90s Style 1/2 Comic Books Return with ARMORED 1/2!

In a pre-internet world, fans who collected comic books in the 90’s relied on the monthly issue of Wizard magazine to give them the latest news and up to date pricing on the books in their collections. Wizard The Guide The Comics also offered 1/2 issue comics taking place in-between the stories of a regular issue of popular comics such as Spider-Man, Nightwing or Tomb Raider as exclusive mail-away items. The final Wizard 1/2 comic shipped in 2008, but now WIZARDS The Podcast Guide To Comics has revived the concept with ARMORED 1/2 to order through 12/20/2024 on Kickstarter!

WIZARDS the Podcast Guide To Comics is a popular podcast hosted by Adam Pope, Michael Cannetti, and Michael Schwartz that re-examines the 90s comic book boom through the pages of Wizard magazine, one issue at a time. Having just celebrated its 5th anniversary, WIZARDS decided to embark on creating an all-new 1/2 issue featuring an exclusive, original 10-page story starring the characters from ARMORED by Michael Schwartz and Ismael Hernández, published by Clover Press.

For those new to the world of ARMORED, it is a supernatural comic book series about an orphan who stumbles across a mystical suit of armor haunted by the ghost who wore it centuries ago. ARMORED ½ contains an all-new 10-page story by writer, Michael Schwartz and artist, Ismael Hernández that continues the adventures of Andy and Sir William in discovering the secrets of the mystical armor they have both worn and battling a new, terrifying foe.

“I still remember mailing away for The Flash ½ issue that Wizard Magazine offered in the early 2000s. I cherished that comic as if it were going to be the next Amazing Fantasy 15,” reminisces Schwartz. “To be able to bring back the ½ issue in this way while also telling a brand new story set in Armored continuity was just too fun of an opportunity not to explore.”

ARMORED ½ is also an homage to Wizard magazine. When the Wizard book is flipped over, fans of The Guide To Comics will find an original article chronicling the history of ½ issue comics through the eyes of Wizard founder/publisher, Gareb Shamus and other Wizard staffers, as well as a multi-page visual guide to every ½ issue comic released by the magazine from 1993-2008.

Wizards co-host, Adam Pope adds, “Every issue of Wizard Magazine I bought off the newsstand in the 90s was a gift to my comic loving soul and reliving that excitement while recording each episode of WIZARDS The Podcast Guide To Comics over the last 5 years has been a genuine thrill. ARMORED ½ is an extension of that enthusiasm we share for this era of comics history, so creating a ½ issue comic that allows other fans to experience that ping of nostalgia is an amazing feeling.”

ARMORED ½ contains more original art in addition to the 10-page story. These include a behind the scenes sketchbook feature from series artist, Ismael Hernández and cover artist, Adam Riches, plus bonus fan art. On the flip side, there is also a new ARMORED parody comic strip by former Wizard contributing artist, Brian Douglas Ahern and a “Last Ghost Standing” feature illustrated by current Marvel Comics artist, Phillip Sevy meant to invoke the long-running Wizard magazine feature, “Last Man Standing”,  which pit various pop culture characters against each other in imaginary battles.

ARMORED 1/2 was funded in less than 10 hours on it’s launch date and stretch goals have already been unlocked. For example, every printed copy of ARMORED 1/2 will be shipped with a Certificate of Authenticity, just as with the original 1/2 comics offered by Wizard magazine. But not only that, now Clover Press is providing EVERY backer of ARMORED 1/2  with a digital PDF copy of ARMORED #1, the first issue in the series that shows how it all began.

For 90s comic book fans and those who enjoy supporting independent artists, ARMORED 1/2 is sure to deliver on many levels. The Kickstarter campaign runs through Friday, December 20th, 2024 and the comic is planned to ship by March 2025. You can view all the details of the campaign and secure a copy for yourself at this link.