Reply With QuoteI just listened to this and I feel the same way. Did the guy really give any clear answers? It's hard to tell.
http://media.libsyn.com/media/wordba...shamus0809.mp3
Just finished listening to the Shamus/Wizard interview and that was a frustrating listen. Not because of you John but because of Shamus's non-answers laced with corporate - speak.
I know you are a friendly interviewer John, and you did broach some interesting subjects, but he seemed determined not to bite.
Despite Shamus's corporate PR, Wizard has made some controversial moves in the last ten years. There is no reason they couldn't have become a player in online comic news like Newsarama and CBR but they have perplexingly chosen not to challenge them. Also, I haven't read a issue of Wizard in a long time, but glancing at it on the newsstand it doesn't look like they've tried at all to make it a unique, in depth, content driven reading experience that would diversify it from online comic sites.
I find it interesting that he referred ad nauseam to the readers of wizard as "consumers" and the magazine as "product". It was like it was simply a commodity to him rather than reading experience. I wonder if he even reads his own magazine.
Last edited by sonnylarue; 08-04-2009 at 01:59 PM. Reason: adding link
You guys were obviously able to read between the lines of Gareb's non-answers.
I could have been more confrontational, sure. (not that either of you suggested that I should have been)
I wanted to give him as much of a friendly atmosphere to answer the obvious questions about this years show, and wizard's future in the magazine, net and convention biz.
Maybe he thought it was all going to be happy PR talk about the show?
I really think Gareb misjudged his line of answers and yes the continued use of the term "consumer" came of as a bit crass and dismissive.
we all understand that cons are consumer shows with the intent to sell a lot of product, but it's fair to expect a certain level and quality standard of entertainment any con goer should get, without spending more than the entrance fee.
This year's chicago con is smaller than it's been in many years, plain and simple.
Further, to avoid dealing with the realities of convention competition, and breaking news competition from the internet news websites leaves a listener few options of how to judge what Gareb is "selling" at his conventions and his magazines.
I didn't expect the guy to give up any company secrets, but you'd think he'd have better answers than the empty repetition he provided.
sometimes saying nothing speaks volumes more, than if you'd answer in a more straight forward way.
I truly hope to be proven wrong this weekend, when I see for myself.
word from wizard is that gareb liked our interview.
Wow. Interesting responses so far. I will listen to the interview tonight.
Last edited by Zac Goyette; 08-04-2009 at 05:32 PM.
"Brian Bendis is one of the most profane and potty-mouthed people I know. The saltiness of the language that comes out of his brain makes Scarface blush. I mean, you can't imagine the stuff he says. Stuff like "#$%^knuckle" or "Monkey #($*%&^%!" Oh and then there's "Your Mother's @#$%^% cystic #$%^%!" I mean who thinks of these things?"-Joe Quesada
That was a painful listen. John, you were classy as always, but Gareb really comes across as more of a businessman than any type of fan. I love going back to some of the old Wizards and they seem to be brimming with enthusiasm for comics, but somewhere along the line the tone shifted from 'look how awesome these comics are' to 'look how awesome we are'. I believe at one point Gareb was probably as much of a fan as many of us, but somewhere along the line it became too lucrative for him and he was forced to deal with things on strictly business terms. Its too bad that this shift seemed to seep into the magazine. I may be totally off base in my assessment, but nothing in this interview makes me think any differently.
I felt the same way. I was really interested in how they deal with the internet breaking the news. That if they , because of the internet, were shifting to another sort of formula for the magazine. And when you asked that question, there came an answer, but not to that question in my opinion.
But again, thank you for a nice interview John and have fun this weekend.
Last edited by Goost; 08-04-2009 at 09:27 PM. Reason: typing error
Well, that was an odd interview. Nothing bad on your end John, but he sure danced around most of the even moderately probing questions. I didn't know that Marvel and DC won't even have booths at the con. That can't be a good sign. I also think it's foolish to try and set up a date for a con when another con already has that date. Any way, I'll be at the con on Sat. Maybe I'll see you there.
"Brian Bendis is one of the most profane and potty-mouthed people I know. The saltiness of the language that comes out of his brain makes Scarface blush. I mean, you can't imagine the stuff he says. Stuff like "#$%^knuckle" or "Monkey #($*%&^%!" Oh and then there's "Your Mother's @#$%^% cystic #$%^%!" I mean who thinks of these things?"-Joe Quesada
Hey, kids! If you all enjoyed the Word Balloon interview with Gareb Shamus, here is the handy-dandy do-it-yourself Gareb Shamus interview kit! Just insert the following stock Shamus words and phrases as you see fit and you have yourself a brand new Shamus interview!
Kit includes the following:
"our brand"
"powerful"
"product"
"consumer"
"Yeah, look--"
"our audience"
"the fans"
"we work with the companies"
"compelling product"
"compelling event"
"you know--"
"consistent branding"
"we're very excited about it"
"Sounds great. Looking forward to it."
BUY IT TODAY!!
But seriously...
John, you asked all the right questions and I know you were frustrated never getting direct answers to your questions. Does this guy even like comics at all? His responses remind me why I never read (past or present tense) Wizard and preferred (don't hit me!) The Comics Urinal, which, even if they pissed on many of the comics they reviewed, at least you got a point of view. Hey, any chance of getting either Gary Groth or Kim Thompson on your show?
'quite frankly'
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