Just a reminder for those of you who don’t check this site every moment of the day, or don’t pay attention to the right column of this site (which contains a ton of valuable information) - we have a little show called The Major Spoilers Podcast, the podcast for pop culture and comic fans.

Each week the panel takes a look at some of the major stories from the week, review (relatively) new comics, take a look at a collected trade, and ponder the world of comics and pop culture. We’ve had some most excellent guests on the show, with more on the way, raised money for the Hero Initiative, and have been working on something big coming up in the very near future.

So if you haven’t, take a moment to browse the Major Spoilers Podcast archive, listen to a show or two, and make sure you participate in the Major Spoilers Forum and in the comment section beneath each article; you never know when your comment might be included in the show.

We record a brand new episode every Tuesday night, and you’ll be able to listen to it via iTunes (absolutely free) or directly from the Major Spoilers site first thing Wednesday morning.

And, if you have already been listening to the Major Spoilers Podcast, tell your friends about the show when you head to your local comic book store tomorrow. The more people that listen, the more guests we can bring on the show, the more events we’ll be able to sponsor, and the bigger the prizes we’ll be able to give away.

“Big Prizes?”

Oh, keep listening… (evil wicked smile goes here).

It’s looking to be a slow day for news and reviews, so I thought I’d take a moment to throw in a few shameless plugs for Major Spoilers.

• Don’t forget, voting is still open for the Major Spoilers Top 10 Trade Paperback list. You’ll have to head over to the Major Spoilers Forum to cast your vote. Only 19 votes? Come on guys, I know there are more of you who want to weigh in on this issue.
• There’s only one more week to go in the Major Spoilers Hero Drive. Subscribe or download the Major Spoilers podcast and for every “subscriber” the show has, Major Spoilers will donate money to the Hero Initiative. We’re up to $250, but would like to donate $250 more.
• Speaking of the podcast, this week we are reviewing Noble Causes: In Sickness and in Health trade paperback. If you would like to share your thoughts on the issue, and possibly have those comments read on the show, make sure you post your comments before noon on Tuesday April 29, 2008.
• We’ve been fortunate to have some great guests on the show, and on the next episode, the Major Spoilers Podcast welcomes Wes Molebash to the show. Wes has a different take on web comics, discusses his experience with Zuda Comics, and shares his views on creator owned work.
• Got an iPod Touch or iPhone? Add the Major Spoilers site to your Home Screen for a special icon that will get you fast access to the site.
• Final item, and a question: I’m thinking of opening up the Major Spoilers Podcast for sponsorships. Thought? We aren’t making any money from the show (or site) right now, and we do have ongoing costs that will need to be addressed in the near future, and I’m throwing around some ideas.

Okay, plug time over - if you are looking for something to do this afternoon, while waiting for the next update, might I suggest throwing some link love to the Hero History: Shrinking Violet entry.

Questions, feedback and suggestions are always welcome.

Just wanted to give everyone a head’s up that I’m interviewing Chip Mosher on the next Major Spoilers Podcast.

“Who the hell is Chip Mosher?”

Chip is the Director of Marketing and Sales for Boom! Studios, and also the writer behind Left On Mission.  We’ll discuss his illustrious 26 year career in comics (you’ll want to listen to find out how that works for someone just over 30), some of Chip’s ideas on marketing comics, and a new zombie title by the OSCAR nominated writer behind Before Sunrise.

The Major Spoilers Podcast will be up on this site tomorrow morning, or if you are up late tonight, you can catch the early feed on iTunes.

Listener Drive Raises Money for Comic Creators

The month of April is pledge month for the Major Spoilers Podcast (www.majorspoilers.com). But unlike other pledge drives that ask listeners to give money, Major Spoilers is flipping the tables and pledging money directly to the Hero Initiative (http://www.actorcomicfund.org/) to aid comic creators.

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Hey everyone!

Next week on the Major Spoilers Podcast, we’ll be reviewing Emerald Dawn, the modern retelling of Green Lantern/Hal Jordan’s origin story during the Trade Paperback segment of the show.

