Comics Buyer's Guide

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CBG #1600

Comics Buyer's Guide (ISSN 0745-4570) (CBG) is the second longest-running periodical reporting on the comic book industry (only the Dutch monthly Stripschrift, first published in February 1968, has been running longer [1]).

[edit] History

It was founded in 1971 primarily as an advertising venue (known in comics fandom as an adzine, i.e. a fanzine devoted to ads) by Alan Light under the title The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom. 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." ^[1]. Frantz also provides background on Light's interaction with the WE Seal of approval program which he cooperated with to combat mail fraud. Frantz in addition describes the infamous long-running feud between Light and Comics Journal founder Gary Groth.

In 1983 it was purchased by Krause Publications who hired the late Don Thompson and his wife Maggie, long-time fixtures in comics fandom, as editors. At that time Krause instituted the CBG Customer Service Award, the display of which signifies an advertiser has a clean bill of health. In July 2002 Krause was acquired by F+W Publications.

The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom (commonly referred to as "TBG") started as a monthly newspaper in a tabloid format in 1971. Its frequency was changed to twice-monthly with issue #17 in 1972, and then to weekly with issue #86 in July 1975. The title was changed to "Comics Buyer's Guide" (or CBG) when it was bought by Krause Publications, and changed its format with issue #1595 (June 2004) to a monthly squarebound magazine, with a price guide for contemporary comics among the new features intended to make the magazine more appealing to those with an avid interest in comic books as an investment in hopes this would enhance sales on news stands. This marketing strategy is also tied to the yearly publication of the Standard Catalog of Comic Books, 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.

CBG has at times been noted for its lively letter column "Oh, So?", as well as columns by Peter David, Tony Isabella, catherine yronwode, Mark Evanier, John Jackson Miller, Bob Ingersoll, Heidi McDonald, Chuck Rozanski, Craig Shutt, Beau Smith, Andrew Smith and others. Cartoonists who have graced its 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 they reprinted installments of The Spirit comic strip by Will Eisner. The panel cartoon Last Kiss by John Lustig is among the longtime fixtures.

In 1992, the magazine spun off its distributor and retailer news into a separate periodical, Comics & Games Retailer. It has also awarded their annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards since 1982.

A complete collection of CBG and its predecessor is held by the Michigan State University Comic Art Collection.