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What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

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What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Old 07-04-09, 08:45 PM
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What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

I remember when Wizard came along back in the early 90's and it was a great source of information for collectors and newbies alike. It had great coverage of comics, graphic novels and paperbacks from the big 2 and the independent scene. A decent comic book price guide without the CBG crap. Around 4-5 years ago I stopped buying comics as well as Wizard. I've been reading comics again and picked up a Wizard mag and was sorely disappointed to see that it has turned into a bland, pop culture magazine with very little resemblance of what it was. They seem to be more interested in pushing all the crap that turned the comic book industry into the toilet that it is today (variants, exclusives, alternate cover arts, gimmicks) and just pop culture crap in general. What happened? Why the drastic change? Is there a magazine that still focus on comic books? A good price guide? Really sad what Wizard has become.
Old 07-04-09, 10:10 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Drastic change? Maybe you don't remember Wizard all that well... it was always a hype machine, even from its inception.

I did pick up an issue recently and was disappointed by the lack of content, but then, the entire magazine industry is like that now due to lowered ad revenue and the existence of the internet (newsarama, etc.) which can break news much quicker than a print magazine. I think this, and the proliferation of comicbook movies, is the main reason why you may see such a drastic shift towards entertainment in general and not just comic books in particular.
Old 07-05-09, 10:09 AM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

What fujishig said.
Old 07-05-09, 11:41 AM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Originally Posted by dx23
Is there a magazine that still focus on comic books?
Sadly, there just isn't a market for one. Last year there was the absolute perfect comic book magazine ever that came out. It was called Comic Foundry, I think only 4 maybe 5 issues came out. It was everything you could want in a comic book magazine. All comics, in-depth features on indie-books, cool features like they would go inside a creator's studio, & if they actually interviewed a celebrity, like they did with Kristen Bell, they would actually took comic books, not just a promotion for whatever recent movie they were in.


I'm really surprised Wizard is still around, I loved it as a kid, but it has gotten even worse. What amazes me now is that it's mostly become an entertainment magazine, which is odd b/c if you wanted the Entertainment stuff, you can get it in so many other publications. But then again, I guess it's just amazing that any magazine nowadays still exists.
Old 07-05-09, 05:18 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Originally Posted by fujishig
Drastic change? Maybe you don't remember Wizard all that well... it was always a hype machine, even from its inception.

I did pick up an issue recently and was disappointed by the lack of content, but then, the entire magazine industry is like that now due to lowered ad revenue and the existence of the internet (newsarama, etc.) which can break news much quicker than a print magazine. I think this, and the proliferation of comicbook movies, is the main reason why you may see such a drastic shift towards entertainment in general and not just comic books in particular.

Yeah, I knew it was a hype machine, but at least it was for comic books. I remember Palmer's picks and the letters section being pretty entertaining, and still Wizard covered comics and every now and then, things that were directly related to the industry. It is really sad the direction they have taken.
Old 07-05-09, 05:20 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Originally Posted by Sessa17
Sadly, there just isn't a market for one. Last year there was the absolute perfect comic book magazine ever that came out. It was called Comic Foundry, I think only 4 maybe 5 issues came out. It was everything you could want in a comic book magazine. All comics, in-depth features on indie-books, cool features like they would go inside a creator's studio, & if they actually interviewed a celebrity, like they did with Kristen Bell, they would actually took comic books, not just a promotion for whatever recent movie they were in.


I'm really surprised Wizard is still around, I loved it as a kid, but it has gotten even worse. What amazes me now is that it's mostly become an entertainment magazine, which is odd b/c if you wanted the Entertainment stuff, you can get it in so many other publications. But then again, I guess it's just amazing that any magazine nowadays still exists.
Really sad to hear that. I was hoping that a magazine covering the comic book industry was still around. So now, in the internet era, which websites or forums do you guys recommend for comic book news, upcomning books and TBPs and just general comic discussion?
Old 07-05-09, 06:13 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Originally Posted by dx23
So now, in the internet era, which websites or forums do you guys recommend for comic book news, upcomning books and TBPs and just general comic discussion?
I don't know where to go for comic book discussion, but the 2 websites I use are Newsarama & Bleedingcool.com There are probably tons more but these 2 are enough for me.
Old 07-05-09, 07:32 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Is the Comics Buyers' Guide (CBG) still around? The used to be the best for comic news years ago and much less biased than Wizard. They were a weekly newspaper style magazine but a few years back change format to a monthly squareboung magazine instead. I liked the old format when I was into comics; but now you can get information quicker on the internet.
Old 07-05-09, 08:21 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Originally Posted by movieguru
Is the Comics Buyers' Guide (CBG) still around? The used to be the best for comic news years ago and much less biased than Wizard. They were a weekly newspaper style magazine but a few years back change format to a monthly squareboung magazine instead. I liked the old format when I was into comics; but now you can get information quicker on the internet.
Apparently, they do.

http://www.cbgxtra.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Buyer%27s_Guide
Old 07-06-09, 01:49 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Originally Posted by fujishig
I think this, and the proliferation of comicbook movies, is the main reason why you may see such a drastic shift towards entertainment in general and not just comic books in particular.
like comicon
Old 07-06-09, 07:29 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

This topic came around at the perfect time. I wanted to check out Wizard again to see but after reading this, it looks like I can forget that
Old 07-08-09, 06:21 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Couple of more questions regarding comic and comic-related magazines that were available when I stop buying comics several years ago:

1- Is Tomart's Action Figure Digest still alive?
2- Is there any way to subscribe to Previews or is the only way of getting this mag/catalog is through stores that order from Diamond distributor?
Old 07-08-09, 06:56 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Cover price for Previews is like 5 bucks now (I was surprised when I last checked, since I normally get it for free). I'm not sure there is a way to subscribe, but I think everything is listed on their site as well.

