August Genii

Guest · Postby **Guest** » July 17th, 2006, 6:54 pm

August Genii arrived today.I was on my way out so

I didn't open it but saw it had a picture of Billy

McComb on the cover.When I got back ard opened it

there is a second cover with Allan Slaight also

on it.Richard you are so full of surprises. In his

column he tells of a free DVD for next month. I

can hardley wait.Eight neat tricks in magicana

an illusion . Trick, video and book reviews

telling it like it is.Good issue.....Mike

Richard Kaufman · Postby **Richard Kaufman** » July 17th, 2006, 8:07 pm

The Billy McComb photo is on something new: the Genii "wrap," which is a printed page that wraps around the lower three-quarters of the magazine. It will enable us to feature a second story outside the magazine, aside from the cover story.

Pete Biro · Postby **Pete Biro** » July 17th, 2006, 10:11 pm

There is too much material in Genii... I can't get through it all in a month... Slow down! :D

Dustin Stinett · Postby **Dustin Stinett** » July 17th, 2006, 11:19 pm

Hey, that new column on The Sphinx is a quick read! :D

Guest · Postby **Guest** » July 18th, 2006, 11:02 am

And a great idea. I like it a lot, I should have

mentioned it.Don't cut any pages just cut Peter

Biro's copy in half........Mike

Robert Toomer · Postby **Robert Toomer** » July 25th, 2006, 7:51 pm

This is a late post, but just received my copy today. Fantastic artical on Allan Slaight, not to mention my home province of Saskatchewan getting a mention. Keep up the great work guys. :)

Jeff Eline · Postby **Jeff Eline** » July 26th, 2006, 6:10 am

I loved the brief article on the japanese automaton girl doing chop cup. Man I'd love to see that live!

Richard Kaufman · Postby **Richard Kaufman** » July 26th, 2006, 7:32 am

Jeff, you could buy one. :)

Peo Olsson · Postby **Peo Olsson** » July 26th, 2006, 9:05 am

Got my august issue of Genii today
Loved the article about Allan Slaight, and the Magicana colume tributed to him.

See you all at FISM on moday!

Peo

Guest · Postby **Guest** » July 26th, 2006, 5:11 pm

The contents of the magazine maintain the high standard and are always diverse and very informative and entertaining. Regretfully, the new Genii "wrap" is more of a nuisance. I get my magazines through subscription and, for me, there is no need to hype a second feature with this three quarter page. It serves no useful purpose. It hangs loose and requires more care when picking up the issue. I assume that it adds to the cost of the issue when it is not necessary. I also like to identify and recollect issues by the cover photo. Needless to say, this only confuses that aspect. If I had a vote, I would say, "Drop it."

Richard Kaufman · Postby **Richard Kaufman** » July 26th, 2006, 5:43 pm

The wrap is not on there to sell copies in magic shops--it's there so we can bring more than one story to your attention outside the magazine. It doesn't add to the cost of the magazine because the advertising it carries makes it pay for itself.

Evan Shuster · Postby **Evan Shuster** » July 26th, 2006, 8:25 pm

Originally posted by Don Spurrier:
If I had a vote, I would say, "Drop it."

PLEASE don't!! I think this is a wonderfully unique feature and was pleasantly surprised by it.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » July 26th, 2006, 8:57 pm

I liked it too...it felt special!

Marc Rehula · Postby **Marc Rehula** » July 28th, 2006, 6:03 am

I'm against the wrap too. It makes it seem like the editors couldn't decide what to put on the cover, so gave us two covers. Do I tear it off and throw it away, or keep it there and let it be in the way when I'm trying to read it?

I say, Give us ONE cover -- I can read the table of contenst myself!

(Free DVD? Cool!)

Guest · Postby **Guest** » July 28th, 2006, 6:53 am

I received it yesterday,
i don't mind the wrap, only i think it might bring confusion when you refer to the cover....

all the best
Jacky
www.magicbooks.be

Richard Kaufman · Postby **Richard Kaufman** » July 28th, 2006, 6:56 am

I can't imagine anyone throwing away the wrap: it doesn't come loose and is held in place by all three staples on the spine. It's designed to stay with the magazine. If you tear it off you'll feel like you're mutilating the magazine.

I don't see how it gets in the way when you read the magazine--I specifically tested that out before proceeding.

George Olson · Postby **George Olson** » July 28th, 2006, 7:07 am

Quite frankly I enjoyed the "wrap," it felt like something special. Especially when it featured Billy McComb. For very meaningful events or stories, it does a great job.

