Potential Spoilers Ahead!
This past weekend, the New York Times and DC Comics published spoilers for Batman #50 ahead of its July 4th release date.
The Times released the spoiler-filled article ruining the ending of the upcoming Bat-wedding. Perhaps the Times’ biggest crime is that it spoiled the comic’s outcome within its own headline title. This move is a pretty big slap-in-the-face to those who cannot even decide to avoid the spoilers. Both comic book shop retailers and fans are understandably angry. Across Twitter, fans are reporting pre-sales of the Bat-wedding issue are being cancelled or Batman being dropped from their pull lists.
DC’s Reactions to the Spoilers
DC Comics’ senior vice president of sales John Cunningham released a statement on why DC felt it was okay to release the spoilers prior to the issue’s debut.
1. DC Sales strongly advocated getting the news out ahead of the OSD, so that the Moment of Realization did not occur hours before events began. We even did our level best to try and spoil it here on this page over and over again (and failed). The NY Times article was posted here at 630 a.m. PST not out of “Pride” — please — but to get you the information as soon as we could.
2. In the abstract, we believed the news would break on Monday morning, given the arrival time of physical copies in store and the reality that a copy or a scan would end up being passed to uncontrolled comic book outlets (much like Marvel’s wedding issue last week and every other major comic book event in the last decade).
3. As mentioned here before, any discussion about financial remedies for problematic DC product must occur after the product is on sale.
4. While The Times piece is more fulsome that [sic] some might like, it does not spoil the shock ending of the book for fans. We’re working on getting this posted here for you.
5. I stand by my belief that BATMAN #50 is one of the best single issue periodicals of the last decade, that it is a special moment in comic book history, and that if it’s not the book we (think) we want, it’s the book we need.
Tom King’s Thoughts on the Spoilers
King reacted to the spoilers on Twitter. Understandably, he was more than annoyed at the last-minute ending leak. Regardless, he still urges readers to pick up Batman #50 and read it as a well-written story.
Im pissed about things and excited about other things. I have no idea how to comment on anything without spoiling everything.
Batman 50 is still out Wednesday. I’m incredibly proud of the issue; I hope you pick it up. You have questions; the answers are there.
Art by @JimLee. pic.twitter.com/odnbbVW9YC
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) July 1, 2018
Ugh. Batman 50 spoilers are now out there. Ignore/avoid them (or try to) and read the issue.
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) July 1, 2018
When reading King’s tweets, one can sense the frustration from the writer. It is clear that he put a lot of heart and energy into building up the Bat-Cat relationship and writing the Bat-wedding issue.
As a courtesy to King and your local comic book shop, please do not cancel your pre-order. Alternatively, if you do drop Batman from your pull list, then take the money to pick up another title in support.
Batman #50 goes on sale July 4, 2018.
You can read culpable New York Times article here. Warning: Spoilers. Duh.