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''Wizard'' was founded in 1991 by then college student Gareb Shamus. It started as a newsletter estimating the values of "hot" comic books, that is, comics that had high demand in the back issue market. Shamus' interest in the comics market stems from his friendship to comic artist Todd McFarlane and from working in his parents' specialty store. In issue #7, ''Wizard'' became closer to the magazine it is today, with glossy paper and color printing. Unlike some publications such as ''Hero Illustrated'' or '' The Comics Journal '', ''Wizard'' has historically focused not only on Journalism but also on the economic side of comic collecting. ''Wizard'' was strongly supportive of new publishers Valiant Comics and Image Comics , heavily promoting their new releases. A regular (though controversial) feature of the magazine is a "Top 10 Writers and Artists" list, charting the "hottest" (i.e. most popular) creators of the month in each category. ''Wizard'' skillfully exploited the Speculation boom that hit the comic-book market following '' The Death Of Superman '' event, quickly rising to the leading position among comic magazines. For many, ''Wizard'' is the most visible face of the American comics industry, which means it encounters a fair amount of Controversy . Generally, critics charge that ''Wizard'' discusses mainstream American comics of the Superhero genre to the exclusion of almost every other kind of comics. On the other hand, American superheroes are the dominant interest of "mainstream" American comic-book fans - identified in this article as the consumers of America's Direct Market comic shops. However, critics sometimes characterize ''Wizard'' as simply an organ to generate Hype and Publicity for the largest publishers, DC and Marvel , and sometimes others like Image . It is true that ''Wizard'' has arranged mutually-lucrative deals with the leading publishers (preferential advertising and coverage, for example, in exhange for promises to announce new projects at their prominent Wizard World conventions), and may be reluctant to upset the Status Quo . The actual degree to which ''Wizard'' influences the buying patterns of its client base is unknown. Comic creator Frank Miller had a well-publicized feud with ''Wizard'', initiated by his keynote speech at the 2001 Harvey Awards , during which he ripped a copy of the magazine in half and threw it in a trash can, calling it a "bible written by Satan" and a "monthly vulgarity." The two parties have since repaired their relationship (notably, after Miller's successful '' Sin City '' film), and Miller was a "Guest of Honor" at Wizard World Chicago 2005. Wizard Magazines old website, www.wizardworld.com, was also home to a lively internet forum community in the late 1990's. It is generally considered to have been one of the largest and most influential in the small community of internet forums dedicated towards comic books, and after its decline and eventual deletion an unusually large proportion of its members migrated to other forums focusing on this interest. As such, the Wizard World forums--in particular, the SuperHero ShowDown forum (abbreviated SHSD)--had a wide-ranging influence on the creation and propagation of rather small subculture of forum-using comic book fans. The magazine has also spawned several ongoing magazines dedicated to similar interests such as ''Toyfare'' for toys and action figures, ''Inquest Gamer'' for collectible game cards, and Anime Insider for anime and manga. AWARDS The magazine received the '' Comics Buyer's Guide '' Fan Award for Favorite Publication About Comics for 1992. EXTERNAL LINKS
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