reading and 2) we can make people upset enough to comment or write back to us. It’s even surprising what a well placed Troll or two can do to the site to make it better. Heck, some of our better Trade Paperback Reviews and topics on the Major Spoilers Podcast have come from direct suggestions by listeners and readers.
What do you want to see, what do you want more of, what can we do to make your experience even better? Just send me an e-mail, and let me know!
Before I close this, I think it’s a good idea to give you…
A Preview of Coming Attractions
- More content for both the site and the podcast
- International comic coverage
- We know what we are doing after the Legion of Super Heroes wraps and we have it all mapped out
- Girls in comics is going to be more than just a buzz word
- A Major Spoilers meet and great?
- Original video content
- And yes, we might finally have a singing monkey or two
It been another great year. I want Major Spoilers to grow, and I know you do too. Please help out by telling all your friends, that stranger standing next to you in your local comic book shop, and your co-workers about the site. Heck, talk to that cute girl sitting next to you in class about the site, you’d be surprised at how many hot girls dig comics.
Again, I feel honored to have you as a part of Major Spoilers. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough for making this site what it is today.
Here’s to Year Four and more great things to come!
Cheers
Stephen Schleicher
Executive Producer
Major Spoilers
34 Comments
You guys rock! Thanks for the entertainment!
You love me… you really love me!
Thank you Major Spoilers for getting me back into comics, and for starting fights between me and my wife. Without you I wouldn’t spend near the amount of money that I do. :)
Keep up the great work! You have a follower for life!
Congrats and Happy B-day Major Spoilers! Keep up the great work on the site!
Whos the babe?!!!
Andy: It’s not my wife if you are asking… if I had used her picture, your computer screen would have melted because she is so hot.
Thanks for surviving another rotation around the sun guys!
Were it not for you guys, there’s no way I would be into half of the comics that I’m into now. And that includes some truly great stuff like Invincible, Scott Pilgrim, and Captain America.
Much love to you guys and stay awesome!
Happy birthdays, guys. You rock ! By the way today’s my birthday too! ;D
Great job. This is the only comic book site that can grab my attention and keep me going. Please keep keeping my attention.
Happy birthday, Mr. Spoilers!
Thanks for the awesome podcast and all the informations on the site!
May you keep growing and prospering and pwning!
Also, greetings from Ye Olde Worlde. :)
Nice post! I found it a really interesting, comprehensive statement of where Major Spoilers is and where it’s going. Hope your popularity continues to grow, it deserves to.
Many happy returns, guys!
Happy Birthday! Major Spoilers! Keep up the awesome work.
Happy Birthday!
Happy B-day you guys and do keep up the good work.
Also i wanted to thank you for helping me get into comics again…its been daunting, its been incomprehensable at times and its been weeeeeird….But i do believe ive gotten the hang of it.
And ya know without a lil “Its the Matthew show, its the Ma…” my week would much less enjoyable.
So… yeah thanks!
I feel redundant, but there’s no better way to say it.
Happy Birthday guys! This site is awesome, it’s the first I go to everyday, and last I check at night. Thanks for being my gateway into a world I can’t afford :)
Continued success. When’s the Superboy (we can say that now, right?) Hero History coming? :)
Adam: right after the three others Mr. Matthew needs to write…
Just wanted to say, thanks guys for all the hard work you put inhto this website and podcast. Here’s to a great Year Four!
WOOOO!!! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!
Gratz, you guys do awesome work! Thank you for another year of great podcasts and reviews.
This site is the greatest ! Happy Birthday and here is to many more !!!!!!!! Like a million more !
Congrats on 3 years Stephen, Matthew, Rodrigo & Company. You’ve definatly made my pull list grow while my wallet shrinks. Keep up the good work!!!!!
Congrats at another year!
cg on another year, keep up the good work
Happy Anniversary! Keep up the great work!
Congrats guys!!
Good luck as you move towards the 4th birthday celebrations!!
C!
Weird…today’s my birthday too
BRING ON THE SINGING MONKEYS~!!!!! No, seriously. I want a monkey. Soon. You guys better not disappoint.
Oh. Yeah, all the rest of that stuff too, Happy blahblahblah. ;)
Congrats
Happy Birthday. Thanks again for being my number one work distraction:)
Congrats on another birthday to Major Spoilers! Thanks for being so awesome and providing hours of great podcasts as well as tons of solid news, interviews, reviews and more! Hopefully the site grows more and more in the coming years, but if everything stays at great quality I’m sure it will.
i’ve been following you for years now!!!! no way man.
honestly, you’re the only comic news site i follow, because you’re that great.
keep on keepin’ on.
Three years?
Are you kidding me?
I’m pretty sure we started doing this yesterday, and I still haven’t worked all the bugs out.
Though that may be just my scanner…
Geez, and I didn’t even come up with a strip for this…I suck.
Yeah, what’s up with that?
Singing monkeys?!? And here I thought it coudn’t possibly get any better!!!