That’s a terrible attempt at keeping a sad situation light. We missed this last week, but apparently another high profile member of the Wizard Magazine crew has been fired. This time around, it’s Arlene So, a designer that did the flashy layouts the magazine’s features always showed off.
Add this to the troubles we reported on a couple weeks ago with their Amazon Store, the massive layoffs over the last few months, the closing of their upstate New York office, the ending of Anime Insider, the ridiculous turnover of the convention staff, including organizers that were much beloved, the “postponement” of Wizard World LA… the list is getting rather long, and if anything seems to be picking up steam.
With fond memories, as a child, of reading Wizard magazine for the latest in comic news, and fond memories, as an adult, of attending Wizard World cons, this is far from a happy occasion for me. Luckily, with a group like Reed Exhibitions stepping up to bat, and only having to focus on cons, not on the ridiculous overhead of print, that aspect seems to be filled. You’ve heard that video killed the radio star, well it seems internet is killing the novelty mag, and this is the latest hole in its chest.
[via TCR]
UPDATE: Even as we were running with this story, we’re hearing of more layoffs. Bleeding Cool reported on the dismissals of Scott Klein and Darren Sanchez. Klein was company controller, and Sanchez was VP of production and circulation. Bleeding Cool also reiterates what we reported recently: the troubles with Wizard’s online sales. We’ll have more as this develops.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:56 am
I used to buy Wizard too… but with sites like Newsarama… why should I? XD
June 9th, 2009 at 9:01 am
When’s this Wizard organization finally going to just get off the stage? I mean…come on. Pull the plug and be done with it.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Good riddance – this has been a blight on the comics community long enough. EVerything that was bad or contin ues to be wrong about the industry has always been championed by this company.
The thing that cause the troubled in the first place were helped along by this boil on the industry — time to lance it.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I wonder how long until it’s announced that this is the last year for WW Chicago Convention. The last few years have been fairly “meh” and I’m passing on it. And I know I’m not the only one. The sad thing is, this will be the first Chicago Con in 30 years that I won’t attend.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Wizard is a terrible magazine. It seems to give out false information. I havent read it in years, but i imagine its just as bad if not worse than ever.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I hate to see anyone lose their jobs or even hear of it. I wish those that were let go luck in this economy and hope they find something else soon.
I stopped subscribing to Wizard almost a year ago as I really had to cut back on a lot of things, and a magazine that gave news three weeks after I could already read about it on newsarama.com and other sites just seemed to be more habit for me than anything. Heck, I haven’t even bought any comics for the past four months just because I can’t afford to buy them right now. Too many other priorities on my plate, and not enough plate.
It’s another case of the old question… why buy the cow when you get the milk for free? (Or as Brodie’s grandmother said just before she became a lesbian on her 60th birthday: Why buy the cow when you get the sex for free?) Why should I pay $36 a year to get the same information I get week to week for nothing? If Wizard wants to stay afloat, and I’m sure they do, they need to start offering stuff that you can’t get from sites like this. I’m not sure what that is yet, but it’s not my job to do come up with that. They better think quick, though, because it looks like the bow of the ship is about the only thing that isn’t under water.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:15 am
The key to Wizard’s continued viability? MORE OBAMA COVERS. (Yes, I’m kidding. I spit on Barry’s graven image wherever, whenever.)
