Misplaced Pages

#450549

19-746: The magazine began publication in 1997, initially borrowing many features that first appeared in its sister magazine, Wizard .. Over the years, ToyFare gained a strong following due to its focus on collectible figures and its unique blend of humor. A report by highlights how ToyFare became a staple in the collectible toy industry, particularly through its coverage of new action figures. The magazine reached its 100th issue in December 2005, an achievement celebrated by both fans and critics. However, like many niche publications, ToyFare struggled with market changes and eventually ceased publication in 2011. Wizard Entertainment closed both ToyFare and Wizard following

38-503: A feature similar to supermarket tabloids , presenting parody articles using various toy and pop culture references. (An example would be an article reporting on the intelligent design debate on the planet Cybertron, home of the robotic Transformers ). Originally, this feature's main articles were humorous exaggerations of actual toy-related stories (such as news of the He-Man and the Masters of

57-436: A practice of producing specially offered Wizard #½ issues. These were special issues of ongoing major comic book series which featured in-continuity stories that supplemented the regular series' published issues. The issues were numbered #½ so as not to disrupt the series' ongoing numbering system. Often Wizard would also include free pack-in issues with their magazines, usually numbered as Wizard #0. The magazine presented

76-465: A round table discussion with creators in the comic book film industry. Despite all these changes, however, the magazine was losing subscribers at an unsustainable rate; by December 2010, its circulation was just 17,000 copies. On January 24, 2011, Rich Johnston of the website Bleeding Cool confirmed that the magazine would cease print publication, that almost all of its magazine staff had been laid off, and all freelance engagements were canceled. This

95-545: A shift in the publishing landscape. Reviews the broader impact of these closures on the collectible magazine industry. The most popular feature in ToyFare was Twisted ToyFare Theatre ( TTT ), a humorous comic strip done by photographing toys on sets designed by the magazine's staff. This feature gained a cult following, with discussing its influence on later comedic projects like Robot Chicken . The strips often featured action figures produced by Mego Corporation, toys popular in

114-570: The Wizard Fan Awards annually for works of distinction within the comics industry from 1993 to 2006. In 1993, the awards were presented at Dragon Con ; in 1994, they were presented at Great Eastern Conventions ' Philadelphia Comic Book Spectacular; in 1995, the awards moved their home to the Chicago Comicon (later renamed Wizard World Chicago), where they remained for the remainder of their existence. InQuest Gamer InQuest Gamer

133-445: The 1970s, during the childhoods of many staff members. In addition to its toys, TTT explored the absurd and the satirical. According to , the strips allowed ToyFare to stand out as a pop culture commentary disguised as a toy magazine. Collections of the strips were released as trade paperbacks, a decision that reflected both the feature's popularity and the shifting market for toy-related media. The magazine added "The Monthly Rag",

152-478: The Universe series' release on DVD, reported as "Shocking He-Man Footage Made Public!"), and a sidebar column would appear somewhere within the "Monthly Rag" section with short summaries of the real news behind the exaggerated articles. ToyFare featured mail-away offers for exclusive merchandise. At first it largely offered Toy Biz figures that had been repainted or slightly modified into other characters, though

171-506: The comic speculator boom, Wizard was an instant hit, with a monthly circulation of more than 100,000 copies. The magazine's success led Wizard Entertainment to launch several ongoing magazines dedicated to similar interests — such as InQuest Gamer for collectible game cards (published 1995–2007), ToyFare for toys and action figures (1997–2011), Anime Insider for anime and manga (2001–2009), and Toy Wishes for mainstream toy enthusiasts ( c. 1999– c. 2008). In 2006, Wizard

