RIP Wizard Magazine, 1991-2011
According to BleedingCool, Wizard Magazine has closed its print publication doors and open its doors for public trading. After publishing in 1991, Wizard became one of the most influential magazines in comic culture for asking the burning questions such as "Who would you want to play Mogo in a Green Lantern movie?" and "How come Uatu does not come off his high horse and start kicking ass?" As one of the first magazines to follow comic news and events much like a dog follows a car, this influential magazine will go down as the magazine many boys of my age bought to masturbate to pics of Psylocke.
In all seriousness, I do feel a small piece of my childhood die when I read this news, much like when I heard Leslie Nielson died. Wizard was the one of the first magazines I remember buying with my own money, along with Cracked. I remember following the prices of my own comics at the local Books-a-million when I could not afford a copy. Unfortunately, I was one of the many who never subscribed and began checking the internet as soon as it came along. I understand the closure of this magazine, as little as Wizard is in the grander scheme of other giants contemplating closing their print outputs. When the New York Times does the same, we will know the Digital Age has finally taken over. Much as the farmers moved into cities 200 years ago, now so do readers migrate into the vast expanse of the Internet. At least the magazine will continue on the Internetz, hopefully to flourish much in the way Cracked.com has.
Plus, in less than a week I'll be at the Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con!