Let ‘em sink. Just as long as they last long enough for me to go to Wizard World Philly; my hotel room’s nonrefundable and there’s no way I’m setting foot in Philadelphia without an event to go with it.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Sad thing is, I have a subscription to Wizard because it’s good bathroom reading material. But they are always a month behind on news. Maybe they should stick to the web and cons and let the magazines die out.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:42 am
The economy hasn’t been kind to most of us. It’s always a sad time to see another group in the comic industry falter and even worse to hear good people lose their jobs. As a regular attendee and exhibitor at WWC, I hope at least that show remains safe.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:46 am
My only concern is that if Wizard Press falls, so too falls Toyfare. Life will be a little more empty without monthly doses of Twisted Toyfare Theater.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I stopped buying wizard because the quality dropped. There are better produced magazines and better articles to be found online. I shouldn’t have to buy a magazine out of loyalty when all I’m loyal to is hype. If Shamus sees the writing on the wall, pull all the magazines together into one six week schedule mag, keep whatever staff is left. And then be sure to not start up a mixed martial arts league when you’re in the one of the hardest to sustain and least cost efficient industries.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:04 am
I stopped reading Wizard years ago. They didn’t tell us anything new…they seemed to be MARVEL heavy..their articles were just badly written and then their company tried to be a convention bully. So if Wizard goes away, I won’t be sad…or probably won’t even notice.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Eh. For the first time in years I looked at how much Wizard costs a couple months ago and immediately dropped it. With sites like Newsarama, CBR, and now BleedingCool, I don’t need to spend 7 dollars on something worth far less.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Havent bought a wizard in years, and cant stand the way they are in bed with CGC and how they ruined books with their ridiculous price guide. Ya $100 for a 9.8 book that even hasnt been released yet and not worth the $3 cover price. Close the doors and been done with their debacle.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:38 am
It is amazing how many people are hoping for Wizard to fail. Is Wizard still a good magazine, not really, but do I want a lot of people to be out of work because I don’t like their product…no.
I think some people need to step back away from their online criticism / hatred and realize that the people at Wizard are just like you and I. I hate Mayonnaise but I don’t want Helmans to go out of business.
Wizard needs to go back to the way they used to be when they were a bit more respected, not just a big ad for whatever big Marvel or DC event is happening.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I like Wizard.
I like Toyfare even more.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I like Wizard, and I even wrote a blog for their website briefly. They just can’t compete with news sites because by the time they go to print it’s already old news. Also the price guide is getting smaller and smaller every issue. Does anyone even check that anymore?
Wizard is another casualty of a publisher not respecting the Internet. Publishers all over are shutting down their presses, or at the very least cutting back on staff, content, issues, or publication size. Still, despite it all, print media will never completely die out.
Instead, publishers like Wizard need to reverse their strategies. Instead of being a print news source with an online supplement, they need to be a web source with a print supplement. Subscriptions will continue to drop, and with it will fall advertising. Why not refocus themselves where their audience is going? They have a website now, but they don’t do anything with it. It’s just a reflection of their magazine, and nobody reads the magazine because it’s all old news.
They need to be cutting edge and fresh on their web site if they want to compete with places like newsarama and other big news sites. Then compile all that news and publish a print magazine for whatever subscribers they have left. Perhaps make it a package deal where they can offer print subscriptions, online subscriptions, or both for a discounted rate.
Publishers can survive this market, they just have to be willing to grow with it, Otherwise they’ll all suffer the same fate because this train is leaving with or without them.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
And (I forgot to add) if they want to continue their price guide feature, they can do it online also by joining with sites like comicbookpriceguide.com – or whatever that site is.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
All the Wizard folks I know both professionally and personally are good people. I hate to see them hurting.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I didn’t say I wanted them to close, I said I don’t care if they do. I’m not looking at the janitor who sweeps their floors..I’m talking from what the Magazine brings to the stands and to me. So, no.. I have no “guilt” or need to step back to evaluate the implications for the workers if Wizard keeps going the route its heading and they fold then too bad but they brought it upon themselves with a bad product and bad management
June 9th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Here’s how I’d fix Wizard magazine. Chuck the whole price guide and the collectorism mentality. Stop handing out “cool” or “hot” tags to book and creator that already gets double the promotion that other books get.
Give us 20 plus page interviews and in depth articles about creators, editors and the all walks of life in the comic book business. Write real articles about real issues regarding this industry, not juvenile bathroom reading.
I’m not suggesting it be stuffy and boring reading, I have no problem with humor even if its potty-oriented, just don’t make the entire magazine a tasteless gag reel.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
That sucks. I’ve always liked Arlene’s designs, regardless of whether I liked the subject material. I hope she’s able to land on her feet and move on to bigger things.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Spike, I wasn’t referring to you exactly, more like the posters named BG and Mark Engblom near the top of the comments.
