The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom
Comics Buyer's Guide #1600 (January 2005)
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| Senior Editor | Maggie Thompson |
|---|---|
| Categories | comic books news and criticism |
| Frequency |
monthly (February 1971 – August 1972)
twice-monthly (August 1972 – July 1975) weekly (July 1975 – June 2004) monthly (June 2004 – March 2013) |
| Publisher | F+W Media |
| Founder | Alan Light |
| First issue | March 1971 |
| Final issue — Number |
March 2013 1699 |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Iola, Wisconsin |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0745-4570 |
Comics Buyer's Guide (CBG; ISSN 0745-4570), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1982–2008, with the first awards announced in #500 (June 17, 1983). The publication ceased with the March 2013 issue. The magazine was headquartered in Iola, Wisconsin.
CBG was founded in February 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." 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.
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 with #26 (Dec. 1, 1972). 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).
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