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I miss Wizard magazine6622

Collector 00slim private msg quote post Address this user
I recently purchased a small collection. Buried in one of the boxes was a beat up issue of Wizard magazine.

While it was very hit & miss & fraught with controversy (favoritism & blatant shilling for certain titles/companies for starters) the mag was fun.

Granted, I was reading it at like twelve & nostalgia plays a role here. But there was some cool stuff to be found.

I distinctly remember the “buried treasure” segment. It was typically placed in, or right before the price guide. This was where they speculated on books well before they heated up. Marvel Spotlight #32 was listed there once & this issue features Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (1st Nightwing, as you know).





This makes me wonder, how many times did they get it right in this segment? I wish I had a stack of back-issues to find out.

Anybody here have a few laying around? Maybe post what you find.
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Collector CopperAgeKids private msg quote post Address this user
I hadn't thought of the "buried treasure" feature for a long time.

whenever I think of Wizard, I remember the Wizard Top 10; the hottest books.

I blew way much more money and time on tracking down slop than.....ugh.


That said, I actually thought their "buried treasure" feature was really cool, at the time.I remember taking it as basically blue chip stock advice😂😂


The thing of it is, with nostalgic stuff like comics....Most books come full circle.

Ghost Rider #1 (90's) is hot again.....Moon Knight #55....and so on.
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Collector daywalker private msg quote post Address this user
I may have a few, I’ll try and find them in the next few days!
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Collector dpiercy private msg quote post Address this user
I have a bunch still. Magazine was fun, but they had some issues with professionalism at the end. I renewed a subscription with them, at the end of their tenure, that I had to have the credit card company refund me.


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Beaten by boat oars Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user
I remember Wizard had a slight format change at some point that turned me off later in its run. As a kid though, I always thought it was a fun read. The costumes, magic letters, top 10 list, etc. I think I only have one issue left, and it was the one where Dr Doom takes over Wizard.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Studley_Dudley
I remember Wizard had a slight format change at some point that turned me off later in its run.



Same here
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Collector Paulbg2000 private msg quote post Address this user
I have a bunch of Wizards that would all be from Mid-90's...I'll take a look tonight and see what I can find in the buried treasure...
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Collector Darkga private msg quote post Address this user
I used to religiously read Wizard cover to cover back in the day. I had to slab me a #1 just for nostalgia.


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COLLECTOR shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user
Wizard was awesome. OPG was still king, but as a kid speculator (lol) this was the go-to in the 90s as prices on new stuff fluctuated month to month so much.


@Darkga dammit man, now I want one
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Collector 00slim private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkga
I used to religiously read Wizard cover to cover back in the day. I had to slab me a #1 just for nostalgia.




I have one one about that condition I’m considering slabbing.
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Suck it up, buttercup!! KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user
Used to pick them up so I could get the included "limited" comic or the mail away #1/2 editions - sometimes signed - again back in the day they were another option besides Dynamic Forces.

Have me some signed Nightwing 1/2 and signed X-Files 1/2 and Bone ACE edition etc. etc.
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Collector DJC_II private msg quote post Address this user
Side note.

Why can't a website be just like old wizard magazine?

It was fun and innocent.

Most sites now I feel like, bog you down with 40 articles a day.

I remember 5 years ago I used to love Screenrant. It is a shell of what it once was.
Post 12 IP   flag post
Ima gonna steal this and look for some occasion to use it! IronMan private msg quote post Address this user
Whatever other collectors enjoy and want to collect is fine with me.

But my take on Wizard isn't positive. Every issue touted the next bunch of new "hot" books that were sure to make you rich. They started publishing in 1991 during the peak of the glut of overpriced, over-hyped manufactured collectibles. Everyone remember the bust a few years later that shuttered thousands of comic book stores and nearly destroyed the hobby? Wizard was the cheerleader, the preacher spreading the gospel of get rich quick with new comic books.

There were I'm sure some good articles. I recall one where the author was "scientifically" testing which was better - old or new comics. He did stuff like dragging them behind his motorcycle, soaking them in water, trying to tear them. I forget all the details. But I enjoyed the article until the end, which was a picture of him sitting on the toilet, pants around his ankles reading comics. I suppose that end appealed to a lot of the readers then, but it ruined an otherwise clever and enjoyable story for me.

And of course there was their price guide, which was just another way of convincing collectors that their hot picks from a few months ago were worth a small fortune today. So if you had any brains at all, best be loading up on this months hot picks.

So meh for me. Fun? At times. Innocent? Not so much. I will acknowledge some of the giveaway comics were kinda cool though and a few covers stood out.
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COLLECTOR shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by IronMan
the next bunch of new "hot" books that were sure to make you rich. They started publishing in 1991 during the peak of the glut of overpriced, over-hyped manufactured collectibles.


Sounds familiar in 2018. I think there’s a thread around here of similar content 😁
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COLLECTOR conditionfreak private msg quote post Address this user
I have a couple of the #1 issue, in at least 9.4 condition. Maybe more.
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Collector rejaak private msg quote post Address this user
I have a few issues myself along with a few of "Hero", the Wizard wannabe.
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Collector Paulbg2000 private msg quote post Address this user
I remember Hero!!! They often had a lot more freebies packaged in than Wizard, but were still like the ugly step-child...

One of my favorite sections in Wizard was the custom action figure segment. I remember being amazed as a kid at some of the things people came up with and detailing the parts they used...I mean, some were BAD...but there were always some pretty decent figures in there.
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Collector PeteN private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by conditionfreak
I have a couple of the #1 issue, in at least 9.4 condition. Maybe more.


condition freak if you'd like to sell one please let me know! I want a graded one now after seeing Darkga's.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
I would like a copy of Wizard #1 too if you have any available for sale.
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COLLECTOR conditionfreak private msg quote post Address this user
Sorry guys. Not selling at this time.
Post 20 IP   flag post
COLLECTOR conditionfreak private msg quote post Address this user
I thought y'all would be interested in this from Wizard Magazine #1, 100 Most Collectible Comics. This is labeled #1 but is not the first issue of Wizard. This was issued in 1993.

