Comics Buyer's Guide
Encyclopedia
Comics Buyer's Guide (CBG), established in 1971
, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book
industry. It has also awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards since 1982
.
venue — known in comics fandom as an "adzine", i.e. a fanzine
devoted to ads. Ron Frantz, in his book Fandom: Confidential, traces the lineage of Light's endeavor to Stan's Weekly Express, (aka WE) a pioneering adzine published from 1969 to 1973, whose bare-bones approach was inspired by an "obscure journal of flower advertising known as Joe's Bulletin." Frantz also provides background on Light's interaction with the WE Seal of approval program
, with which he cooperated in order to help combat mail fraud. Frantz in addition describes the infamous long-running feud between Light and Comics Journal founder Gary Groth
.
TBG' s frequency was changed to twice-monthly with issue #18 (August 1, 1972). Besides occasional letter columns, beginning with issue #19 (Aug. 15, 1972), prominent fans Don and Maggie Thompson
began a monthly column, "Beautiful Balloons." A news column, "What Now?" by Murray Bishoff
, was added later. These provided the editorial content required by the United States Postal Service
to qualify for second class mail (along with paid subscriptions being instituted with issue #27, Jan. 1, 1973).
TBG went weekly with issue #86 in July 1975.
. Columnists Don and Maggie Thompson were hired as editors. (With issue #482, the publication's title was officially changed to Comics Buyer's Guide upon its purchase by Krause.) At that time Krause instituted the controversial CBG Customer Service Award, the display of which signifies an advertiser had a "clean bill of health".
In 1992, the magazine spun off its distributor and retailer news into a separate periodical, Comics & Games Retailer
(which ceased publication in 2007). Co-editor Don Thompson died in 1994. In 1998, Krause brought on John Jackson Miller
as managing editor and Brent Frankenhoff
as projects editor, with Maggie Thompson remaining as editor. Frankenhoff was promoted to CBG Editor in 2006, with Maggie Thompson assuming the title of Senior Editor.
In July 2002, Krause was acquired by F+W Publications.
, produced in conjunction with Human Computing, the makers of the comic collectors’ software ComicBase
.
In July 2005, the magazine began archiving past features at its CBGXtra.com service. In late 2009, CBG' s page count was reduced, the perfect binding ended, and some of the features changed, including the removal of the price guide listings.
A complete collection of CBG and its predecessor is held by the Michigan State University Comic Art Collection.
took over the news column, retitled "Fit to Print." With issue #25 (Nov. 15, 1972) Martin L. Greim, publisher of the fanzine The Comic Crusader, began to contribute an occasional column initially titled "M.L.G. on Comics," that later would be known as "Crusader Comments." With issue #163 in 1976 Shel Dorf
began an occasional series "Shel Dorf and the Fantasy Makers" interviewing creators in comics, television and film.
Another columnist in the 1970s was David Scroggy.
In the CBG era, the magazine has been noted for its letter column "Oh, So?", as well as columns by Peter David
, Tony Isabella
, catherine yronwode
, Mark Evanier
, John Jackson Miller
, Bob Ingersoll
, Heidi MacDonald, Chuck Rozanski
, Craig Shutt, Beau Smith
, Andrew Smith, and others. As part of the June 2004 switch to monthly publication, Maggie Thompson revived the "Beautiful Balloons" column.
' s pages over the years include Chuck Fiala, Jim Engel, Dan Vebber, Fred Hembeck
, Mark Engblom, Brian Douglas Ahern, Chris Smigliano, Mark Martin
, Batton Lash
, Brian Hayes, and others. For some years CBG reprinted installments of The Spirit
comic strip by Will Eisner
. The panel cartoon "Last Kiss", by John Lustig
, is among the longtime fixtures.
1971 in comics
This is a list of comics-related events in 1971.-Year overall:* The Comics Code Authority revises the Code a number of times during the year. Initially "liberalized" on January 28, 1971, to allow for the sometimes "sympathetic depiction of criminal behavior . ....
, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
industry. It has also awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards since 1982
1982 in comics
-Year overall:* San Diego-based independent publisher Pacific Comics makes a strong push in the marketplace, following Jack Kirby's Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers with four new ongoing titles, Starslayer, Ms...
.