I'm pretty sure Tomart's is still around, though I haven't personally been to any store that carries it recently.
Old 07-09-09, 07:13 AM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Originally Posted by dx23

1- Is Tomart's Action Figure Digest still alive?
Yea they're still around. I've only seen one store actually selling it, and that was in Orlando

http://www.secure.figures.com/tomart...x.php?cPath=58
Old 07-09-09, 03:21 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Originally Posted by fujishig
Cover price for Previews is like 5 bucks now (I was surprised when I last checked, since I normally get it for free). I'm not sure there is a way to subscribe, but I think everything is listed on their site as well.

I'm pretty sure Tomart's is still around, though I haven't personally been to any store that carries it recently.
How do you get Previews for free? I checked their website and there is no where I can see a subscription page.
Old 07-13-09, 03:08 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Where to start on what killed Wizard Magazine...

1. I think it has suffered much of the same fate as the comic book industry in general. When they debuted in 1991, the comic book industry was blowing up thanks in part to the speculator market. What better way to speculate than to read Wizard? After all they were the bible of what was supposed to be hot. Back then moving a million copies a month of a hot book was not unheard of. Today a few hundred thousand makes you the king of the hill. As the comic book industry (and it's fanbase) has shrunk - so to did Wizards readership.

I would liken Wizard to Computer Gaming World (which folded three years ago). At one point computer gaming was all the rage but with the rise of console gaming that market has diminished considerably. If your market shrinks, your potential readership base shrinks too.

2. Magainzes (and newspapers) are a hard sell this day and age. Even magazines that cover growing industries (such as video games) are having a difficult time making a go of it. Print journalism (if you want to call Wizard that) is a very tough sell these days. It's not just Wizard that has seen a decline in readership but all print media (obvioulsy including comic books - see first item).

3. The Internet marked the end of Wizard Magazine as we knew it. Wizard needed to become Newsarma to survive. It didn't. It wasn't until the last year or so where their website became anything near functional. Mostly they sold their crap on it. A website as all encompassing (all things comic books) as Newsarama just destroyed Wizard in my mind. There will sometimes be a six week lag between when you read something on Newsarama and when you see it in Wizard. It's not news by then, but history.
Old 07-15-09, 04:45 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

I used to love Wizard. I've found I used to read it and laugh dozens of times just flipping through and dozens more after I read it. The problem is they did not keep one person: Jim McLaughlin.

This man was the funniest thing Wizard had going for them. His letters pages were a riot. I bought Wizard last month for the first time in about 3 years. The letters page was abysmal. Not even a chuckle. Jim did so much for Wizard. He did the letters and two or three articles a month.

In the 90s, Wizard actually had independents on the cover. Nowadays, it's one of the Big Two every month OR they have to cross-promote some movie star or television show which has nothing to do with comics (See: Lost. I love the show, but I come to you for COMICS information, not what the hell is going on in Lost information). Oh, and don't forget the variant covers they pimp all the time so someone who hates Iron Man can buy a Batman cover instead.

They used to have a sense of community...the annual Costume Contest or Scavenger Hunt was fun and gave me something to do for a few months. What do they have now? Even Twisted Toyfare Theatre was popular...then they pimped it out to its own magazine.

Wizard has become unfunny, boring and lacking in any information. In the late 90s, when prop replicas were just starting to be released, it was how I found out I needed to pre-order my Green Lantern Ring or my Joker Statue and still have articles to read. (Unlike Previews)

If Jim McLaughlin were back next month doing letters, I'd buy the magazine for that alone. In truth, towards the end of his run, I was doing just that.

I miss Wizard.
Old 07-17-09, 04:02 AM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

You can order all 5 issues of Comic Foundry for $20.00. There is a link available through their home page.

http://comicfoundry.com/?merchant_re...X2kT8P8uqeMSoM
Old 08-27-09, 03:11 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Wizard use to slay me. Several video game mags had the same vibe. The one I enjoyed most folded and now I have Maxim until 2018. As though there are no nekkid women on the internet. Stupid.
Old 08-28-09, 06:04 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

EGM is coming back, though you're sub won't get restored...
Old 09-04-09, 03:20 AM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

I quite like a lot of the magazines put out by TwoMorrows publishing although admittedly they focus more on the old comics (Alter Ego on the Golden Age, the really good Back Issue on the 70s/80s) than the new stuff...
Old 09-04-09, 05:34 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

TwoMorrows is great, though like you said you won't get any recent news from them, and Back Issue is kinda hit and miss depending on if you like the topic of the issue. I enjoy their more comprehensive companion books and especially Modern Masters.
Old 09-04-09, 07:47 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

By the way, Wizard fired a lot of its staff several days ago. Things are not looking good there.
Old 09-18-09, 01:05 PM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

Just found my old collection of Wizards in the back of a closet. Have most every one from 10 to the early 100s. Used to love that magazine.
Old 01-24-11, 11:25 AM
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Re: What happened to Wizard: The Guide to Comics?

RIP: Wizard Magazine

http://www.ifanboy.com/content/artic...wn_Immediately

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