They showcase the internet hatred that has been all too common with comic book fans the last few years.I am just tired of reading all this hate, if you don’t like Wizard, don’t buy it. Coming onto this site and saying that Wizard should just shut down is ridiculous.
I agree with your stance that Wizard brings nothing to the table most of the time, but I do not wish or hope that they shut down publication, some good talented people will be out of work, and right now that is the last thing this country needs….
June 9th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I was never really close to a comic book shop growing up, so I used Wizard to keep me up to date so I’d know what was happening when I did get a chance to pick up some books. I’ve got a giant tub of Wizard back issues in my room that are still highly entertaining to read all of these years later. It will be sad to see Wizard go when it eventually does.
The problem I think, however, is the lack of entertainment left in the magazine. Earlier issues were filled to the brim with comic book satire, pictures with funny captions and just a bunch of pop-culture junk to keep you reading. In recent years, there has been a serious decline of that. Remember when they used to do “Casting Call” or show off fanart or do the “Mort of the Month” column? These were the things that kept me coming back and wanting more.
In recent years, even the Halloween Costume Contest winners have been devoid of any funny captions, which was always a hoot back in the day. It’s the little unnecessary sacrifices like these that make it not as good as it used to be. I can get straight-up news online, I want to read Wizard to be entertained.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Gareb Shamus had better watch out he might be the next one to get the ax.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
hello,
I am a french guy and I used to read Wizard way back when it was a comic books magazine.
thanks to this magazine, where I am leaving (Paris, France), far from the USA, I had news, articles about my favorite mutants, writers, pencillers, events.
then, the magazine evolved, filled with more and more articles about movies (on superheroes, but movies anyway) when I only wanted to read articles about comic books.
for movie reviews, there is already specialized magazine, better than Wizard.
I became less and less interested in buying Wizard
and then, internet came.
newsarama.com came.
I found new home for my need to read news and articles about comic books.
farewell, Wizard
but you betrayed your first love, and you deserve what is happening to you
June 9th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I dropped Wizard when it changed from a comic magazine to (in my opinion) an uninspired entertainment periodical. I’m getting Back Issue by Tomorrow Publishing now for my comics magazine fix; it covers primarily 70′s & 80′s material, so it isn’t impeded by the timeliness of the Internet, plus the articles are well-written and don’t make juvenile gags or run fluff that reads like a commercial for their sponsors. Wizard was great in its hey-day (I remember seeking out issues before subscribing), but, much like CrossGen, it buckled under its own weight. I feel bad for everyone working there getting caught going down with the ship…
June 9th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
If the ex-Wizard staffers have an ounce of talent, they’ll find new jobs. Believe it or not, businesses don’t exist to provide jobs for people. They exist to provide a product or service for people who will pay money for it. When that stops happening, the business ceases to exist…a textbook example of which is Wizard’s inevitable decline.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Always hated “Wizard.” Always, even when I read it religiously back in the days before the Internet. I won’t be sad when it goes the way of the dodo, but it is a sorry situation for those that toiled on a monthly basis to put out that dreck.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Gorpulon, what’s your hope here? Do you want Wizard to be bailed out by the US taxpayer?
June 9th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
@Mark Engblom: Because if there’s an excess of anything nowadays, it’s job opportunities. Especially in the specialty magazine publishing business.
June 9th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I have to say that over the past few years Wizard has grown to be a thorn in the side of the comic industry.
It’s original direction has long since past and in the 18 years that it’s been in print it’s followed the “rising stars” such as Valiant, Crossgen and now it seems to be Dynamite centric — praising and featuring all of its titles like it is the next “big thing.”
Companies such as Arcana, IDW, Devil’s Due, Boom! and even Image and Dark Horse deserve better press – and now that Wizard Indie Edge is no more, how does this indusrty grow?
