City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

R.I.P. Wizard Magazine

Antigonus

By Antigonus,
Posted on: 2011-01-26 12:37 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperOz View Post
Being a tabletop gamer, seeing the venerable Dragon and Dungeon magazines just shut up shop made me very very sad. It feels like niche interests and hobbies are becoming homogenised and 'cleaned up' for mass consumption. I kind of like the rough around the edges feel these things had.
Quote:
Originally Posted by reiella View Post
Bit of suggestion re Dragon and Dungeon, they still exist, just in a different format now. It's an online only distributed magazine as part of the D&D Insider program. It's not the same though, but far fewer 'outside' ads, just the traditional D&D ads 'disguised' as articles.
For what it's worth, Paizo's still doing their thing, too. After Wizards ended that relationship, Paizo refocused on their Golarion setting more strongly, and have been producing a lot of interesting stuff. Their Adventure Path series isn't JUST modules, it has a lot of interesting articles along with it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcanaville View Post
Softcapping an Invuln is fantastic. Softcapping a Willpower is amazing. Softcapping SR is kissing your sister.

 

Posted

I don't know what Wizard devolved into, but I did enjoy some of the columns back in the late 90s, early 00s

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperOz View Post
Being a tabletop gamer, seeing the venerable Dragon and Dungeon magazines just shut up shop made me very very sad. It feels like niche interests and hobbies are becoming homogenised and 'cleaned up' for mass consumption. I kind of like the rough around the edges feel these things had.
S.
Wow, I had not heard that they were gone. BUMMER.

Guides: Dark Armor and IOs | SS/DA | Crabbing | Fortunata

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Toony View Post
It's not too surprising. Magazines (especially ones that are for a specialized group) are really losing any purpouse. Actually they haven't had a purpouse in about 10 years. The Internet allows us to get alot of info we used to need magazines for. Comics haven't fallen because collectors want a physical copy, and some people just prefer the comic in their hands. Not really the same for magazines.

I've never really read an issue of wizard.
Also disagree. Magazine readership may be down, but it is never going to go away. There are plenty of occasions when you just can't go online, or don't WANT to go online, to get information and/or entertainment. For example, I am prevented from using the Internet at work (yes, it happens!), so no Websurfing for me. And when on vacation at my mother's, there is no Internet access (not even WiFi). I'm not about to pay through the nose for 3G/4G wireless access on my laptop.

So what else am I going to do during slow moments? READ. As in, physical books and magazines. I subscribe to three magazines, purchase half a dozen others fairly often, and consume several lines of science-fiction novels as quickly as they are published. I have a Barnes and Noble membership card, and I'm not afraid to use it!!!

Sure, I could get an e-reader, but I have yet to see an e-reader that is full-color, offers enough contrast, is truly readable under most lighting conditions, is comfortable to hold for long periods of time, needs NO batteries, and can survive rain, dirt, dunking in the pool/lake, food/drink spills, twisting, bending, crushing, folding, spindling, and mutiliating... and still be readable.

(Side note: I am digressing here, but I wish computer game publishers would include full printed manuals with all their games. ESPECIALLY the more complex games, like flight/space simulators. PDF files just don't cut it! I hate having to Alt-Tab between a fullscreen game and Acrobat Reader [even when the game works gracefully with Alt-Tab], when it would be far easier to simply glance at a printed manual on my desktop. /vent)

TargetOne

"If you two don't work this out RIGHT NOW, I'm turning this invasion around and going home!" - Emperor Cole

 

Posted

meh....i wont miss it really.... the whole price guide thing just got to be annoying and so stupid. like so many others have said I read comics because i like a certain character or a particular author, not from what someone says I should be reading.....besides thats why I pick up a copy of Previews for each month lol!

You only fail if you give up. - Dana Scully

Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum - Nick Cave

We're not just destroyers, at the same time we can be saviors. - Allen Walker

 

Posted

Wizard was the people that did Anime Insider too, right?

The shuttering of that magazine really honked me off. About 3 months before it shuttered, I got a renewel notice and subbed for a 2 year subscription. It took a couple of months for me to realize I wasn't receiving my issues. The only reason I was able to get my sub money back was because I went to the forum for that mag (shuttered about a week after I posted about in it) and found the information to request a refund. Took a couple months and repeated emails before someone actually helped me.

There was no notification whatsoever that the mag was closing down. No indication in the last issue that it WAS the last issue ever, to the best of my recollection.


 

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I felt sad and depressed for the demises of both Starlog and Byte, but I don't feel anything for the demise of Wizard.

Shows you what kinda geek I am!

