Wizard #11 (July 1992)
Three things worth noting about this issue's cover:
1. It's the second Todd McFarlane cover Wizard has done in only 11 issues
2. Sadly, this and the cover to #1 are the only two decent looking covers Wizard has done thus far (sadder still, both are by McFarlane. Did I just compliment the guy??)
3. Also, both McFarlane covers feature Spider-man.
Oh, wait. That's not Spider-Man. Spider-man isn't a double amputee, and this guy clearly lost his legs somewhere in that enormous cape of his.
Sigh. Comic art of the '90s.
Anyway, there are few surprises in this issue. Wizard, aware that it was caught with its pants down over Youngblood #1, is promoting the heck out of Spawn #1 with feature after feature in this issue AS it hits stands, though, ironically enough, completely fails to discuss Savage Dragon #1 (coming out next month) nor Valiant's first major company crossover (happening right now). And they're clearly still on a two month delay with their news, just now toting the sales figures from Youngblood #1 (released three months ago). Wizard is still thoroughly incapable of being a reliable news source, but they make up for it in hype.
And the business practices are getting shadier, as well. All those comic dealers who clearly helped Shamus with the initial investment for Wizard, those small comic shops inexplicably getting ad space each issue since #1? They're significantly cut back as of this issue, relegated to three pages instead of most of the interior ad space in the publication. Wizard has newer and more popular friends to hang out with now. In fact, Shamus' column marks the second month in a row (third time total) that he's photographed hanging with Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld, and when it comes time to give McFarlane his second featured interview in this magazine, Patrick Daniel O'Neill, the lead interviewer who gave that awesomely hard-hitting, no-holds-barred interview with Liefeld last issue, is conveniently not the one interviewing McFarlane this time around. Whoever the uncredited interviewer is, he/she spends the entire interview stroking McFarlane's ego instead. It's simply embarrassing.
Meanwhile, as I pointed out last issue, Wizard is now big enough that Marvel has felt the need to resume working with the publication. No ads this time around, but they do grant Wizard an interview with their sales staff. Hilariously enough though, they spend most of the interview making jabs at Wizard for it's hype-first approach. The little information they finally give is little more than a free advertisement for the next big X-Men crossover.
And even DC, after pretty much not talking to Wizard at all since its genesis, takes out an ad in this issue!
Yep. Wizard knows where the money is at this point, and that's where they're going. In fact, Shamus' letter no longer addresses things like content or the industry at all. All he does is list the promotional trading cards that will be included in upcoming issues, as well as the artists who will be doing the covers.
So I begin to wonder if I'll learn anything more from doing these reviews beyond being reminded of what was at the center of the hype two months earlier each issue. Still, I'm getting a perverse enjoyment from all of this.
Hindsight glimpses into the comic industry:The end of the indirect market feels apparent in this issue. Patrick Daniel O'Neill laments that the end of Impact Comics is essentially a decision by DC to put all their money into the older direct market fanbase and to turn away from the less profitable younger audience they were originally trying to tap, buying from the newsstand. Additionally, when Marvel brings its sales team to the interview, they bring their Director of Direct Sales. Whoever's running the newsstand end of things wasn't invited.
Adventure Comics exists. I'd completely forgotten. It gets mentioned once in passing.
PC Comix pioneers the first ever digital comics. It had a "Choose your own adventure" component to it, cost $20, and required 640k of RAM, VGA graphics, and 2 megs of hard disk space. It also featured sound.
Trading cards continue to be a big deal. While even Todd McFarlane is talking about the Sports Cards bust, the second featured interview in this issue is with the president of Skybox International about how their trading cards (sports and otherwise) are being retooled for 1993.
Marvel holds 58.25% of sales, DC has 22.1%, Dark Horse has 4.2%, Malibu has 2.65%, Valiant has 1.85%, and 10.95% are "other".
Industry news:Valiant's Unity event is going strong, and back issue prices continue to go through the roof.
Spawn #1 is about to be released, followed by Savage Dragon and Wildcats.
Youngblood #1 sold over 600,000 copies and has just gone to second print. Spawn #1 preorders are already over 800,000, but McFarlane has promised that there will not be a second print.
Batman Returns is about to hit theaters. Any Mangels still can't be bothered to visit the set or talk to anyone at Warner. Instead, months later, he's
still just discussing the script.
Nextmen has recently hit stands and, while Wizard isn't talking about it much, it has diversified Dark Horse's offering noticeably, as they were previously only being discussed for their licensed film characters (Star Wars, Alien, Predator).
Nightwing limited series has just been announced
Eastman and Laird are reuniting for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: City at War
There are rumors that Tony Stark is going to die
Wizard shaping the comic book market?Marvel appears to think so, as is evident both in their resuming relations with Wizard and in their relatively sarcastic interview with Wizard. They tease savagely about rumors started in the pages of Wizard, as well as whether Wizard can possibly publish an issue that doesn't use the word "hot" in it.
But Wizard seems to see it otherwise at this point. Shamus appears to be clinging to Image for dear life, convinced Wizard needs them more than they need Wizard. Who's to say? And Valiant appears to be doing just fine without any further notice from Wizard beyond the extensive coverage they received in #7 and Harbinger #1's presence on the Top 10. They're still Wizard's #1 advertiser at this point, by the way, having taken out 3 to 4 full page color ads each issue since #6.
Wizard's Comic Watch:Captain America Annual #9: Nomad changes his costume. You've got to be kidding me.
Secret Wars #8: Explanation of how Spidey got the alien costume. I'm honestly surprised this wasn't already a big issue at this point.
Does Wizard understand that finding out how Spidey got his most iconic costume, which would also become his most popular nemsis of the 1990s, is not the same as some flash in the pan hero changing his appearance for no good reason?
Wizard's Top 10:Once again, the Market Watch section (the one feature in Wizard that I actually trust because it's based on genuine sales figures) provides its own Top 3 that in no way matches The Top 10. They identified the Top 3 back issue sellers from the previous month as being Amazing Spider-Man #274, Amazing Spider-Man Special #5, and Dark Horse Presents #24.
1. Uncanny X-Men #201
2. New Mutants #87
3. Uncanny X-Men #266
4. Amazing Spider-Man #361
5. Ghost Rider (1990) #1
6. Amazing Spider-Man #362
7. Spectacular Spider-Man #189
8. Unity #0 (apparently they haven't figured out there's a red variant yet)
9. Harbinger #1
10. Darkhawk #1
Final Thoughts:You shouldn't be surprised by anything here. Wizard never claimed to have any sort of integrity or purpose. From day one, they were touting McFarlane as much as they could because, twelve months earlier, Spider-Man #1 had been a record breaking seller. In 11 months, all they've done is gotten better at generating hype and sales, at buttering up the big players, and at slimming that twelve month delayed reaction to comic news down to a speedy two.