In this week’s “Lying in the Gutters,” Rich Johnston pointed to the blog of “marvel b0y,” who characterizes himself as a low-level editorial staff member at Marvel and proceeds to drop sort of spoilers, grouse about certain writers and editors, and detail the mundaneness of his duties.
Johnston asked whether marvel b0y is an “insider whistleblower or fake.” Apparently he is an insider — albeit one who doesn’t value his job much.
Yesterday, marvel b0y posted a cease-and-desist letter from Marvel’s deputy general counsel Eli Bard in response to his reproduction of art from the unreleased New Avengers #41. (The images no longer appear on his blog, apparently because the Photobucket links were disabled.) The letter is addressed to “Mr. Conners,” in reference to the name used in the email address listed for the LiveJournal account.
Needless to say, marvel b0y’s real name isn’t “Riley Conners.”
On his own blog, writer Matt Fraction (The Immortal Iron Fist, Invincible Iron Man) recounted a phone call he received yesterday morning from Marvel informing him that there’s “a disgruntled Marvel employee out there that’s started a bitter little jagoff blog”:
Anyway, I got mentioned on the blog last night, the emails started, and I went to read it. A bit from INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #2 was, uh, leaked, I guess you could say. It’s not exactly important, so calling it a leak is a bit of an overstatement, but it leaves no doubt this person’s read the outline.
So between the call and the leak: this is a legit thing.
The thing that guys like “Felicia” and this new douchebag don’t seem to get is that– like, this little hobby of yours? It’s kind of my job, y’know? This shit costs people work, it costs people their jobs. These books put food on the table and a roof overhead. And what you do actually impedes that.
And then, late last night, marvel b0y posts that, after rereading the cease-and-desist letter, “I’m starting to think this could be serious. I don’t want to get in trouble and I don’t want to get anyone else in trouble so I’m just going to come right out and confess. It was me, Steve Wacker. I just want to apologize and say I’m sorry.”
No, his real name isn’t Steve Wacker, either.
marvel_b0y is Dan Slott. You heard it here first.
Comment by Squashua — March 21, 2008 @ 9:57 am
Well, the pic was taken by somebody on a Blackberry 8130. How many of those are in the Marvel office?
Comment by Rich — March 21, 2008 @ 10:04 am
Boooo on you, Rich. Don’t piss in the man’s taco.
Comment by TheUglyAmerican — March 21, 2008 @ 10:10 am
The best part is that it was taken at a specific time. It’s very weirdly inconsistent. At some level we are being had by someone. I just wonder who?
Comment by Pedro Tejeda — March 21, 2008 @ 10:21 am
Eh, I just read “It’s easy to cover tracks, anyone with half a brain and an internet connection can do this without anyone really getting to them. It’s so simple it’s almost pathetic!” on there and wondered if the properties of the .jpg were public.
It’s not exactly Batman-level stuff.
Comment by Rich — March 21, 2008 @ 10:25 am
So you’re DENYING you’re Batman?
Comment by Rob S. — March 21, 2008 @ 10:46 am
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Comment by Darthphere — March 21, 2008 @ 11:02 am
I still don’t fully believe this yet.
I’ve done a little digging and found some inconsistencies with his LiveJournal account sign-up date and his journal entry dates. Plus, he’s only showed up on CBR and Jinxworld…and his sign up on those sites mirror the date on his LJ account.
Also, like Fraction said, he hasn’t really spoiled anything. He’s spoken about stuff in a vague manner.
You know, this is entertaining and all–but seriously, if this guy is real; he should be held to task for the usage of material that isn’t his. Throw the book at him, Marvel.
On the other hand, if this is viral marketing–which it also smacks of–then should the person behind it be held to task by a gullible fan base?
Or do we all just live for this kind of tomfoolery?
I can’t deny that I’ve enjoyed it for the laughs and intrigue.
Comment by Steve Ekstrom — March 21, 2008 @ 11:05 am
“marvel_b0y is Dan Slott. You heard it here first.”
I don’t think it is Dan Slott. I think he’s too busy arguing with fans on message boards to have the time to do something like this.
Comment by Bentcorner — March 21, 2008 @ 11:09 am
I hear the name on his birth certificate is “Throat, Deep”.
Comment by Matt M. — March 21, 2008 @ 12:23 pm
Marvel’s cease and desist letters have pictures of super-heroes on them? What a bunch of jackasses.
Comment by Tucker Stone — March 21, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
They’re your friendly neighborhood cease-and-desist letters.
Comment by Kevin Melrose — March 21, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
I’d take this more seriously if it weren’t happening so close to April Fool’s Day. If this is the real deal, Marvel’s counsel should have contacted LiveJournal’s management directly instead of going after marvel b0y. They’re supposed to be pretty quick on the trigger in deleting an entire blog if there’s the slightest hint of legal trouble.
