Russ Cochran's Editorial in CBM 108...

[lighthouse]

I don't know how many of you have already picked up a copy of the latest CBM. I got mine in with my shipment on Wednesday and I finally had a chance to sit down and read it.

 

Editor and Publisher Russ Cochran suggests a bold new direction for the magazine... a direction that frankly makes me want to vomit...

 

He offers six changes he would like to see, but I think the first two are enough to cover my thoughts on it:

 

"I'd like to:

1. Change the name of the magazine to simply COMICS!

2. Put less emphasis on analyzing the market."

 

Allow me to respond with a loud and hearty "WTF????"

 

Is Gemstone's market research really that bad? Do they really not understand why people buy this magazine? Thankfully he does ask for feedback from the readership, but I can't believe this suggestion is even being made.

 

Among the CBM readers that I know personally, the vast majority of them use it as a tool to find cool new things to try to collect and to keep up with what other people are buying and selling. Virtually every price variant collector out there can trace his interest in them to Jon McClure's CBM articles. If he didn't read it himself, he got turned on to them by someone who had. When CBM articles highlight certain cover oddities, or feature books that most people are unaware of, the interest in those books go up. A lot of people out there are looking for something cool to collect, and CBM has done a great job of showcasing some of the more interesting choices from the past.

 

Cochran goes on to suggest that this new periodical would be square bound, and would be sold in mainstream book stores. He suggests that issues would be theme-based and would therefore have a longer shelf life. "In fact, COMICS! could be less of a periodical and more like a series of trade paperbacks."

 

If Gemstone's research suggests there is a gap in the marketplace that can be filled by such a publication, fine. Start publishing one. If your market research shows that CBM is no longer a viable publication, then cancel it if you need to. But the suggestion that this new publication is a logical progression for CBM to take seems asinine to me.

 

Just my opinion. I'd be interested to hear others...

'House

[OldGuy]

I read that last week. I've got 4 issues left on my subscription and I was already planing on letting it run out. His editorial has done nothing to change my mind. IMO it's an [!@#%^&^] rag right now. It seems that they are giving up and going for the "Wizard" formula.

[Aman619]

I read it House, and frankly if I remembered a word of his drivel Id still be scratching my head over it!

Good news is it only takes about 4 minutes to skim through it each month now...

[rob_react]

I think that's a terrible idea.

 

I also think I'll be doing research into the startup costs for a magazine and then I'll maybe crack open my girlfriend's copy of Business Plan Pro. I rode through the start of a weekly newspaper, a bi-monthly or quarterly magazine couldn't be as bad as that was and that was almost fun.

[Ares]

So are all issues dates like a month behind?

 

I bought 108 this week and it had a December coverdate.

 

Or is it just Canada

[OldGuy]

It was about 2 months between 106 and 107 then I got 108 about 3 weeks later so I have no idea what their schedule is, but unless it's "what ever, when ever" they aren't doing a very good job staying on it.

[FlyingDonut]

I think that's a terrible idea.

 

I also think I'll be doing research into the startup costs for a magazine and then I'll maybe crack open my girlfriend's copy of Business Plan Pro. I rode through the start of a weekly newspaper, a bi-monthly or quarterly magazine couldn't be as bad as that was and that was almost fun.

 

Lets talk. I'd be interested in this.

 

And I've already sent an email to CBM. The magazine, which used to be stellar, is a joke now, an absolute joke. Cochran's obsession with all things outside of the realm of comics makes the magazine almost unreadable.

 

And, by the way, isn't the magazine he's talking about already published? Isn't it called The Comics Journal?

[OldGuy]

I think that's a terrible idea.

 

I also think I'll be doing research into the startup costs for a magazine and then I'll maybe crack open my girlfriend's copy of Business Plan Pro. I rode through the start of a weekly newspaper, a bi-monthly or quarterly magazine couldn't be as bad as that was and that was almost fun.

 

Lets talk. I'd be interested in this.

 

And I've already sent an email to CBM. The magazine, which used to be stellar, is a joke now, an absolute joke. Cochran's obsession with all things outside of the realm of comics makes the magazine almost unreadable.

 

And, by the way, isn't the magazine he's talking about already published? Isn't it called The Comics Journal?

 

No, it's called "Wizard".

[Rip]

When I read it I didn't think he was serious I took it as a joke.

Enjoyed the DC Silver to bronze article

(I tend to agree for the most part, the mag is suffering. And lets face it most of us get it because of the mkt reports)

[BachelorOfComix]

Gary Carter, where are you???

[Timely]

I sent CBM this email, I hope it sees print!

Dear Russ,

 

First of all cudos to you and your staff on CMB #107, it's the best issue since Gary Carter left CBM. Jon Berk's article was awesome as usual. Keep him around, will ya?

 

Next, lets talk about this new idea in your head regarding CBM. Some of them are great, some are once again leading us down the wrong path. By now you MUST realize that Gary Carter has the perfect formula. It seems like 95 out of 100 of your subscribers prefer CBM in that fasion, as do I. So here we go:

 

1. Change the name? NO! Why on earth would you want to do that? By far the riskiest idea yet! I like the title.

2. Less emphasis on the market? NO. It's my second favorite section, reading dealer reports and Michael Naiman's column. What you CAN and should remove is the "CBM Market Watch" page. Seeing prices realized for Lone Ranger #75 in VF- for $30 is a waste of space. I'd suggest replacing that with more important and exciting high-end sales. Listing CGC sales would put you in the right century!

