About Joe Sergi
Location: Washington, DC
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Comic Geek Speak (CGS) debuted in March, 2005, and was the brainchild of Bryan Deemer and Peter Rios. These self-proclaimed comic geeks wanted to create a place to discuss comic books. Since then, they have produced over 400 episodes (including specials) and the cast has grown to eight semi-regulars. In addition, CGS (which is recorded and released three times a week in a home studio) is now iTunes’s most popular comic book related podcast and is downloaded over 1,500 times a day. They also support the industry by recommending a trade paperback Book of the Month, which can be ordered at a discount from one of their sponsors and spotlight a monthly Indy Challenge in an effort to expand the mainstream Marvel and DC reader into the world of small press and independent publishers (also offered at a discount). Finally, CGS sponsors a forum that has over 2,700 active members, including industry professional, who have posted over 500,000 items on the site. In short, CGS have gone beyond being simple comic fans and have now become a major part of the comic industry. This week, CGS has joined with Ape Entertainment to present Comics Now! Magazine, a self proclaimed, “Magazine FOR comic fans BY comic fans.”
Before I review the magazine, I have to say that I am a regular listener to their podcast and an active member of their forum (I post as “Justice”). And while I have only met the geeks a couple of times, I consider them friends. That being said, I can’t say that I really had high hopes up for Comics Now! To be honest, I half expected it to be an overpriced black and white fanzine full of photoshop pictures, amateur writing and poser journalism. I could not have been more wrong in my expectations. Comics Now! is a full-color high-quality comic-sized magazine with in depth articles about comics written by knowledgeable professionals who love the material.
The first issue features three long articles (the first two are twelve pages each, the third; twenty pages). The first article , “A Nova Burns Bright,” is written by former Beauty and the Geek contestant Mario Muscar, who does an excellent job of tracing the history of Marvel’s cosmic living rocket from his introduction in the seventies, through his membership in the New Warriors, and culminating in his recent activity in the Annihilation crossovers. In the second article, “The Hook,” David DelGrosso presents the challenges facing independent comic producers in their quest to grab new readers, along with some success stories and helpful tips. But, without a doubt, the centerpiece of the first issue has to be Speaker of Geek Adam Murdough’s twenty-page “Crisis to Crisis,” which delivers the ultimate primer for anyone wanting to understand the history and events surrounding DC’s multi-verse. Adam’s love of the material and attention to detail is apparent and this article is a must read for DC continuity fans. The source materials for all three articles are included in a helpful checklist for readers who want to see more. There is also a short “Nova by the Numbers” feature, which provides a visual step-by-step for the creation process of the cover by JunBob Kim.
The magazine also includes several other “regulars” that, one can only assume, will be ongoing features. The “Podcaster Communiqué” gives descriptions for the comic podcasts that are available. As far as I know, Comics Now! is the first magazine to spotlight podcasters. Another creative addition is “Meanwhile,” which features an issue-by-issue recap of popular comics (Batbooks, Superbooks, X-books and Spiderbooks are featured this issue. I assume they will rotate in other titles in future issues.) “Comics Then” looks to the early days of comics (this issue has my favorite character, Superman). Fan favorite Erica Hesse writes a quarterly column called “Fangirl Talk.” The regular columns are rounded out with “Trade Secrets” (discussing the trade market), “Pixel Press” (focusing on webcomics) and “Journey into Miscellany” (highlighting independent books). There are also several clever comic strips by CGS forum members Marty Devine and Andrew Charipar, as well as James Hatton (“In His Likeness) and Danielle Corsetto (Girls with Slingshots). Finally, I should note that the letters column is right where it belongs in the back of the back of the book (like in a comic book).
Is the magazine perfect? Of course not. There are some typos and questionable font choices. The text is a little too close to the margins at points. I also think Adam’s Crisis article might have been easier to digest if it were broken up over a couple of issues. Given that this is a first issue, these types of growing pains are to be expected and there is much more to like about Comics Now! than not like. I should also note that I had some of the same gripes with the most recent issue of Wizard Magazine (and yes, I am the guy that still buys it). In short, Comics Now! Magazine #1 is one heck of a first issue. EIC Bryan Deemer, Editor Kevin Freeman and Assistant Editor Peter Rios should be proud of their highly professional finished product.
I cannot wait to see what they do for the second issue.
Comics Now Magazine
Fall, 2007
$5.99
I was very surprised and impressed with the first issue myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the Nova story, as I am big fan of that character and the current comic. I liked the format, tone (it was said straight-up that the magazine was not out to bash comics, but celebrate them), and the color pages. A great publication overall, and I expect to be purchasing this magazine for as long as it runs.