From 1991 to 2011, Wizard magazine (variously subtitled “The Guide to Comics,” “The Comics Magazine,” and “The Magazine of Comics, Pop Culture, and Entertainment”) offered its readers—mostly, but by no means exclusively—young men, a peek into the world of comic books and related entertainment genres. Ten years on from its cancellation, Wizard is a fascinating, if sometimes frustrating or even troubling, archive of the comic book industry and its fandom during a pivotal period.
Research Team
- Anna Peppard
- Kalervo Sinervo
- Benjamin Woo
Publications and Presentations
Kalervo Sinervo, Anna Peppard, and Benjamin Woo, “How to Be a Fanboy: Wizard Magazine and Pedagogy of Comic Book Fandom.” Popular Communication 22, no. 3 (2024): 179–97. doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2024.2414120.
Kalervo Sinervo, Anna Peppard, and Benjamin Woo, “Workshopping Wizard: Revisiting Comics’ ‘Long 1990s,’” Canadian Society for the Study of Comics, Montreal, QC, June 12–13, 2024.
Anna Peppard, Benjamin Woo, and Kalervo Sinervo, “How to Draw Comics the Wizard Way: Drawing on Autoethnography to Redraw ’90s Comics,” Comics Studies Society, Denton, TX and online, July 27–29, 2023.
Kalervo Sinervo, Anna Peppard, and Benjamin Woo, “The Guide to Comics (Fandom): Constructing Geek Culture in Wizard Magazine,” Society for Cinema and Media Studies, online, March 31–April 3, 2022.
Wizard: The Acafanzine
Produced for the 2022 conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Comics, Wizard: The Acafanzine: Special #CongreSSH Collector’s Edition #1 showcases some potential lines of analysis resulting from our early conversations about Wizard. A mix of personal essay, criticism, and parody, the zine is structured like an issue of Wizard, with sections inspired by the magazine’s own recurring features and columns.
Words by Anna Peppard, Kalervo Sinervo, and Benjamin Woo. Layout and design by Benjamin Woo.