Just my two cents!

GO

Jeff Eline · Postby **Jeff Eline** » July 28th, 2006, 7:54 pm

This may be a completely irrelevant consideration, but being on the cover of Genii is certainly an honor. Does having the wrap diminish that cover position? Or maybe even insulting to the cover honoree? Or maybe it doesn't matter at all... just a thought.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » July 28th, 2006, 9:25 pm

Originally posted by Jeff Eline:
This may be a completely irrelevant consideration, but being on the cover of Genii is certainly an honor. Does having the wrap diminish that cover position? Or maybe even insulting to the cover honoree? Or maybe it doesn't matter at all... just a thought.

Consider the alternative, as Maurice Chevalier said.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » July 28th, 2006, 10:13 pm

I love the magazine. I don't like the wrap. I guess I'm the only one who took it off? It felt like one of those ad inserts stapled in a mag only on the outside. My first instinct was to rip it off and get rid of it. I can't even tell you what was on the inside of the wrap. It just felt like it was in the way.

I can't wait to receive your new Vernon book which I've ordered. It looks gorgeous. I certainly would not want a wrap on that! Thankfully there won't be.

Marco Pusterla · Postby **Marco Pusterla** » July 29th, 2006, 6:41 am

I don't like the wrap either... Bringing our attention to two stories rather than a single one could have been done by designing differently the cover (perhaps with a small boxed photo of Billy...). I will certainly remove the wrap when I will have the magazine bound, sorry.

Steve Bryant · Postby **Steve Bryant** » July 29th, 2006, 8:40 am

I like it. Whether or not it becomes a monthly feature, it's a convenient way to add cover significance to a timely story (such as Billy's passing) without bumping a cover that had been scheduled for months. As I recall, Erika did something similar once, not with a wrap but by simply having two full cover pages, one after the other. I think the wrap is the better solution.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 11:20 am

I despise the wrap.

As someone else has noted, as a subscriber, I don't need a second cover to inform me about what's inside.

I don't care for the fact that it reminds me of those cheesy "wraps" the local paper puts on the comics and other portions of the Sunday paper, forcing me to diligently tear them off before I dig in to read.

Also, the cardboard quality of it feels distinctly "cheap" compared to the nice glossy cover stock it wraps around. It truly feels like something that is meant to be tossed.

This first "wrap" was carefully removed (without bothering to look at the ad space within) and ended up in the trash.

So, a definite "No" vote on the wrap here.

Pete Biro · Postby **Pete Biro** » August 1st, 2006, 11:37 am

Live with it. Tear it off. Keep it. Your choice. It is good business for Genii to do it.

You should get one of the old English auto sport magazines... the front covers were ADS!

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 11:43 am

Originally posted by Pete Biro:

You should get one of the old English auto sport magazines... the front covers were ADS!

I would actually find that preferable to the 3/4 wrap.

Is there a reason the ads couldn't be put inside? Or does Genii reap a higher ad rate for putting them on the wrap?

If this sort of wrap/ad is necessary for the solvency of Genii, then I'll grin, bear it, and still find it annoying.

Even so, it won't keep me from thinking how cheap the wrap looks and feels compared to the real cover and how obnoxious it is to have to remove it each month.

Quite a good issue otherwise though. :D

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 1:43 pm

I like to think of it as a gimmicked Magazine now...you can be casually reading it with the flap folded to the back...hiding Billy while displaying Allan. Then when no one is looking flip the flap over and Ta Da...different magazine!

Dave Shepherd · Postby **Dave Shepherd** » August 1st, 2006, 1:56 pm

Keep the wrap, please, Richard!

Richard Kaufman · Postby **Richard Kaufman** » August 1st, 2006, 2:19 pm

I'm surprised that anyone would find a piece of paper to be an annoyance.

And I'm surprised that anyone would actually carefully tear it out from under the three staples and then purposefully throw it out, being careful to not even look at the ads.

How much energy can you expend on disliking it?

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 2:39 pm

Originally posted by Steve Bryant:
As I recall, Erika did something similar once, not with a wrap but by simply having two full cover pages, one after the other.

I think that would have been a better idea.

Two high quality covers. No concern of the wrap getting beat up due to its smaller size and cheaper paper.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 3:12 pm

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
I'm surprised that anyone would find a piece of paper to be an annoyance.

Why not? People remove similar nuisances in other magazines/newspapers. Why not Genii?

