Quiet on the set

Gavin Ford of the Elmira, N.Y. Star Gazette asks comic fans to please shut up:


While I was going through my list of weekly purchases, another customer in the store was explaining - rather loudly, I might add - several key plot points to upcoming comics that hadn't hit the shelves yet. Where this information came from isn't relevant. The fact is that others, including myself, may not want to be privy to this info until after we've actually read the material.

So why did this person feel the need to ruin what could have been just another satisfying trip to the comic shop? Perhaps he was just so excited about the recent turn of events in the books that he just had to share his observations with others. Moviegoers occasionally run into this type at the theater. Someone will yell out and state the obvious just in case the rest of the audience somehow missed the point. The rest of the theater patrons will sit there in quiet bemusement and/or annoyance, depending on the frequency of the occurrences.

The other explanation is even more infuriating. Some people feel the need to spoil one's reading or viewing enjoyment just to prove how much more knowledgeable they think they are on the subject. You've met these people too. They're the ones who have to narrate the entire movie and enlighten the "normal folk" with their in-depth coverage of what is transpiring on the silver screen. You can always find these people at the opening day of the latest "Star Wars," "Star Trek," "Harry Potter" or "Lord of the Rings" installments.

And Spider-Man ... don't forget Spider-Man. I remember going to see Spider-Man II and having to listen to a fan in line in front of me reveal all the details he knew about the film. Yes, you have internet access, lucky you ... just remember, with great power comes great responsibility.