Origins
CBG was founded in 1971 by Alan Light under the title The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom (TBG) as a monthly newspaper in a tabloid format. TBG began primarily as an advertisingAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
venue — known in comics fandom as an "adzine", i.e. a fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
devoted to ads. Ron Frantz, in his book Fandom: Confidential, traces the lineage of Light's endeavor to Stan's Weekly Express, (aka WE) a pioneering adzine published from 1969 to 1973, whose bare-bones approach was inspired by an "obscure journal of flower advertising known as Joe's Bulletin." Frantz also provides background on Light's interaction with the WE Seal of approval program
WE Seal of approval program
WE Seal of Approval Program was a consumer protection/anti mail fraud program that assisted collectors of nostalgia between 1970 and 1984 who had been victimized by fraudulent advertisers in hobbyist magazines. It aided collectors of comic books, Star Trek, movie memorabilia, pulp magazines, and...
, with which he cooperated in order to help combat mail fraud. Frantz in addition describes the infamous long-running feud between Light and Comics Journal founder Gary Groth
Gary Groth
Gary Groth is an American comic book editor, publisher and critic. He is editor-in-chief of The Comics Journal and a co-founder of Fantagraphics Books.-Early life:...
.
TBG
Maggie Thompson
Margaret "Maggie" Thompson , is the editor of Comics Buyer's Guide, a monthly comic book industry news magazine...
began a monthly column, "Beautiful Balloons." A news column, "What Now?" by Murray Bishoff
Murray Bishoff
Murray Bishoff is a writer and managing editor of The Monet Times in Monett, Missouri. Formerly a contributor to Comic Buyer's Guide, Bishoff won an Inkpot Award in 1980...
, was added later. These provided the editorial content required by the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
to qualify for second class mail (along with paid subscriptions being instituted with issue #27, Jan. 1, 1973).
TBG went weekly with issue #86 in July 1975.
Acquisition by Krause Publications
In February 1983, The Buyer's Guide was purchased by Krause PublicationsKrause Publications
Krause Publications is a publisher of leisure-time & enthusiast magazines and books. Best known for its Standard Catalog of World Coins, a series of numismatic catalogs commonly referred to as Krause-Mishler catalogues or simply Krause catalogues. They provide information, pricing, and...
. Columnists Don and Maggie Thompson were hired as editors. (With issue #482, the publication's title was officially changed to Comics Buyer's Guide upon its purchase by Krause.) At that time Krause instituted the controversial CBG Customer Service Award, the display of which signifies an advertiser had a "clean bill of health".
In 1992, the magazine spun off its distributor and retailer news into a separate periodical, Comics & Games Retailer
Comics & Games Retailer
Comics & Games Retailer was the longest-running periodical serving retailers who sell comic books, collectible card games, and role-playing games until it ceased publication in 2007...
(which ceased publication in 2007). Co-editor Don Thompson died in 1994. In 1998, Krause brought on John Jackson Miller
John Jackson Miller
John Jackson Miller is an American comic book writer and commentator, known for his work on the Star Wars franchise as well as his research into comic book circulation history, as presented in the Standard Catalog of Comic Books series.-Biography:...
as managing editor and Brent Frankenhoff
Brent Frankenhoff
Brent Frankenhoff is an American author and editor of books and magazines about comic books, best known for his work on Comics Buyer's Guide and the Standard Catalog of Comic Books....
as projects editor, with Maggie Thompson remaining as editor. Frankenhoff was promoted to CBG Editor in 2006, with Maggie Thompson assuming the title of Senior Editor.
In July 2002, Krause was acquired by F+W Publications.
Switch to monthly frequency
With issue #1595 (June 2004), CBG changed its format from a weekly tabloid to a monthly perfect bound magazine. In addition, in hopes of enhancing newsstand sales, CBG added a price guide for contemporary comics as well as other new features intended to make the magazine more appealing to those with an avid interest in comic books as an investment. This marketing strategy was also tied to the yearly publication of the Standard Catalog of Comic BooksStandard Catalog of Comic Books
The Standard Catalog of Comic Books is the world's largest book about comic books. A joint production of the team behind Comics Buyer's Guide magazine and the CD-ROM program ComicBase, the first edition was released in 2002 from Krause Publications, known today as F+W Publications...
, produced in conjunction with Human Computing, the makers of the comic collectors’ software ComicBase
ComicBase
ComicBase is a popular computer program for tracking comic book collections, and is considered one of the most comprehensive databases of American comic books...
.
