I was very sad to hear of the end of the Comics Buyers Guide. Long before the Crawlspace, long before message boards, usenet there was CBG. I have been a subscriber since 1988 and read every single issue that showed up in my mailbox for the past 25 years.
When I seriously got interested in comics I didn’t have anyone at school that shared my interest. In 1987 I discovered CBG in a book store. I was amazed that there was a weekly newspaper that came out and talked about comics. The following year my mom purchased a subscription for me. I’d look forward to it to show up in the mailbox all week to learn about what was coming out from Marvel and specifically Spider-Man. It was CBG where I first saw the cover of Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man #1. I also would look in the back to see the closest comic conventions. I went to several in St. Louis because I saw them advertised in CBG.
Over the years the newspaper turned into a monthly magazine. The page count then got smaller and smaller. I still enjoyed the letters in the Oh So! column and I always read Peter David’s “But I Digress” column first even though it was in the back of the magazine.
I could see the writing on the wall, but it’s still hard to take that the magazine has folded. It’s also sad that issue #1699 didn’t have a goodbye from the staff. Also Peter David’s last column was a reprint.
CBG had a big influence on my comic collecting and it will be missed. For a more detailed history of the magazine check out this excellent article.
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Dang….in newsprint version, I also enjoyed the posters that were sometimes included.
Some good strips and panels too – “Full Frontal Nerdity”, “Last Kiss” for example.
One column I also liked was “The Law Is A Ass”.
Dang…my monthly subscription shipments just won’t be the same 🙁