Wizard: Special Edition (September 1992)



(note: could NOT find a good image of the real cover. These are two trading cards using the same artwork)

22 years later, I'm still not entirely sure what the point of this special was. The genesis of the concept appears to have been a promotion for San Diego Comic Con. Though this was sold on newsstands and at LCSes, it featured the convention layout and list of vendors for the convention, as well as talked up its featured guests. Shamus explains that this was the original concept, in a round about way, before going on and on about the double gatefold cover from Image. Really, that cover appears to have been the final central purpose of this publication.

Beyond that, this is just an issue of extra articles. Shamus suggests that it's a try out issue of sorts, and that you should write to provide feedback on what you liked and didn't, but here's the break-down:

Interview with Stan Lee (nothing bold nor experimental about this. Could have been placed in the next issue)
Hollywood Heroes (an extra edition of an already regular feature in the magazine)
Limited Knowledge (an article on the popularity of dealer incentive editions easily could have worked as a Collecting in the '90s column)
Whirlwind Tour of Comics (less a new feature and more a one-time ultra abridged summary of comic book history)
Toying Around (an extra edition of an already regular feature in the magazine)
The Hottest Women (seriously. A list of the hottest females in comics)
A Look at Comicdoms Most Underrated Talents (again, a one-time feature. It's not like this is a try out for some new perspective on comics and collecting)
Amazing Artists (this is really just the amateur Wizard cover gallery again, but this time only showing art from older fans)
The Big Boys (overly-simplified synopses of the major publishers in comics. Again, a one-time feature)
The Movers and Shakers (can't tell if this is Wizard's write-ups on the hottest creators in the field or just the featured guests at SDCC. Considering no one from Valiant gets mentioned, probably just the folks at SDCC)
SDCC info


So exactly one of those features (The Hottest Babes) had the potential to become a regular mainstay in the magazine.

Beyond that, what the hell was this issue all about?


Of Interest:

Wizard's synopses of the major comic book publishers are placed in a very specific order. At first, you might chalk it up to preference/bias, but the order actually correlates to the percent of the market that each company controlled as of Wizard #13.

The order is:

Marvel
DC
Image
Valiant
Dark Horse
Mirage
Malibu (Interesting. This marks the first time Image and Malibu are treated as two separate entities)
Tundra


Also, this issue marks the first mention of the Unity #0 red variant that would dominate the Wizard Top 10 for a long while after, and it's the first time the X-Men animated series is mentioned as being in production. Finally, did anyone else know there was a Human Target TV series on the air in 1992?

That would make a lot of sense, and that's probably ultimately what Shamus and the gang decided upon five hours before this hit the presses, but the magazine itself seems less sure of its focus and identity. Heck, it doesn't even have a title beyond "Special Edition." Later Wizard Special Editions would all have a clear focus laid out in the title and steering the entire book.




Hard to imagine!

mrp mentioned this as well, but I can't find any info online to verify it.





I suppose most independent publications do. It's more a question of how Todd McFarlane got involved in that first issue, as that cover and lead feature placed Wizard squarely in the big leagues and also suggested someone powerful was working with (or behind) Shamus.

I'd love to see that. Please share any info you have as well.

And if you can remember which issue that came from, that would be incredibly helpful!

It's possible pre-internet a startup trade publication could have easy access to big shot comic book guys. In fact, I bet it wouldn't be too hard today. If you secured the loan and had a few major preorders snd let it be known you were about to release a trade publication that would be all over the place in a few months I bet Marvel would throw their starting lineup at you.

Wizard #14 (October 1992)



It's hard to believe it took Wizard 14 issues to do an X-Men cover (Wolverine on the cover of #3 doesn't count), and harder still to believe that this is the cover we got. Still even less believable is the blurb we get about the cover inside:

"Though they may be called the X-Men, their female members are the hottest part of the team."

There are any number of ways you could have ended that sentence. "The best characterized," "the strongest," "the most complex," and "the most compelling"...but no. They're "the hottest".

Truly, Wizard has found its target audience (adolescent boys) and is playing to them, first with the Hottest Babes list in last month's special and now this.

In sad contrast, Tom Palmer, author of the most visible feature left in the magazine still trying to cater to more sophisticated readers, outright writes in this month's column:



I really hope he's exaggerating in implying that he's never yet received a fan letter. His is a solid article with excellent recommendations each month. For example, he's talking Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and Swamp Thing in this issue. And no one's paying attention.