190-883: The cover), clearly announcing that it was a magazine about games. Issue #53 made the InQuest title more prominent on the cover again and it was not changed after that, although the cover's format was revamped with issue #122. Typical content included news, strategy articles, a price guide for collectible card and miniature games, reference lists, and game-related entertainment and humor. Issues with special cards were mailed in plastic bags, issues without special cards were typically sold at retail stores and game shows without any special covering. The magazine's editorial staff included Mike Searle, Tom Slizewski, Jeff Hannes, Brent Fishbaugh, Steve Frohnhoefer, Paul Sudlow, Jeremy Smith, Thorin McGee, Kyle Ackerman, Alex Shvartsman and Rick Swan . Martin A. Stever

209-658: The magazine later went on to offer exclusive figures that ran the industry gamut, including figures from Jakks Pacific , Minimates , and HeroClix . Several former ToyFare staffers, such as Doug Goldstein , Tom Root , and Matthew Senreich , went on to help create the Adult Swim program Robot Chicken with actor Seth Green , whose humor is in the same vein as Twisted ToyFare Theatre . Wizard (magazine) Wizard or Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture (previously titled Wizard: The Guide to Comics and Wizard: The Comics Magazine )

SECTION 10

#1733085153451

228-453: The magazine, shifting focus from reviews and humor to information about upcoming comics and the industry as a whole. The three-page "Magic Words" section, which consisted of reader questions, was dropped and replaced by "Fan Mail", a half-page section allowing three short (and often humorous) letters. Soon after, in August 2008, longtime Wizard Editor Brian Cunningham was removed. The final editor

247-447: The two major CCG magazines. Later, the magazine changed its focus to cover a wider range of games, including role-playing games , computer and video games , collectible miniature games , board games , and others. InQuest #0, the first issue, was published in April 1995. Because it was first published about two years after the release of Magic: The Gathering , the trading card game

266-638: Was a magazine about comic books , published monthly in the United States by Wizard Entertainment from July 1991 to January 2011. It included a price guide , as well as comic book, movie , anime , and collector news, interviews, and previews. Wizard launched in July 1991. With issue #7, the magazine switched to glossy paper and color printing. Wizard strongly supported new publishers Valiant Comics and Image Comics , heavily promoting their new releases. With its high-end production values and embodiment of

285-415: Was a former staff writer and managing editor Mike Cotton. On February 27, 2009, Wizard laid off 10% of its workforce, including its three staff writers, in order to make room for freelance writers. Wizard was relaunched with issue #228 (August 2010), which featured Mark Millar as a guest editor. The magazine returned to its strictly comic book roots. The issue featured a Green Hornet film cover and

304-450: Was a monthly magazine for game reviews and news that was published from 1995 to 2007. The magazine was published by Wizard Entertainment (not to be confused with Wizards of the Coast , which produced its own CCG magazine, The Duelist ). Originally, the magazine was named InQuest and focused solely on collectible card games (CCGs); InQuest , along with its competitor Scrye , were

323-669: Was confirmed later that day by Wizard , who also revealed that its sister magazine, ToyFare , was also canceled. According to the publication's representatives, Wizard would be relaunched in February 2011 as an online magazine called Wizard World . The first issue of Wizard World was made available online and through major digital distribution channels on March 2, 2011. The magazine went through an ever-changing line-up of regular and semi-regular features, including: Retired features include Both Wizard and ToyFare often featured mail-away offers for exclusive merchandise. Wizard began

342-429: Was one of InQuest's main topics. InQuest was frequently home to fictional cards, including "purple" cards featured in issue #22 (February 1997). These hypothetical cards, which used a new "Portal" land to create purple mana, led some to think that the then-upcoming Portal set would introduce a sixth color. For issue #46 (February 1999), InQuest changed its name to InQuest Gamer (with Gamer in large text on

361-464: Was revamped with a bigger look and more pages, switching from the "perfect bound" staple-free look to that of a more traditional magazine. In November 2006, Wizard magazine editor-in-chief and co-founder Pat McCallum was fired, after more than a decade with the company. Wizard declined to say why he was removed. On February 21, 2007, Scott Gramling was announced as the new editor-in-chief. After issue #200 (June 2008), Wizard made several changes to

#450549