3. Add more color pages? Now your talking!

4. Broaden the scope to include everything? NO. Again, even seeing the statues EVERY MONTH is bad enough. We are not interested in EVERYTHING ELSE, Golden Age and Silver Age is ALL we require from you! Thanks for asking though! Perhaps a magazine titled "Everything Else" is what you need.

5. Consider deeper articles...and pay less attention to minuta details...? Umm..you lost me on that one!?!

6. Put the magazine into mainstream stores, have themed issues, less dated material? I'm sure every magazine wants to be in the mainstream stores, go for it! BTW, you already have themed issues! Less dated materal? Again what the heck does that mean?!? You are researching the PAST of comics...it's ALL dated!

 

Regards"

 

 

Timely

"

[greggy]

Agreed....the magazine sucks. I'm just buying it to maintain the complete run at this time. I haven't really read any of them closely for around 5-6 years. The early ones, although focused on the Golden Age mostly, were the most interesting items that I've read with respect to comics. They had great writers who were euthusiastic about the books. Now...they mean nothing to me.

[Rip]

Put the magazine into mainstream stores

That's where I first bought em. Tower Records & Books. What happened?

[rob_react]

I think that's a terrible idea.

 

I also think I'll be doing research into the startup costs for a magazine and then I'll maybe crack open my girlfriend's copy of Business Plan Pro. I rode through the start of a weekly newspaper, a bi-monthly or quarterly magazine couldn't be as bad as that was and that was almost fun.

 

Lets talk. I'd be interested in this.

 

You're literally one of the first five people I thought of.

[THE_BEYONDER]

I think that's a terrible idea.

 

I also think I'll be doing research into the startup costs for a magazine and then I'll maybe crack open my girlfriend's copy of Business Plan Pro. I rode through the start of a weekly newspaper, a bi-monthly or quarterly magazine couldn't be as bad as that was and that was almost fun.

 

Lets talk. I'd be interested in this.

 

You're literally one of the first five people I thought of.

 

How about a QP section?

[Zonker]

I dropped CBM with #100, but did pick up the Batman and Wrightson issues based on recommendations here. They were ok, but as everyone else here has said, a pale shadow of Gary Carter's great enterprise.

 

Enjoyed the DC Silver to bronze article

 

By any chance Rip was that article by infrequent forumite Dave Blanchard? Seems he mentioned here that he was working on such a piece at one time.

[shiverbones]

i am pretty fed up with the mag at this point. its like a fickle girlfriend, so time to ditch it. It WAS the bast, now its a pale imitation on the road to absolute joke!

[Rip]

Yep, It was a good read.

[Aman619]

I think that's a terrible idea.

 

I also think I'll be doing research into the startup costs for a magazine and then I'll maybe crack open my girlfriend's copy of Business Plan Pro. I rode through the start of a weekly newspaper, a bi-monthly or quarterly magazine couldn't be as bad as that was and that was almost fun.

 

Lets talk. I'd be interested in this.

 

You're literally one of the first five people I thought of.

 

How about a QP section?

 

hey guys.....um no offense, but magazine startup is expensive stuff. Geppi can afford to lose money on his magazine(s)... Comic Book Artist and Kirby Collector are models you could plan on emulating... but they seem like fulltime jobs for the Cookes and not too big a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for them either.....

 

But Ill buy them once you get going!!

shoot ---I still but CBM every month so I oughtta be pretty easy to please....

[rob_react]

I think that's a terrible idea.

 

I also think I'll be doing research into the startup costs for a magazine and then I'll maybe crack open my girlfriend's copy of Business Plan Pro. I rode through the start of a weekly newspaper, a bi-monthly or quarterly magazine couldn't be as bad as that was and that was almost fun.

 

Lets talk. I'd be interested in this.

 

You're literally one of the first five people I thought of.

 

How about a QP section?

 

hey guys.....um no offense, but magazine startup is expensive stuff. Geppi can afford to lose money on his magazine(s)... Comic Book Artist and Kirby Collector are models you could plan on emulating... but they seem like fulltime jobs for the Cookes and not too big a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for them either.....

 

But Ill buy them once you get going!!

shoot ---I still but CBM every month so I oughtta be pretty easy to please....

 

Hi, the only reason I even voiced the idea is because I'm not a newbie when it comes to starting a publication (or startups in general for that matter,) so it's always been in the back of my mind. For about four years I was one of a core group of people that produced two magazines in town. We first put together a monthly arts/ culture magazine and then, when we were really searching for some mayhem, we moved onto a free newsweekly. I served as film editor, sat on the nominal "board," and was, in general, an integral part of the decision-making process. I've also funded and executive produced a short film, produced theater, etc. so I'm actually pretty familiar with the sort of terrible, frustrating and sometimes wildly expensive things that would go on if I were to pursue this.

 

This also would NOT be for the "pot of gold." Much of what I did above with the magazines I did for FREE, in my spare time; working, when my day job was factored in, 70+ hour weeks. I've had enough of THAT now- my resume is full enough; so I wouldn't go into this if I thought it would be a total waste of time and money. But I also wouldn't be betting my retirement on it- basically it'd be like everything else I do with comics.

 

But, none of this matters at this point. I haven't even actually sat down and thought about this as a reality. Once that happens then maybe I'll have reason to worry about the ugly reality