In July 2005, the magazine began archiving past features at its CBGXtra.com service. In late 2009, CBG
A complete collection of CBG and its predecessor is held by the Michigan State University Comic Art Collection.
Columnists
CBG has hosted many columns over the years in addition to Don and Maggie Thompson's "Beautiful Balloons". Murray Bishoff continued as "What Now?" columnist until 1979, after which Catherine YronwodeCatherine yronwode
Catherine "Cat" Yronwode is an American writer, editor, graphic designer, typesetter, publisher, and practitioner of folk magic with an extensive career in the comic book industry....
took over the news column, retitled "Fit to Print." With issue #25 (Nov. 15, 1972) Martin L. Greim, publisher of the fanzine The Comic Crusader, began to contribute an occasional column initially titled "M.L.G. on Comics," that later would be known as "Crusader Comments." With issue #163 in 1976 Shel Dorf
Shel Dorf
Sheldon "Shel" Dorf was an American comic-strip letterer and freelance artist and the founder of the San Diego Comic-Con International...
began an occasional series "Shel Dorf and the Fantasy Makers" interviewing creators in comics, television and film.
Another columnist in the 1970s was David Scroggy.
In the CBG era, the magazine has been noted for its letter column "Oh, So?", as well as columns by Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
, Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella is an American comic book writer, editor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath, DC Comics' first major African American superhero, Black Lightning, and as a columnist and critic for the Comics Buyer's Guide.-Marvel Comics:Before he joined...
, catherine yronwode
Catherine yronwode
Catherine "Cat" Yronwode is an American writer, editor, graphic designer, typesetter, publisher, and practitioner of folk magic with an extensive career in the comic book industry....
, Mark Evanier
Mark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
, John Jackson Miller
John Jackson Miller
John Jackson Miller is an American comic book writer and commentator, known for his work on the Star Wars franchise as well as his research into comic book circulation history, as presented in the Standard Catalog of Comic Books series.-Biography:...
, Bob Ingersoll
Bob Ingersoll
Robert "Bob" Ingersoll is an American lawyer and writer. Ingersoll's full time occupation was an appellate attorney with the Cuyahoga County Public Defender Office in Cleveland, Ohio, until he retired in 2009...
, Heidi MacDonald, Chuck Rozanski
Chuck Rozanski
Charles Rozanski is a German-American retailer and columnist, known as the President and CEO of the Denver, Colorado-based Mile High Comics Inc., and a columnist for the Comics Buyer's Guide.-Early life:...
, Craig Shutt, Beau Smith
Beau Smith
Beau Smith is anAmerican comic book writer and columnist, best known for hiswork for DC Comics, Image Comics, IDW Publishing and as vice president of marketing for Eclipse Comics.-Early career:...
, Andrew Smith, and others. As part of the June 2004 switch to monthly publication, Maggie Thompson revived the "Beautiful Balloons" column.
Cartoons and strips
Cartoonists who have graced CBGFred Hembeck
Fred Hembeck is an American cartoonist best known for his parodies of characters from major American comic book publishers. His work has frequently been published by the firms whose characters he spoofs. His characters are always drawn with curlicues at the elbows and knees...
, Mark Engblom, Brian Douglas Ahern, Chris Smigliano, Mark Martin
Mark Martin (cartoonist)
Mark Martin is an American cartoonist known for lighthearted humor and satire.-Career:Martin's first major work in the 1980s was Gnatrat, a parody of Batman, featuring a rat who dresses as a gnat to fight crime...
, Batton Lash
Batton Lash
Batton Lash is a comic book creator. His art is inspired by Steve Ditko and Charlton Comics horror stories.Since 1979, he has been writing and drawing Wolff and Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre which first appeared as a weekly newspaper strip in The Brooklyn Paper and The National Law Journal, later...
, Brian Hayes, and others. For some years CBG reprinted installments of The Spirit
The Spirit
The Spirit is a crime-fighting fictional character created by writer-artist Will Eisner. He first appeared June 2, 1940 in "The Spirit Section", the colloquial name given to a 16-page Sunday supplement, distributed to 20 newspapers by the Register and Tribune Syndicate and reaching five million...
comic strip by Will Eisner
Will Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
. The panel cartoon "Last Kiss", by John Lustig
John Lustig
John Lustig is an American comics writer principally known for his comic book scripts featuring Donald Duck and other members of Disney's Duck family. Lustig's scripts have been illustrated by William Van Horn and other artists...
, is among the longtime fixtures.