I really miss Amazing Heroes.
Published by Fantagraphics (publishers of the Comics Journal then, and the Journal and about eight billion different comics and books now), AH was a comics-sized fanzine (although the first few issues were magazine-sized) that dedicated itself to mainstream superhero comics.
Amazing Heroes combined the density of information of the Comics Journal with an enthusiasm for sooperheroes, something that in those days (the early and mid 1980s) the Journal was beginning to seriously move away from.
AH also had the benefit of inheriting much of the critical faculties and journalistic style of the Journal, and was a really fun, sometimes enlightening read.
There's really nothing quite like it today.
The Journal is still around of course, and is one of the best specialty magazines being published anywhere in the world. Publisher Gary Groth has been criticized for decades for his staunch advocacy of quality and truth, often mistaken for hostility and bitterness. And frankly, understandably so.
We live in a world where crap is often deified, so I applaud Groth for having the nerve to hold a mirror up to the crap and demand better. It's been a long, hard struggle, and over 20 years later we have worse crap than we could have ever imagined 20 years ago. I remind you we live in a world where Rob Liefeld can have his own company and Todd McFarlane is a multi-millionaire. Where Marvel Comics editors entrust as valuable a character as Spider-Man to creative rapists like John Byrne and Howard Mackie, and refuse to acknowledge their monumental error, never mind do something about it.
But all is not lost in comics. Gary Groth has raised the bar immeasurably through the publication of some amazing comics talents, including Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, R. Crumb, Chris Ware, Peter Bagge, Dan Clowes and many, many others.
I recently bemoaned on the Internet the fact that many of today's comics fans are somewhat naive about many of the complex issues of the industry, such as creators rights, the distribution system and other matters. Part of the reason for this, I theorized, is because the finest journalistic publication of the industry has moved so far away from its coverage of mainstream comics that most sooperhero fans don't even bother picking it up.
Ironically, the current issue of the Comics Journal features a letter from Journal staffer Greg Kwiklik excoriating his own editors for sinking to the level of Amazing Heroes by publishing a recent set of articles about Batman-related matters. And it's difficult to imagine Gary Groth disagreeing in principle with Kwiklik's assertions.
I didn't think much about the Batman articles much at the time, but in retrospect, they do seem out of place in the Journal. Because, of course, it has moved way beyond such issues as examining Batman's relationship to Gotham City. Perhaps the Journal's editors were attempting to broaden their reader base by appealing to Batman fans. Perhaps such a move on the part of anyone else would be called "pandering" by Groth. Perhaps he'd 'fess up to it himself, if asked. After all, he is the publisher of Eros Comics, adult porn apparently designed to subsidize the publication of Fantagraphics's less-commercial, more ambitious creators. I doubt any porn has ever been created for more noble purpose.
I've come to the conclusion that today's comics fan, if he or she wants to really stay informed about all areas of the industry, can rely upon no one publication. The Comics Journal provides excellent coverage of alternative and international comics, but if you want to know which issue of Green Lantern will feature the debut of Kyle Rayner's Aunt Betty, or who will be drawing The New Adventures of Frenum Man now that Jim Uvula has been fired, well, you better pick up Wizard.
Wizard provides inexhaustible coverage of mainstream comics, often skewed by sarcasm, sexism and outright contempt. Much of it is cleverly disguised, so as to not alienate the advertisers. And, don't ever look for anything resembling objective journalism within its pages. The Wizard creed is profits, for itself, for its advertisers, and thus every word in its pages is suspect.
And for me, Wizard's editorial content will remain suspect until they start providing objective reviews of comics and dump the absurd price guide feature, which often tries to predict what comics will be hot at the time the issue hits the stands, even if those "hot" comics have yet to be printed. It's an effect even more comical in its sister publication Toyfare, which frequently makes claims about "hot" action figures that are disproved by a single visit to your local toy store.
Many's the time I've seen Wizard promote the hell out of some project or other, make it a cover feature with an in-depth article (well, as in-depth as Wizard gets), only to snidely deride said project as garbage months later--after they've conned their gullible readers into buying multiple copies of the holo-foil, variant covered first issue.
Still, though, I get it every month. Because, sometimes, quality creeps in. Occasional in-depth interviews (though never as in-depth as in the Journal) provide genuine insight into the work of today's "hot" creators (you'll never read an article about someone not considered "hot" in Wizard), and even the dopier features, like the time they published an article of Jim Balent's drawing tips (about as useful as interior decorating advice from Helen Keller), give insight into the mindset of the worst sensibilities in the industry. It's all valuable, in one way or another. Keep your enemies close and all that.
Lately I've been devouring the publications of TwoMorrows Publishing, including the Jack Kirby Collector, Comic Book Artist and the revival of Roy Thomas's Alter Ego. All three provide comprehensive coverage of the Silver Age of comics, and the Jack Kirby Collector is a treasure trove full of previously unseen Kirby pencils, insightful articles, and overall tribute to the man who just about single-handedly created the American superhero comic book artform.
Comic Book Artist tends toward theme issues, and each one I've read has been a treat. Especially welcome are the interviews with creators we don't hear much from (or about) anymore such as Marie Severin. The article on Denis Kitchen's 1970s joint project (you'll pardon the pun) with Marvel, Comix Book, is absolutely indispensable for anyone interested in Stan Lee, Marvel Comics, the history of Underground Comix, or just damn good comics journalism.
I haven't mentioned the Comic's Buyers Guide, and that's because I'm not currently reading it. I go through phases where I resubscribe for a year or two, because I really enjoy the columns of Mark Evanier, Peter David and Tony Isabella. But I now read Tony's daily online column, Mark Evanier spends a lot of time talking about matters having nothing to do with comics, and there are just too damn many ads and not enough editorial content for me to take CBG seriously as comics journalism.
And frankly, none of the fanzines I've mentioned can really compete with the Internet for news content. While the Journal provides comprehensive coverage of the stories it deems newsworthy, for day to day updates on what is going on in the industry, especially that part of it with which I am most interested, you can't beat the newsgroups on Usenet, plus four or five comics-related sites I frequent. It's roughly analogous to getting the news from the TV networks and the next day relying on The New York Times for in-depth coverage.
So, while I recently bemoaned the fact that there is no one magazine you can rely on anymore for full coverage of the artform and industry of comics, I've found you can still find that sort of information. It just takes a little more work, and sources in addition to those found on the printed page. But considering the exciting things happening in comics today (not always from expected places), it's worth seeking out all the information you can. If you're going to be a fanboy, you might as well be well-informed.