Comics Buyer's Guide #1600 (January 2005) |
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| Senior Editor | Maggie Thompson |
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| Categories | comic books news and criticism |
| Frequency | monthly (previously weekly) |
| Publisher | F+W Media |
| First issue | 1971 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.cbgxtra.com |
| ISSN | 0745-4570 |
Comics Buyer's Guide (ISSN 0745-4570) (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.
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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 advertising 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."[1] 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.[2]
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).[3]
TBG went weekly with issue #86 in July 1975.
In February 1983, The Buyer's Guide was purchased by Krause Publications.[4] 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[5][6][7] 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).[8] Co-editor Don Thompson died in 1994.[9] In 1998, Krause brought on John Jackson Miller as managing editor and Brent Frankenhoff as projects editor, with Maggie Thompson remaining as editor.[10] 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.
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 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. 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.[11][12]
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 Yronwode took over the news column, retitled "Fit to Print."[13] 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."[14] With issue #163 in 1976 Shel Dorf began an occasional series "Shel Dorf and the Fantasy Makers" interviewing creators in comics, television and film. [15] Another columnist in the 1970s was David Scroggy.[16]
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.
Cartoonists who have graced CBG'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.
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