Comment by kdx125 — March 21, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
I don’t know, the blog has been in operation since January, so it doesn’t strike me as an April Fool’s gag. Plus, I can’t imagine Marvel going so far as to take pot shots at some of its creators and editors, and rope at least one of its writers into playing along with the “joke.”
As for shutting down the blog: If I were a Marvel executive, I’d want it to go on for a while — at least until I could ferret out the person behind it. Y’know, plant some misinformation, see if it makes its way onto the blog, then track it back to the source.
Comment by Kevin Melrose — March 21, 2008 @ 12:56 pm
The inconsistency is the sign-up date.
He joined LiveJournal as “Marvel_b0y” on FEBRUARY 19 2008.
He joined the CBR forum and Jinxworld on FEBRUARY 18 2008.
His entry posts go all the way back to November 2, 2007–which to me, is indicative of something fake.
And much like Kevin Melrose, I too think that this is way too close to the release date of Secret Invasion (nice meta-metaphor) and April Fool’s Day.
Comment by Steve Ekstrom — March 21, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
As a former lawyer, in my opinion there’s no legal document that couldn’t be improved by putting super-heroes on it.
Comment by Dweeze — March 21, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
Maybe it really is just an employee at Marvel who is THAT stupid. What’s wrong with people? I would have killed to have had a job at Marvel when I was younger, even if it was just making coffee and mopping floors.
Comment by Fanboy Menace — March 21, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
“Marvel’s cease and desist letters have pictures of super-heroes on them? What a bunch of jackasses.”
Now I want a cease and desist letter with Marvel superheroes on it.
Comment by JK Parkin — March 21, 2008 @ 2:17 pm
I’m sure it can be arranged.
Comment by Kevin Melrose — March 21, 2008 @ 2:23 pm
Yeah, honestly, that’s kind of cool. It’s the modern day No-Prize.
Comment by david brothers — March 21, 2008 @ 2:46 pm
He migrated posts onto the “Marvel-boy” account from another (deleted) one, hence some of the posts being older than his sign-up date.
Comment by Tom Daylight — March 21, 2008 @ 3:01 pm
Those super heroes are literally COMING TO GET YOU. I wonder if the HR department’s stationary has, like, Spidey web-slinging I-9 forms.
Comment by Evie — March 21, 2008 @ 3:01 pm
Aw damn, Tucker Stone beat me to my own sarcastic remark about Marvel’s cease-and-desist orders!
I know that’s their company letter head and all, but for the legal stuff? Jeez.
Although, if it were just The Punisher on there, maybe I could see it working…
Comment by caleb — March 21, 2008 @ 3:01 pm
So, apparently that guy is former 52 editor Stephen Wacker? At least that’s the post I just read (not starting a rumour, didn’t even know anything about this before clicking on this story here… ). Fascinating. He’ll be out of a job soon, then.
Comment by Thomas — March 21, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
It should have Matt Murdock at least.
Comment by M.Nicolai — March 21, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
“So, apparently that guy is former 52 editor Stephen Wacker?”
No.
Comment by Kevin Melrose — March 21, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
It should have Matt Murdock at least.
Or She-Hulk, before Peter David took away her law license. That’s power.
Comment by Rich — March 21, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
Kevin you act like you know who it is! Nice sleuthing job.
Comment by Heidi MacDonald — March 21, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
Ha. No, it’s not that. I just don’t take the “confession” — “It was me, Steve Wacker” — as gospel.
Comment by Kevin Melrose — March 21, 2008 @ 5:28 pm
It was Steve Wacker. In the hall. With the Revolver.
Now I’m gonna go home and sleep with my wife…
Comment by Meet Dan Coyle — March 21, 2008 @ 5:38 pm
Meet Dan Coyle just won in my book.
Comment by Katie — March 21, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
Am I the only one surprised by how mean and bitter Fraction comes off in his blog post?
Comment by LurkerWithout — March 21, 2008 @ 6:17 pm
Fraction seems to be trying to hard to be cool. This and the interviews at the convention last week make me think he’s just rolling his eyes and just dismissive about everything.
And how does this cost people their jobs, really? Outside of the person who would be fired when they find out who’s “spoilering” everything? Fraction’s getting paid, everyone else is, am I missing something?
Comment by Ken B. — March 21, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
Yeah, I second Ken B. How does this “impede” anything or cost anyone their job or take food outta people’s mouths?
People who were gonna pick up Fraction’s books - and I love his writing, btw - [or any of these other “spoiled” books] are still gonna do so. People who weren’t, probably still aren’t.
