Comments on: Who still reads Wizard magazine?

By: More proof that Wizard magazine is irrelevant | Bent Corner

More proof that Wizard magazine is irrelevant | Bent Corner — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:56:03 +0000

[...] here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Wizard magazine has been the target of criticism from online female comic book fans over the fact that the magazine now labels itself as the #1 men’s pop culture magazine. My [...]

By: katherine

katherine — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:24:04 +0000

I used to read Wizard, more out of habit than out of any real interest in their features, but I now realize that I was reading the wrong magazine all along. I must have mistaken it for Cosmo.

By: The Braxcave » The End of Wizard Magazine?

The Braxcave » The End of Wizard Magazine? — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:07:01 +0000

[...] To The Stars - Wizard: The #1 Irrelevant Men’s Magazine Who still reads Wizard magazine? The Future of Wizard: [...]

By: Umbrax

Umbrax — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:25:03 +0000

I’m the #1 hottest guy for women in my living room. ’cause you know, I’m the only one here… that was pretty easy to say.

Seriously though the statement “The #1 men’s pop culture magazine” is lacking the all important word “comics.” In other words, Wizard is distancing it’s self from being a comic magazine.

Who still reads Wizard magazine?
Probably just people that have been for years and continue out of habit. Having it in their pull list for example.

I agree Wizard is being outdone by CBR and the like. They break news, they have interviews and most importantly have huge online communities. That builds “brand loyalty.”

By: Tucker Stone

Tucker Stone — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:06:39 +0000

My understanding of the term “pop culture” is one that incorporates in film, television, music & fashion. Wizard is a comic book driven magazine. On what planet does it make it into the top ten of “pop culture?” It’s probably the number one publication of articles about mostly super-hero comic books, but it’s a pretty ridiculous leap to claim it’s the tops in anything else.

On the for men tip–i don’t really have much of an opinion on that. It doesn’t really make sense as a marketing idea, as if plastering that on the cover is going to increase sales or spark a new readership. It seems to have successfully irritated some people, and it’s the first time i’ve heard Wizard mentioned in a while (other than to talk schmack about it) so it at least worked to get it back on the radar. Can’t imagine that’s going to help sales to the people it’s pissed off, either.

By: RonSchooly

RonSchooly — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:34:15 +0000

Hey! You deleted my comment. It was funny as hell. Spoil sport.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:54:13 +0000

Rick,
I see your point, and my initial reaction was to read that tagline in a much more simplistic way: not that they’re excluding women, but simply that they can back up with statistics the fact that men buy that mag more than any other. :shrug: Who knows?

Anyway, I think a lot of what we choose to fuss about gives more relevance to the problem than it needs. Did you read my blog entry about Leo Yankevich, the misogynistic anti-Semite who also happens to be a poet and an editor? People threw up a huge fuss about him in the world of formal poetry even though, in the grand scheme of things, he’s small potatoes. Certainly he gained more publicity - and therefore more importance - through that whole mess than he could have by any other means.

I think it’s a matter of choosing your battles. And Wizard magazine certainly isn’t mine - hell, I’m still calling you a geek for even blogging about it.

And I in no way meant to imply that I think you’re sexist; I hope I didn’t manage to do that. I’ve read enough of your entries and comments to know you have a fair amount of respect for people of all genders.

Rachel

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:39:53 +0000

Rachel, it’s not that I don’t see the need to speak out against sexism. I’ve been very critical of some of the the sexist and misogynistic things Marvel has done. Like the Mary Jane statue and the cover illustration for HEROES FOR HIRE #13.
I just don’t think what a magazine like Wizard decides to call itself really matters. The only people I know that actually read the thing are the same people that are complaining about how offensive it is. It’s been years since Wizard has any real relevance in the funny book world. A part of me things that by complaining about what Wizard does, people make it more relevant then it really is.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:47:14 +0000

Why else would they go out of their way to read something they know they’re going to find offensive?

Because it needs to be acknowledged, that’s why. Around the globe, on a daily basis, events occur which offend the "feminist sensibility" - and most often, those events are ignored by most women because we’ve been taught to "suck it up and deal" or to "stop blowing things out of proportion." From the minor to the major incidence, women are often made out to be hysterical and hypersensitive - or else we’re ignored or exluded, as your entry here points out. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want to recognize that societal attitudes toward women are consistently less-than-respectful.

Besides, the first step of recovery is acknowledging there is a problem. Right?

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:54:35 +0000

The Wizard 1/2 editions aren’t 50% off?
I actually read Wizard each and every month back when I wasn’t reading comics. They became my groundhog in a way. I would read Wizard to see if comics still sucked. If it looked as though they still sucked, I would crawl back into my non-comic reading hole for another month.

Now that I think about it, comics never really stopped sucking so I wonder why I started reading them again….