We really want YOU to be a part of the show, especially with these collected trade reviews. If you’ve read the series and want to voice your opinion, head over to the Major Spoilers Forum and post your thoughts. We’ll include the best comments in the show.

We record the Major Spoilers Podcast on Tuesday evenings, so get your comments in now!

Major Spoilers Forum

If you prefer to record your comments (2 minutes of less), you can always send an MP3 file to our podcast email address.

If you missed it, the latest issue of the Major Spoilers Podcast is available now. The panel discusses DC’s New Frontier - Absolute Edition, and the New Frontier DVD. We also go over The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, and discuss the costume design for the Watchmen movie.

Link to the latest episode.

I don’t usually ask readers for help - except your continued devotion to all things Major Spoilers (ha!), but please do us a big favor and tell your friends, folks hanging around the comic store, your neighbors, classmates, and so on. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from listeners and we need all the support we can get in getting the word out.

The next issue (up Wednesday) features the panel reviewing Thor issues 1-6, and lots, lots more!

You may have noticed a couple of additions to the sidebar ->

• The Recent Reviews section is back.  Here you can find the most recent reviews we’ve covered at Major Spoilers
• A section devoted to the Major Spoilers podcast, with links to the RSS Feed, the iTunes Music Store, and the five most recent episodes.

And in the next few weeks, I’ll have some other news related to the Major Spoilers site, so keep coming back, and thanks from the bottom of my heart for spreading the word.

In case you aren’t on the double-super-secret-special-major-spoilers-mailing list, you should be happy to know that Major Spoilers now has a weekly podcast. We have two shows under our belt, and have had some great feedback.

Each week join regular panel members Bryan, Rodrigo, and Stephen as they discuss the comics and pop culture industry.

In this issue:

• Toy Fair 2008
• Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter #1 from Virgin Comics
• The Escapists from Dark Horse Comics
• and the Question of the Week

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, or through your RSS Reader.

New episodes will appear each Wednesday, and we invite your participation in the show via the Major Spoilers Podcast Forum.

The Major Spoilers Forum is back!

Well, it never really went away; it’s been up and active since this site first started, but in order to further comic and pop culture discussion, we’ve made it a more active part of Major Spoilers.

So this brings up the question, “Should I post my thoughts in the comments section, or on the Major Spoilers Forum?”

Here’s a good rule of thumb - if you want to make a comment about a particular article posted on the site, feel free to use the comment section beneath the post. This ensures your comments will forever be attached to the story. If you would like to have an in-depth discussion on a particular topic (SKRULLS! for example), feel free to head over to the forum and post to your heart’s content.

Access the forums by clicking the menu item at the top of the page.

Remember, the only comic deaths that are permanent are Bucky, Jason Todd, and Uncle Ben.

Yeah, about that…

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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.

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While it may have appeared I was rapidly publishing stories about all things comic and comic related, I really spent most of last night and all of today at the hospital anxiously awaiting the birth of my first son.

Please welcome to the Major Spoilers Family -  Mason Jor-El Schleicher! Weighing in at a whopping 6lbs 1 oz., this 19.5-inch dynamo came kicking and screaming into the world of comicdom this afternoon.

I tried to get him to soak up as much sunlight as possible should a tractor pin me over the next couple of months, but I don’t see any changes yet.

Mother and child are doing well, and if everything goes okay, they should be home by Sunday. My plan is to try and do as many updates as possible between now and then when I get home in the evenings. But just in case, remember Matthew is delivering the goods in the form of some awesome reviews.

This last month has been busier than expected.  Last weekend I flew out to the National Association of Broadcasters meeting in Las Vegas, now this weekend, I’ll be spending all day Saturday, and probably most of Sunday moving to some new digs.  Next weekend I’ll be busy with more silly stuff, then the weekend after that (May 5) is the Planet Comicon in Kansas City, followed by the graduation season.  Lots going on, but even if I do get behind, remember I’ll get caught up eventually…