What would you WANT in a comics magazine?

[PatrickG]

Okay...

What does Wizard do right? What does Wizard do wrong? Ditto the Comics Journal. Ditto fanzines and small print run stuff.

Is color essential for a magazine covering color books?

What types of articles do you like to read? What tone?

What kind of interviews do you like? Do you prefer prose interviews or Q&S style?

Twisted Toyfare Theater/Robot Chicken. Genius or the Devil?

Is a comics magazine directed towards a general audience even a good idea? Is it better to have scholarly articles aimed at Moore/Morrison/Gaiman intellectuals? Do you like Wizard's "Maxim for Wolvie fanz" tone?

Assuming there's a house style for the writing: Should it be "macho"? Should it be flippant? Should it be intellectual? Should it be sleek and chic? Should it be down to earth?

Outside of comics, which of the following mags seems like a good template:

Time, People, Scientific American (a technical mag for enthusiasts who may not necessarily have a high level of tech knowledge), Shakespeare Quarterly, Maxim, Wired, Gamepro/Electronic Gaming Monthly, World Weekly News, TV Guide, Other

[Noah Johnson]

I'd like a magazine that assumes, like early Playboy, that its readers are intelligent and have a certain degree of education. Something with a sense of humor, but that fundamentally approaches comics as an artform. I'd like to see articles like: "The Wise Men and the Super-Elephant: Four writers tell us their take on the core of Kal-El's character" or "DC's enforced creative team rotation: fresh blood or bloody awful?"

It would also run silly articles, like a retrospective of hideous LoSH costumes, and serious articles with a funny sensibility, like an article on racial and ethnic diversity in comics that might say things like, "The Falcon was the first black superhero whose name did not begin with the word Black, Marvel having abandoned this policy after White Captain America and The Jewish Thing failed to sell until their names were changed."

When this magazine interviewed writers and artists, it would allow them to plug their upcoming books, but the interviews would be about art. Questions like "How many times are you willing to erase a line to get it right?" or "If you weren't writing licensed characters, do you have your own projects you'd pursue?" just off the top of my head.

Also an evangelical slant. Getting other people into comics by presenting them as an intelligent adult medium. An annual list of the best comics to give as Christmas presents to friends and family who don't read comics... yet. Analysis of kids' comics to see how age-appropriate they really are, and recommendations of what to give your little cousin who loved the Spider-Man movies.

[Zack]

What I'd like is a magazine with a good balance.

For example:

Wizard mainly emphasizes new/upcoming stuff.

The Comics Journal usually emphasizes behind-the-scenes/legal news and in-depth interviews.

The TwoMorrows magazines usually emphasize older stuff.

So, what I'd like is something that could:

1) Provide a good overview of recent/upcoming stuff;
2) Provide insightful, detailed interviews;
3) Provide good insights into comic book history, shining light on rarely-seen/non-reprinted books with solid material.

I thought HERO ILLUSTRATED did a great job of this, though it felt way too thin toward the end when they cut out the price guide.

I also liked the short-lived OVERSTREET FAN, which included bits like a short prose piece by Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller editorials, and a monthly feature highlighting "lost" projects such as Alan Moore's TWILIGHT or John Byrne's ending to "The Last Galactus Story."

In short: Offer a variety of topics, combined with something new and unexpected.

Zack Smith

[Dennis]

it should be gossipy. i'd like to learn more about the creators. i've read those long ass interviews in comics journal, and I have to conclude that cartoonists are boring as hell. maybe they're not, but the magazines don't give us any insight into what these people are all about.

[stealthwise]

Forget magazines, I'd like to see more academic journals aimed at comic books. I've found some sites aimed at more scholarly approaches to the medium, but the features vary in quality and are rarely updated.

[Calamas]

Actually, Wizard would be fine as is--with one slight alteration: a mind of its own. It’s okay for DC and Marvel hype its projects to death. It’s even okay for Wizard to help them. But come back to it later and opinion on whether it lived up to the hype. What worked. What didn’t. And why. Take a stand. It is completely ridiculous to allow Brad Meltzer to do a “Director’s Cut” of Identity Crisis where he acknowledges where Internet fans guessed wrong or were misdirected, but refuses to acknowledge their moral objections or the many plot holes that were pointed out. There comes a time to call bullshit. Either Meltzer recognizes all of the Internet responses, or none of it. In short, be more than a megaphone.

Hype all you want. By all means, be an “ambassador of the industry.” But be responsible as well. That’s all I need. Because truth be told, I’d rather hold a magazine in my hands than read this stuff online. You, whether it is Wizard or whoever, need to respect yourself before you’ll gain the respect of the rest of us.

[MacQuarrie]

What would I want in a comics magazine?

Comics.

[EdContradictory]

Don't waste pages on a price guide, just put that crap online.

[CURSD BLADE]

I want:


The staff's "Picks of the Month" much like Wizard does. Ony, unlike Wizard, I would hope for a more diverse insight into what they view is good. For every New Avengers or All Star Batman, I would hope they would have some staffers who read indy stuff and pick out the gems
Actual, in depth reviews and analysis on why they are "picks", same with TPBs.
Creator interviews that don't focus on stupid "haha" questions and that actually span the body of work of the creator. Wizard actually did a piece like this in late 2003 with Alan Moore, where they had him go over his own career and then his future projects. That was good journalism.
Creator interviews that aren't just with DC or Marvel exclusives
Intelligent writing that features humor that isn't sophomoric or juvenile.
a "Spotlight" feature every month that showcases an up-and-coming writer and/or penciler.
Monthly columns by the staff that give their thoughts on the world of comics and life in general.
A balance of indy coverage and mainstream hype. Lets find a happy medium.
Not having Wolverine or Batman on every cover.

[lonewolf23k]

A little less toilet humor, thank you very much. I mean, geez, you're catering to an audiance that can quote jokes from Monty Python.. You can aim higher then "Hulk's Diarhea" level humor.

[mgs]

Outside of comics, which of the following mags seems like a good template:

Time, People, Scientific American (a technical mag for enthusiasts who may not necessarily have a high level of tech knowledge), Shakespeare Quarterly, Maxim, Wired, Gamepro/Electronic Gaming Monthly, World Weekly News, TV Guide, Other
the periodicals i like best are:

Laptop Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Fine Cooking and Truck Trend Magaine.

Laptop gives good analysis of fast trends and typically shies away from major endorsement of the big computer makers. This would be like indies and some mainstream comic content.

WSJ gives info on all worldly events. I find it better than the New York Times. This would be a comic book bonanza on all things going on in the world outside of the actual business of making comics themselves, the movies, games, etc...

Fine Cooking is very hands on and does not give all the glamour to food like some other cooking mags, but is much more relevant, in that it's stuff you can use and apply. This would be like the, opinion sections and how to, and stuff like that in a comic mag.

Truck Trend really stays on top with all the new gadgets and autos and all, and while overviewing almost all, it mainly stays with the biggest sellers, etc. This would be the part to praise the usual big companies, like marvel, dc, etc..

[sk716]

Wizards second biggest problem is their constant publication of misinformation. Wizard gets the "news" wrong more often than right.