Wizard #19 (March 1993)
Ca-ching!
Shamus begins this issue by explaining that nearly every article planned for this issue that isn't a regular feature has been bumped. The interview with John Ostrander and Jerry Ordway? -- next issue; the interview with ex-X-artists? -- also next issue; Rob Liefeld? -- bumped to issue #21. No explanation is given as to why, but whether the cause or the effect, Wizard replaced all this content with no less than ten additional full page ads (that's ten MORE than usual) all from Epic Comics, which occur every other page from #45-63.
Additionally, we have seven full page ads from Image. They've never advertised here much before. Perhaps their sales slump over the past three issues, triggered by Image's constant delays, has them worried now. Of course, Market Watch assures us that
Though fans and dealers alike
bitch and moan regarding these delays, they continue to order and buy these books like they're going out of style.
Hey, no bias here, right?
Finally, whereas Valiant was once Wizard's biggest advertiser, they've cut down to three full page ads by this point. I guess they were looking at their sales figures too and realizing they were already getting the sales they needed.
Probably the most disturbing thing about this issue, though, which is the lightest on content I've ever seen it in favor of more ad space, is that no less than three of the articles in the news section are actually advertisements for Wizard projects. There's the write-up on the upcoming Comic Fest '93 that Wizard has been promoting for three months now because it's a major partner in the event, the launch of Wizard's new comic supply line, and Wizard's upcoming Maxx 1/2 issue. Did we really pay $3.95 to read advertisements disguised as news articles for the company we just paid $3.95 to?
The only full length interview included in this issue is with Roy Thomas about Avengers West Coast.
Also, a new guy is hired to be the face of the price guide as of this issue in response to the criticisms the guide had been getting. He pledges to employ "painstaking research into the current market values of the books, even moreso than has been done in the past."
Hindsight glimpses into the comic industry:Though Wizard has tried to initially ignore, later downplay, and finally insult the Death of Superman phenomenon, it's clearly still going at this point, even invading the Top 10 list with two back issues related to Superman's death for this month. Eventually, Wizard's going to have to take a 180 approach to all this and release their Death of Superman Special Edition, but they're back to ignoring the phenomenon for the moment.
Valiant continues to grow, now announcing a line of trading cards coming out, as well as topping both the Top 10 and the #1 and #3 Picks from the Wizard's Hat for upcoming releases (Rai and the Future Force #9 and Magnus, Robot Fighter #24). Whereas Wizard keeps making the success of Valiant versus the subtle decline of Image into a matter of publishing delays, I think the more clear difference, once again, is that Valiant titles continue to attract attention after the first issue. Neither of the big Valiant picks for this month are first issues -- they offer quality and excitement beyond the first issue, whereas the strength of Image has largely been speculation that each #1 would be the start of some legendary franchise, even though those titles never seem to go anywhere momentous after their launches. Of course, Valiant, itself, is about to exceed its five minutes of fame after the excitement dies down from Turok #1.
Marvel seems to have absolutely nothing going on right now beyond the question of who the X Traitor is. No major events, no exciting new series or storylines; Wizard can't even manage to make the new creative team taking over Wolverine sound exciting.
Whether or not DC has anything coming up is harder to measure since Wizard seems dead set against giving them press. Even still, they took out a full page ad for the new Legionnaires ongoing in this issue.
Market Watch releases a list of the Top 25 comics of 1992 in dollar value of orders according to Capital City Distribution, but I don't buy it. Spider-Man #26 (never even mentioned in Wizard) gets the top position, and Superman #75 clocks in at #4 when we KNOW it broke sales records.
Marvel: 51.78% (things return to normal after the Death of Superman passes, even with Marvel essentially doing nothing new to boost sales)
DC: 18.51% (still up from their low point before the Death of Superman, but not a good place to be)
Malibu: 12.05 % (note: this figure still includes sales of Image comics)
Valiant: 5.01% (down from their peak last month with Bloodshot #1, but still up from where they were previously)
Dark Horse: 2.64%
Wizard: 1.69% (that's right. Wizard is now selling enough copies to be included as of this issue. Pretty significant when you consider they have ONE publication per month)
Others: 8.32%
Industry news:Wizard is really trying to hype Continuity Comics, first with a major feature on them last issue and now a contest hyping their Deathwatch 2000 series.
Marvel UK gets more attention in this issue than Marvel does (even with Wolverine on the cover)
Kirby sells the rights to all of his unpublished properties to Topps, and they plan to get Roy Thomas, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, John Severin, and Gerry Conway involved.
Mysterious fan favorite cover artist for Wizard, "Wittman," was actually Bart Sears. Shamus reveals this now that he has gone freelance and is no longer under contract.
Very little in the way of news this month.
Wizard shaping the comic book market?Beyond the obvious biases -- Image is great, and if you don't like what they're doing, you're "bitching and moaning"; DC sucks, and if you do like what they're doing, "Anyone who falls for all that over-hype deserves a slap across the face"; give Continuity Comics a chance -- all that Wizard's really interested in promoting in this issue is itself. Seems like no coincidence that the same month it starts counting its own projects and products as "news," it also includes itself in Market Watch's market shares report. And maybe they're not wrong to be doing that. Surely, as Image is faltering, Marvel is out of ideas, DC is desperately clinging to one idea, and Valiant is about to peak, Wizard's sales and reach just keep growing. The Guide to Comics is becoming bigger than the comics, themselves. No wonder the book continues to move toward a more multi-media scope.
Wizard's Comic Watch:X-Men (1991) #4: 1st Omega Red
X-Men (1991) #5: 2nd Omega Red
Wizard's Top 10:
1. Magnus Robot Fighter #12 (1st Turok)
2. Solar, Man of the Atom #10 (1st Eternal Warrior)
3. Rai #0 (1st new Rai)
4. Eternal Warrior #4 (1st Bloodshot)
5. Spawn #4 (low print run, Image #0 coupon)
6. Eternal Warrior #5 (2nd Bloodshot)
7. Rai #4 (low print run)
8. Venom #1
9. Superman #66 (possible first appearance of Doomsday)
10. Superman Special #1 (possible solution to how Superman will return from the dead)
A little more of the ol' Wizard bias pops up here as they mock the two DC entries at the bottom of the list, all while continuing to ignore the sensation Superman #75 has caused. Also interesting that their Comic Watch keeps focusing on X-Men first appearances when there isn't a single X-Men book on the Top 10 (and, in fact only one Marvel book). Who would have thought we'd ever see the day that, of the top four comic publishers, Marvel would be the
least represented on this list?
Final Thoughts:Wizard: The Guide that sells itself