First is the cover.




Next are the rules, or guidelines of how they came up with their rankings, and how to interpret it. Each of the top 100 books has a picture and a price range in 1993. At the bottom right corner of each is the ranking of collectability. Might be hard to see, but I will be typing it out for you.




Sample page:
Post 21 IP   flag post
Collector Paulbg2000 private msg quote post Address this user
I checked all my issues, which were mostly from 93, 95 and 2000...I couldn't find this segment in any of them, they all had Market Watch, but none had a Burried Treasure that I could see.
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COLLECTOR conditionfreak private msg quote post Address this user
The 10's (highest ranking aka most collectible) are:

Action Comics #1
Detective Comics #27
Marvel Comics #1
Showcase #4

The 9's are:

Detective Comics #1
Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1
Superman #1
Detective Comics #38
All Star Comics #3
Superman #76
Flash #123
Amazing Fantasy #15
Fantastic Four #48

The 8's are:

Funnies On Parade #1
Famous Funnies #1
Detective Comics #33
Whiz Comics #2
More Fun Comics #52
All American #16
Captain America Comics #1
Sub-Mariner #1
Flash #105
Showcase #22
Brave and the Bold #28
Showcase #34
Fantastic Four #1
Amazing Spider-Man #1
Strange Tales #110
House of Secrets #61
House of Secrets #92


The 7's are:

Detective Comics #20
Batman #1
The Spirit (16 page insert from newspapers)
Marvel Mystery #9
All American #19
More Fun Comics #101
Fantastic Four #4
Fantastic Four #5
Fantastic Four #12
X-Men #1
Avengers #4

I have to pick up my car at the repair garage, so I'll finish this up later. EDIT: Well, that's $1200.00 Kissed goodbye.

Continuing on. Here are the 6's:

Yellow Kid Magazine (1897, and no color picture due to rarity)
New Comics #1
New York World's Fair (1939)
Mystery Men Comics #1
Flash Comics #1
Action Comics #23
The Human Torch #2
Young Allies Comics #1
More Fun Comics #73
All Star Comics #8
Dell Four Color #178
Crypt of Terror #17
Detective Comics #168
Mad #1
Mad Magazine #24
Detective Comics #225
Action Comics #252
Incredible Hulk #1
Journey Into Mystery #83
Amazing Spider-Man #14


The 5's:

Little Nemo #1
New Fun Comics #1
Adventure Comics #40
Military Comics #1
Police Comics #1
Classic Comics #1
Detective Comics #58
Pep Comics #22
Wonder Woman #1
Archie #1
Eerie #1
Adventure Co9mics #247
Brave and the Bold #34
Tales to Astonish #27
Tales of Suspense #39
Avengers #1
Superman #199
Amazing Spider-Man #129
Giant Size X-Men #1

The 4's:

Loonie Tunes and Merrie Melodies #1
Animal Comics #1
Crime Does Not Pay #22
Four Color Comics #9
WDC&S #31
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #1
Creepy #1
Daredevil #1 (1964 series)
Amazing Spider-Man #50
Green Lantern #76
Conan the Barbarian #1

The 3's:

Mickey Mouse Magazine Vol. #5 #12
Pep Comics #17
Adventure Comics #103
Strange Tales #135
Amazing Spider-Man #96


The 2's:

Millie the Model #1
Little Dot #1
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

The 1's:

Doom Patrol #121.

That's the Wizard Magazine Top 100 Collectible Comics in 1993.

A note about the last book to squeak into the top 100, Doom Patrol #121. Whe I decided in 1993 to acquire as many from this list as I could, I figured one I could quickly knock off was Doom Patrol #121. It was a $50-$60 dollar book in Overstreet. So I wanted the best one I could find and did not settle for anything that wasn't super nice............I still have not found one nice enough.


When this issue came out, I decided a good goal would be to accumulate as many on this list as I could. I pretty much discounted Action #1 and Tec #27 right from the start.

I only managed to obtain 19 of the top 100.
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Beaten by boat oars Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user
The only one that I have left is from 11/99. I will say that I bought a Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe after this. Enjoy.








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Collector Drogio private msg quote post Address this user
Wizard wasn't my thing, but Toyfare was.

My favorite part, aside from the toy send aways, was the Twisted Toyfare Theatre...which was the precursor to Robot Chicken (creators of Toyfare and Seth Green teamed up).

I have a copy of Issue #1 still polybagged!

I sold my TTT Volumes 1-12 about a year ago for a cool $150 or so...







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Collector VaComicsGuy private msg quote post Address this user
I used to have a ton of them but these are the only ones I haven't sold yet.


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Collector daywalker private msg quote post Address this user
I looked at my issues and they were towards the end of the publication, so they didn’t have the buried treasure section. I do have an issue and two special issues still bagged, never opened.

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Collector daywalker private msg quote post Address this user


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Collector X51 private msg quote post Address this user
I wish they still published a Price guide.





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Collector Drogio private msg quote post Address this user
Speaking of price guides...I loved getting comic values monthly (CVM) every month...I had a subscription for a while...

It had some quirks, like not listing golden age books and would not provide any explanation as to why some series either started off at a strange number (I.e., Captain America 100) or there were missing issues (Incredible Hulk jump from issue 6 to 102).

But that made it a mystery early in my collecting hobby and made me want to know more about them and other comics. I started into comics by buying Transformers because I loved the cartoon in my youth, but CVM may have really opened me up to a world of collecting the .
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