It’s the internet. That’s how it goes. There really aren’t any secrets anymore…
Comment by Rob — March 21, 2008 @ 10:16 pm
There is a segment of comic book readership that would buy so very little if they could just hear about everything online. There are some review readers that get pissed if you don’t give them a better idea of what happened in an issue, continuity-wise.
Comment by Kevin Huxford — March 21, 2008 @ 11:47 pm
Wow, yeah, Fraction sure is being “mean and bitter” by taking a shot back at some bitchy little asshole who publicly states that Fraction’s ruining Marvel and that he can’t wait for Fraction to get fired so that the holy Dan Slott can undo all Fraction’s horrible writing.
Or it could just be that he’s responding to this miserable twat with all the courtesy he deserves. You don’t publicly shit-talk the company you work for unless you know you want to get fired in a massive crash and burn.
Anybody white-knighting for marvel_b0y has no goddamn idea how the entertainment industry works at all.
Comment by Dave — March 22, 2008 @ 12:00 am
The best part of the super-heroes on the cease and desist letter is that they all look angry. Talk about putting things in the proper context… lol
Comment by Kingdom Gone — March 22, 2008 @ 12:17 am
Christ, it’s so obvious that was a fake cease and desist. Marvel current policy is to issue current legal notifications on Skrull letterhead…
Comment by Tim O'Shea — March 22, 2008 @ 12:35 am
“Marvel’s cease and desist letters have pictures of super-heroes on them? What a bunch of jackasses”
I just don’t get what they hope to “accomplish” by having that graphic on there…I mean, surely they want the people who receive those to take the letter seriously?
“Good lord it’s Captain America on this letterhead…he’s epic-ness makes me, only now, feel guilt.”
Comment by ejulp — March 22, 2008 @ 7:37 am
*his epic-ness*
Comment by ejulp — March 22, 2008 @ 7:40 am
Y’know, at times like this I’m glad I don’t read comics.
Comment by edc — March 22, 2008 @ 8:26 am
Really someone should do an analysis of Marvel letterhead through the ages. I remember mocking Marvel when they got saddled with the “black Spidey costume” well after that initial Secret Wars plotline played out. This was of course before Venom became the most overused Marvel universe plotline guest star…and was not the first time I turned out to be the actual idiot…
Comment by Tim O'Shea — March 22, 2008 @ 8:34 am
“WHO DO YOU TRUST?”
Who cares!
Comment by Hatcher — March 22, 2008 @ 8:50 am
“Y’know, at times like this I’m glad I don’t read comics.”
You sure do read ABOUT them, though.
Comment by V — March 22, 2008 @ 4:10 pm
It seems the site is now down, after someone posted the real spoilers of secret invasion on the website.
Comment by Pedro Tejeda — March 22, 2008 @ 5:31 pm
I only saw the “Dum Dum Dugan is a Skrull” spoiler… what were the other ones that were posted before the site went down?
Comment by Kimota94 — March 22, 2008 @ 5:51 pm
Ha. Wait 2 weeks dude. From what was listed, it looks like it’s going to be really really awesome.
Comment by Pedro Tejeda — March 22, 2008 @ 6:36 pm
Dum Dum Dugan is a Skrull is pretty obvious. The guy was disemboweled by Daken in Wolverine Origins and turned up just fine in Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. a few weeks later.
Comment by Ji Coyle — March 22, 2008 @ 8:30 pm
If you Google marvel_b0y and dum dugan, you’ll get the spoilers that come after Dugan’s reveal. You’ll miss the one that came before that reveal, but telling you the keywords would be telling.
It was the only entry that didn’t get Google cached, apparently. Bummer.
Comment by Kevin Huxford — March 22, 2008 @ 10:46 pm
To elaborate on Kevin’s post, if you google “Marvel_b0y skrulls” you get the big reveal before the Dugan stuff.
It’s the second result, and really, it’s a “duh” moment.
Happy Easter indeed! It’s like an Easter Egg hunt! That apparently robs the writers at Marvel money to put food on the table!
Comment by Ken B. — March 22, 2008 @ 11:34 pm
Well, those searches no longer pull up anything. So, if you missed it, you’re SOL.
Comment by Kevin Huxford — March 23, 2008 @ 2:11 am
And the Blog is now baleeted.
Comment by TheUglyAmerican — March 24, 2008 @ 8:57 am
http://marvelb0y.spaces.live.com/default.aspx
Comment by Jeff Albertson — March 25, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
Easy, it’s a skrull !
Comment by Seb de Lyon — April 2, 2008 @ 8:19 am
i’m marvelb0y. i’m also joe quesada and jack’s colon. i get cancer i kill jack. but it’s ok. jack was a skrull…
Comment by anonymous — April 10, 2008 @ 10:23 pm