Every other page is Dynamite this Dynamite that. Back in the early 90′s it was Valiant this and Valiant that — and look where they ended up!! I like Dynamite — don’t get me wrong. I buy Boys each and every month. But Wizard needs to offer an even spread to its readers.
What Wizard is missing out on is the comic book collectors/readers that were given something “extra” every month. What ever happened to the Wizard issue zeroes? The retailer ‘ACE’ editions? Hell, even a free trading card would do! Jeez have they lost all connection with the fans?
My local retailer refuses to stock the mag now as the news is often obtainable via sites like Newsarama. And after the Captain America #25 fiasco — I think it’s time to shut up shop, Wizard.
My only fear is that the staff, that have been loyal to the mag, will go on to bigger and better things — most have.
JJJ
June 9th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
The magazine of theirs that I am surprised was not cancelled before anime insider is Inquest gamer. Their decks are not exactly championship deck, but are good to start BUT the prices they give for cards in their price list….they triple the cards real cost. Some retailers even try to sell cards based on inquest prices. you get better prices on ebay.
June 9th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
The website is still running but semi regularly. No more Thursday Morning Quarterback either. The print magazine, I see it everywhere on newstands around here. It is the only comic publication out there. It if gets canned, where else can we go but online?
June 9th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I do not enjoy the thought of people losing their jobs. I have lost mine in this economy as well. I can barely afford my 2 or 3 books a month and I thank my LCS for holding them for me until I can purchase.
I have to agree that websites such as Newsarama have lured me away from wizard. I just couldn’t justify spending close to ten dollars (CAN) on news that is not current. I don’t think anyone would buy a newspaper that was three weeks old.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Gorpulon said: “It is amazing how many people are hoping for Wizard to fail. Is Wizard still a good magazine, not really, but do I want a lot of people to be out of work because I don’t like their product…no.”
“I think some people need to step back away from their online criticism / hatred and realize that the people at Wizard are just like you and I. I hate Mayonnaise but I don’t want Helmans to go out of business.”
I appreciate what you’re saying, and to an extent you’re right. But I don’t know that Hellmann’s gouging their customers, doing bait and switches (Wha?? This is FUCKING MIARCLE WHIP!!), and generally treating their customers like crap.
When certain people (and I have no idea whom) involved with running the ship are doing so in a nefarious manner, it’s hard to root for them. The underhanded practices of the Wizard Amazon store, The CGC stuff, and that infamous Cap #25 incident all speak for themselves. I never went to a Wizard con (though about going to WW Chicago several times, but never did it) but people say they’ve been rude hosts. It’s been said in this very thread.
That’s not to say everyone who works for Wizard is evil or a crook. The honest people losing their jobs, I feel bad for them. The rest? They got what’s coming to them. Shady business practices aside, the company’s had a terrible leadership problem. As everyone’s saying, with sites like Newsarama and CBR, who the hell needs Wizard’s magazine? They’ve done nothing to adapt to the times. Does anyone even go to their website for anything?
I feel the same way about Comic Shop News. At least CSN’s free, but I don’t understand why retailers pay to stock it any more. There’s never anything in there that I haven’t already seen here weeks prior.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
No. I am strongly against people being cruel and trollish and acting gleeful at other’s misfortunes just because they aren’t a fan, but– Wizard, the end can’t come soon enough. Since the beginning, Wizard told you the value of everything, and the worth of nothing. I hate to even give Gareb Shamus and his staff the credit, but Wizard became one of the most influencial movements in comic books, ever— and a big cause of the spectator market. Wizard has been a big blight, and even in recent years, shows it’s loyalty by trying to seem like a ‘tv/popculture’ magazine because of it’s declining sales. Good riddance. I long to spit on Wizard’s grave. I’m sure there are some decent people put out of work, and I feel for them, but with Wizard its always been greed, smug self advertisement, cliquish mingling with real comic professionals, and terrible attempts at journalism. Goodbye.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
im tired of hearing so many complaints about this magazine, i love wizard, i still buy it today and will continue to buy it for as long as it’s for sale. this magazine has been around for a while and like ALL print media, it is doing eveything it can to survive the internet as well as a troubled economy as well as the fact that the comic book medium has never been the easiest sell on most people. i enjoy what wizard brings to the table, good laughs, good info, and an overall good time. i know there are more fans of this magazine or else it would not have lasted this long so if anyone else would like to rally for this underdog please join in
June 9th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
As people here have already mentioned, the Captain America #25 incident (and I’ve not checked into it… did the Obama Spidey release have any similar events?) pretty much killed my ability to support Wizard in any way. I’d already been getting rather burnt out on the magazine, didn’t feel like I was getting much out of it, but I felt like they were honestly becoming more of a detriment to the industry than a benefit.
