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No more Comic Heroes

Started by Fungus, 15 July, 2014, 10:24:43 AM

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Fungus

Sad to hear about the demise of Comic Heroes magazine... final issue is out this week.

It was a great chunky read, and got me appreciating swathes of the golden and silver age stuff (though it was prone to repeat itself), not to mention European comics and much else. Routinely found that the articles I felt weren't aimed at me in fact interested me the most. Read it cover to cover.

amines2058

Sad to see it go, but I always felt it had overpriced itself from the start £8 then £10 was always going to be out of my budget I am afraid.
Especially when you consider that you can buy some of the Trades they probably advertised and reviewed for a similar price of less than the magazine e.g. Judge Dredd CF1 or Watchmen £10.49 new on Amazon at present

IndigoPrime

It was a pretty big magazine, with a lot of new editorial, relatively little advertising and a niche audience. On that basis, the pricing wasn't that surprising. It's a pity it couldn't survive the turbulence currently going on at Future, but there you go.

Molch-R

It's a major blow to quality comics writing in the UK and, as a contributor since the beginning, I'm devastated to see it close. Sales were consistently healthy, it was doing well on digital, and it was a great package put together by people who love comics. It was a hefty presence on the newsstand (a position maintained only by handing over the vast majority of its cover price to retailers) and was a reminder to many that comics aren't restricted to the reprint and kids titles on the bottom shelves. The editors - Jes Bickham, Matt Bielby, and Dave Golder - did no wrong as far as I'm concerned, Dave even made the weekly 'Comic Review' on the iPad app a success on zero budget and support. It's just another casualty of the gutting currently taking place at Future and we are all poorer for it.

amines2058

Perhaps I should take back my comment on being overpriced  :-[ not having been a devout reader I only based my view on what I percieve I can afford on a monthly basis, with this being out of my personal price range.
I am still sad to see it go though as I would be with any British comic based publication.  :(

Colin YNWA

The thing is though however valid the reason for the price its too expensive if people aren't willing to pay it. I liked Comic Heroes but it was too pricey for what it was for me and a number of others that I'm aware of. Real shame as I'd love something like this to take off.

Molch-R

The price isn't the reason it's been cancelled though, there were thousands every month who were found the cover price reasonable for what they received in return. This isn't an issue of it folding, it's an issue of Future slashing and burning its stable of titles.

Bolt-01

Quote from: Molch-R on 15 July, 2014, 12:39:37 PM
it's an issue of Future slashing and burning its stable of titles.

Which is a shame. I only ever read occasional issues but I was always glad to see it arrive on the shelf. I wonder if some of the features will fold over to SFX (or has that been Knacked as well?)

Fungus

If you buy individual US comics - and the readership of Comic Heroes seem to - then the content feels decent value for your tenner. Doesn't read like a publisher cashing-in, the love of the subject always comes across.

Slightly amusing to see Future switch subscriptions to SFX, not a magazine I ever see myself picking up...

IndigoPrime

The way Future subs have always worked is they attempt to provide the closest match to a closing mag. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, this was reasonably easy, due to the amount of crossover. Now... not so much. SFX will, I imagine, run some comic features, but the nature of that mag means the writing will have to be more generalist in the main and probably won't get the opportunity to delve into the niche territory Comic Heroes was renowned for.

Theblazeuk

SFX and Comic Heroes seem to share a stable of writers, but I doubt SFX will expand its coverage of comics dramatically.

I liked Comic Heroes but have been happier with the weekly review e-magazine than I ever was with the printed version, which was a very mixed bag for me. As always though sad to see it go.

IndigoPrime

Hasn't the review mag also been canned?

Molch-R

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 15 July, 2014, 02:21:40 PM
Hasn't the review mag also been canned?

Yes, sadly. Despite making quite a profit.

Mike Carroll

Such a shame... It's a great mag and I've loved every issue.

I know this would be scant consolation, but I just hope that the final issue bears the words "Great News for All Readers Inside!" in the grand tradition of about-to-be-cancelled British comics. Naturally, the next issue of SFX should be called "SFX & Comic Heroes!" with the "Comic Heroes" logo gradually shrinking to nothing over the next few months.

-- Mike

Bolt-01

Ha! That would be the traditional way to do it.