Another one bites the dust, Wizard Magazine ceases publication

I'll admit I'm a comic book geek as much as a card/sports geek.  I just saw over at Comic Book Resources that Wizard the longest running publication devoted to comics is done, well at least with print. 

I use to read Wizard pretty religiously up until a few years ago.  As I've gotten older my tastes have changed.  I still like the graphic story telling medium but I'm just not that interested in Superhero stories anymore.  At least the ones that are put out by the big 3 or 4.  I still like Garth Ennis' The Boys check it out if you dare!!!

Anyway,  I hadn't picked up a Wizard in a while and I bought one about a year ago and noticed it was thinner, much thinner, and they had taken out the comic price guide, which was their major draw back in the day.  They pretty much took Overstreet out of the monthly price guide business right away.  The first issue I bought was #6.  I still have it. Somewhere.  And I'll be honest I didn't like it at first.  But Wizard grew on me and they got better.  I think my favorite part was the letters section.  I remember back in the their hey day they use to give away free promo cards and comic books.  That hasn't happened for a while. 

I went over to the website and the subscription and blog sites are down.  The subscription I can see but the blog?  mmmm.  I guess Gareb started a public company that will now focus on online content and pop culture, whatever that means.  I wonder what's going to happen with all their sponsored comic cons?

First Tuff Stuff folds now Wizard.  They were are great source for news and inside stuff.  I'm hoping this is just an evolution for them and not a death throw like Tuff Stuff.  According to CBR there circulation was down to about 17,000 down from a high of over 100,000 in the good years.  I guess as we move more toward online media the dinosaurs will die.

I still won't take my computer to the can though.  Like I said with Tuff Stuff, it's great bathroom reading material.  Now I haven't bought a Wizard in a long time but when I did it's normal place in the house was the back of the toilet.  Sorry if that puts the wrong picture in you head but it's true.  And it's not a slight to either magazine, but it's a great place to read a short article or scan price listings and seeing what is hot on the market or just look at all the pretty pictures.  What I also use to love about Wizard was the inside scoops they would get, at studios, both comics and movies.  I will say this I'm not paying for online content from them though.   Nope I'm not.

Why do I feel like I'm always the last one to know: Tuff Stuff stops Publication

I know this is probably old news I actually say a blurb on BallCard Mania that led me to an article at Sports Collector's Daily, which let me to find TS O'Connell's Blog the Infield Dirt for some clarification.

Seem Tuff Stuff Sports Collector's Monthly is no more.  Dammit I just sent in my subscription renewal.  Well they haven't cashed the check yet.  But now we're stuck with Beckett and only Beckett.  I use to love the super sized issues of Tuff Stuff with their free promo cards inside.  A few years back I decided to subscribe since I couldn't find it where I was living and for the price it beat subscribing to 4 different Beckett magazines.  That was the time they changed their format to the SCM.  I'm bummed. 

I guess my next question is.. What about the Baseball Card Almanac?  Is that soon to be gone too, and I was so hoping those guys would finally update the Football Cards Almanac as well. 

It's a bummer.  You would think in a world that has card companies putting out so much product that a magazine or magazines would do fairly well trying to keep up with it all.  Look at all the publications that were around in the late 80's and early 90's.  Tuff Stuff, Beckett, Baseball Card Magazine, Legends, ect ect.
But with a shitty economy and every changing card scape with exclusive production and scandals, it doesn't surprise me all that much.  Every magazine put out relies on advertising revenue to run.  Subscription and newsstand sales are moot points.  Plus a printed publication is already 2 month behind in news when it hits the news stands.  It's hard to compete with the internet when putting out timely articles, such as the whole Strasburg Mania. By the time Tuff Stuff had Strasburg on the cover and a feature story he was already out of the year.  And I won't get into the debate over price guide pricing, both for Tuff Stuff and Beckett.  What I hate is when you lose this diversity it seldom comes back.