CGC graded comics, getting slabbed and priced in a way that seems blatantly unrealistic. Total ignorance of the small press books out there. And, you know… they stopped calling themselves a Comic Magazine altogether.
I bear no ill will towards any of the staff. I hope that they can get something together and maybe save the Wizard name, or do something new and… relevant? It’s certainly possible. I just hope, whatever comes of it, there’s a little more integrity involved.
In this day and age, though, are Price Guides realistic?
June 9th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
All of the staff who have cheated their wizarduniverse and Amazon storefront customers deserve nothing but the worst.
All of the staff who have not directly participated in their mail fraud should know what is going on and leave out of disgust. If they have not quit of their own volition then they are only part of the problem and so deserve the worst as well.
Anyone trying to defend Wizard should immediately go online and spend money for product that they will NEVER see. Once you have been the victim of mail fraud then you probably won’t be so quick to defend them.
June 10th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I always thought that mag was over the top “Marvel is the bestest ever”. Looking back almost every issue had come Marvel-centric lead story and DC, as well as every other company, was not really given as much space or picked on outright as they could never measure up to the “House of Ideas”. I can only stand to read a feature about how Wolverine is the best character ever or see his mug on the cover so many times before it sinks in. Gareb Shamus’s company was about as fair and balanced in its coverage as Fox News.
June 10th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I’ve been reading Wizard since I was a kid, and I’ve always had a soft spot for it…well…at least until recently. Honestly, in the past three or four years, I feel like I don’t even recognize that magazine anymore. And as it’s been mentioned, all of the “news” that they have is always at least a month old, because I can just go on this website and read about it immediately. The ONLY way Wizard is going to survive is to kill off the magazine before it sinks them any further, and commit everything they have into their website. That way they can have all of the familiar features, and keep their fanbase, while actually managing to compete with sites like this because their news won’t be a month old anymore, they’ll actually have a chance to get exclusives that are ACTUALLY exclusive.
June 10th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
what is the incident with cap america #25?
June 10th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Hey Thomas… Read all about it right here:
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=108408
June 10th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I should add be sure to read the comments from that article… Notice how many people said they’d never give Wizard another dime again, how many said what an irrelevant magazine it had become, and at least one person wondered if they’d hurt their reputation with the retailers (LCS owners) who stocked the magazine. Two years later, the chickens have come home to roost.
June 10th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I’m sad to see these people getting laid off, but I won’t miss the magazine at all. I always felt it was the McDonald’s (plastic) of comics and I haven’t even picked up an issue in years. Who knows, maybe it got better, but I didn’t care enough to open the cover and find out…
June 10th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Amazing Heroes should make a return…
June 11th, 2009 at 7:04 am
David, you couldn’t just open the cover to find out anyhow… They’re always sealed in plastic bags when I see Wizard. Every now and then I’ll see it in a bookstore, grocery/drug store and there it is sealed in plastic. Not only is that wasteful, but most of the other magazines aren’t like that. I was always less likely to buy it, given that I couldn’t flip through it quick to see if I felt it was worth buying or not. Just more stupid decisions by the people at Wizard.
January 17th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
January 17th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Wow, what a very informative piece! Thanks so much for doing such a fantastic job with this, i’ll be reading regularly from now on.