Also, there's a shake-up in format this issue as the price guide is suddenly HALF the length of the book (and yet still doesn't list any Golden Age titles). If most people are buying for the monthly price guide, and if you're looking to cut costs (the price guide section is in black and white with very few photos and little formatting required), this is a savvy move. Cut the content and overhead, but keep the book looking as big as it always has.

Also, Wizard's news section has finally and appropriately moved to the front of the book, whereas it used to seem like an after-thought.


Hindsight glimpses into the comic industry:

Lots and lots of comic book films had been optioned by Hollywood at this point. It actually feels like more than the amount of optioned comic book films we're hearing about today, and yet the only one of them listed this month that ever came to be was The Toxic Avenger.

The Market Watch section explains with surprise that Marvel and DC Silver and Bronze Age back issues are suddenly in higher demand than ever before. The speculation boom extending to the back issue bins, perhaps?

Neal Adams' Continuity Comics gets a big plug this issue. I guess everyone's still trying to find the next Image and Valiant

Speaking of Valiant, they've clearly lost out to Image in both popularity and sales as of this issue. Their market share is now 1/5th of Image's, and Wizard has STILL granted exactly three interviews ever to any members of the Valiant staff while Image gets yet another high profile interview in this issue (seems like they get one every issue now). Wizard is still aiming squarely at that adolescent demographic that's more captivated by pictures and speculation than dense planning and solid storytelling.

Market shares:
Marvel: 51.56%
DC: 21.62%
Malibu (including image): 10.45%
Dark Horse: 4.17%
Valiant: 2.4%
Others: 9.8%



Industry news:

Valiant has fired Jim Shooter

Marvel's big high profile crossover is the X-Cutioner's Song, while DC's is Eclipso: The Darkness Within

DC has launched the Vertigo imprint. Wizard Market Watch criticizes this move and suggests they focus on traditional superheroes more.

Marvel shows continued signs of expansion with their purchase of Fleer (the trading card company)

Sonic the Hedgehog is getting his own comic

Ilya Salkind is trying to get Superman V in production as a total reboot of the series, but Christopher Reeve does not appear interested after the flop of the previous film, and Salkind won't do it without him.

The Marvel 2099 line begins this month

Valiant just launched their line of Unity trading cards, but even the black and white advertisement looks low budget and lackluster

The Valiant dealer incentive books are now earning $125-165 a piece. Wizard also announces with this issue that dealer incentive editions will not be included in the Top 10.


Wizard shaping the comic book market?

They're certainly trying to get in on the ground floor of the next big indy publisher with their interview with Neal Adams about Continuity Comics, but their preference for Image over Valiant feels more like a reflection of an already existing market trend than an attempt to influence their impressionable fanbase. However, it is interesting how much they're talking up Marvel again (and even, to some extent, DC) now that Marvel has started advertising in Wizard again (and DC just started taking out ads two issues ago).



Wizard's Comic Watch:

Amazing Adventures #11: Beast goes furry

New Mutants Annual #2: First American appearance of Psylocke



Wizard's Top 10
Marketwatch makes an effort to distinguish itself from the Top 10 this time, solely emphasizing the exploding Valiant dealer incentive books while also explaining that those books will not be featured on the Wizard Top 10 as their lack of availability somehow makes including them unfair. I think it really comes down to the unspoken philosophy pervading both the price guide and Top 10 that all books listed should be books that the kids reading Wizard could foreseeably find and afford. Thus no Golden Age comics in the guide, and rarely anything older than Modern Age in the Top 10.




1. Harbinger #1
2. Solar: Man of the Atom #10
3. Amazing Spider-Man #101
4. Spawn #1
5. Amazing Spider-Man #361
6. New Mutants #87
7. Youngblood #1
8. Uncanny X-Men #201
9. John Byrne's Next Men #1
10. New Warriors #1


Final Thoughts:

Has Valiant come and gone so quickly? While their dealer incentive issues are exploding in value and they continue to hold the top 2 slots on the Top 10, those are the only two slots they're holding (two of their books have dropped off the list), their market share has fallen considerably, and Wizard isn't talking about them anywhere near as much as Image. Of course, with Jim Shooter gone, the company's new leaders will be far more free to employ shameless marketing tactics, and that will bring about a quick resurgence.

In contrast, it's kind of amazing that Wizard has returned to paying attention to what's happening over at DC and Marvel. In fact, this is truly the first time they've given any amount of attention to DC (talking up Eclipso: The Darkness Within) beyond that all-Batman issue.