 

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Wow, sad. Kinda wish i didnt throw out all my old issues when i moved. I kinda wanna go back and read 'em again now. Jim McLaughlin was the man!

-STEELE =)


Allied to all sides so that no matter what, I'll come out on top!
Oh, and Crimson demands you play this arc-> Twisted Knives (MA Arc #397769)

 

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I'm really going to miss Wizard's ToyFare magazine. Although I admittedly haven't read the publication in awhile, I have fond memories of sitting cross-legged in the magazine aisle of my local bookstore, giggling like an idiot at the toy-related humor.

So long, Mego Spidey comics.

 

Posted

Loved the magazine when Jim MCLaughlin was around. Back then, it was laugh-out-loud funny, had the nadular fortitude to actually, honestly review comics and had geeky-fun what-if? articles and trivia. I've missed that Wizard for a long time.

Haven't enjoyed post-that-time Wizard at all. I feel bad about the jobs lost, but this was long overdue.

"America is about speed. Hot, nasty, bad-[censored] speed."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

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Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterTorgo View Post
Loved the magazine when Jim MCLaughlin was around. Back then, it was laugh-out-loud funny, had the nadular fortitude to actually, honestly review comics and had geeky-fun what-if? articles and trivia. I've missed that Wizard for a long time.

Haven't enjoyed post-that-time Wizard at all. I feel bad about the jobs lost, but this was long overdue.
Jim leaving was probably the first sign that the end was nigh. These days, he's in charge over at the HERO initiative and doing great work.

David Nakayama, Lead Concept Artist
COH Concept Art Gallery now open at http://pixelsaurus.deviantart.com/

 

Posted

The Wizard articles where often fun. And I still have some saved. But for the price catalogue I trust on Overstreet for years now.

The Wizard pricelist is too much influenced by direct hyping to be anywhere trustworthy.

I have to say I only go for price checks to make sure I am not paying too much when buying collectibles and silver age though.

- The Italian Job: The Godfather Returns #1151
Beginner - Encounter a renewed age for the Mook and the Family when Emile Marcone escapes from the Zig!
- Along Came a... Bug!? #528482
Average - A new race of aliens arrives on Earth. And Vanguard has you investigate them!
- The Court of the Blood Countess: The Rise of the Blood Countess #3805
Advanced - Go back in time and witness the birth of a vampire. Follow her to key moments in her life in order to stop her! A story of intrigue, drama and horror! Blood & Violence... not recommend to solo!

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Noble Savage View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperOz View Post
...seeing the venerable Dragon and Dungeon magazines just shut up shop made me very very sad. It feels like niche interests and hobbies are becoming homogenised and 'cleaned up' for mass consumption. I kind of like the rough around the edges feel these things had.
Yup. Feels like we're truly and completely in an online era now.
Actually, as I recall, the worst thing about it was the magazines were doing fine.

Wizards of the Ha$bro just decided they wanted them back for their online "Insider" service; Piazo seemed to be doing just fine with them :/

Orc&Pie No.53230 There is an orc, and somehow, he got a pie. And you are hungry.
www.repeat-offenders.net

Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.

 

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I subscribed to it for a year. I liked some of the #0 etc. issues. They were a great intro into some comics that you normally wouldn't have got or even looked at.

Biggest problem it had was it hyped DC Marvel and Image, but never really gave some of the better alternative publishers a look. Oh well Good Riddance I say, it was the main reason for the speculator market that crashed so very hard.

 

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Was in Wizard I saw the one comic which...I think...may have not even made it to publish or the bugger was of such a limited run it is a collectors item (as one Comic store owner told me).

Was as comic called Hench about the life and times of a professional Henchman for a variety of villains.

Been in multiple comic stores and told either:
A) Never heard of it.

B) Limited run.

C) Never made it to the UK.

 

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I have a box full of Wizards from the early to mid 90's. My walls during middle and high school were littered with the posters from them and their poster specials. Now my walls are littered with bagged comics instead. Wizard dropping out of the picture kinda makes me want to see if I can find all my old posters in the boxes at my mother's house... I haven't bought an issue in over a decade, but it's still sad to see them go since it was a good way to broaden one's comic knowledge. *shrug* I guess that just isn't needed in these days. Strange, sad, and amazing to think about the implications of it all.

@Johnstone & @Johnstone 2
ediblePoly.com
All my characters

 

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I had bee a subscriber on and off to Wizard and Toyfare for as long as I can remember. This makes me sad.

But what I'm going to miss most is Twisted Toyfare Theatre.

TTT never disappoints and I always get a great laugh out of it.

[ @Zombie Fryer ][ @Zombie Smasher ]
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