And I'm surprised that anyone would actually carefully tear it out from under the three staples and then purposefully throw it out, being careful to not even look at the ads.

I do simply because I feel the magazine looks/feels better without an extraneous piece of mismatched (size wise) cardboard advertisement attached to the front. I'm guessing (well not really guessing because others have said as much in this thread) that I'm not alone in this.

I didn't have to "carefully" miss the ads, as they simply didn't register as I focused on removing and binning the cheap looking wrap.

How much energy can you expend on disliking it?

I didn't lose sleep over it or anything, but yeah, I did find it annoying every time I picked up the magazine to read it.

Other than serving up a few more pages of ads(which is fine), and covering up the true cover (which looks so much nicer as it isn't printed on the dull matte cardboard stock), it's pretty superfluous. Is there any particular reason that the information couldn't be integrated on the main cover? Or done as a full "second cover" with the same glossy paper as the occluded cover?

It's a gimmicky thing that I don't see any real use for, other than perhaps Genii needs the additional ad revenue. (Which is absolutely cool with me, but please if that's the case, let's be upfront about it, and not pretend it's a major -or even a minor- upgrade) Is there any reason that the "wrap ads" couldn't be integrated into the magazine proper?

Oh and major kudos to Mr. Ben for a really knockout Magicana this month.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 3:30 pm

Originally posted by Richard Kaufman:
I'm surprised that anyone would find a piece of paper to be an annoyance.

I was too until I picked up a copy at the magic shop. I hate the wrap. Every time I pick up the magazine it feels odd in my hands. Presumably because of how I hold the magazine. I end up holding the top edge of the wrap with a couple of fingers and the cover with the others and it simply gets in the way.

How much energy can you expend on disliking it?

Since it makes handling the magazine feel odd, and I have to be careful not to accidentally crease it when I pick up the magazine, I guess a lot. I've picked up the magazine half a dozen times since I bought it and each time I've been annoyed.

If it must continue (and I would vote 'no') then please consider an easier to remove method of attachment.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 4:53 pm

I don't mind the wrap. If you think of it, lots of great magazines have something like this, to give more clarification to what's inside. Think of 'the New Yorker', 'Harpers'... Now those are 1/4 style wraps, but the same idea... a flap of paper. My feeling is, if it helps Genii, great! I don't really see the big deal about it.

My 2 cents,Tim

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 5:00 pm

Originally posted by reese:
I don't mind the wrap. If you think of it, lots of great magazines have something like this, to give more clarification to what's inside.

Yeah, those bug me too and I make sure those wraps are also speedily filed in the same "circular file". Same goes for just about any cardboard insert. Just because other magazines choose an annoying wrap doesn't mean it's incumbent upon Genii to follow their lead. :cool:

I don't really see the big deal about it.

Well, different people are bothered by different things.

The concerns of others aren't necessarily invalid (i.e. "no big deal) just because one doesn't personally share those particular concerns.

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 7:20 pm

Naw, I'm just expressing my own opinion and certainly am not saying you shouldn't have yours... That's why I said "I" don't see the big deal. Not, "You" are an idiot if you think it's a big deal. (Which I don't think you are btw) But again, to me the "flap over the flap" is hard to understand. But that's me. Not you.

Best to ya, Tim

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 7:21 pm

I like it!

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 8:30 pm

Originally posted by reese:
But again, to me the "flap over the flap" is hard to understand. But that's me. Not you.

Yeah, I guess some of us don't like the way it looks/feels and feel a bit put out having to do minor surgery on our beloved issue every month.

If it must be there, why not put a perforation or something on it so that folks can remove it more easily if they wish?

In my not so humble opinion, I don't like the way this oddly shaped "wrap" feels when I hold the issue (the paper stock reminds me of a rough, thick grocery bag).

The paper bag wrap obscures the perfectly nice glossy Slaight cover with a McComb image badly reproduced on inferior stock. The image reproduction of McComb is abysmal compared to image of Slaight on the real cover (or the same image of McComb printed on page 36). On the wrap, it looks like a splotchy photo from a 5 year old inkjet printer. Tacky.

If the stated purpose is to highlight another story, why can't that be done on the regular cover? Other magazines do it without need of a wrap.

Unless it's a way to get more ad revenue (which I would find understandable), I don't see what this gimmick really adds. Even a scaled down image of McComb on the regular glossy cover stock would look better than the washed out image that the cardboard wrap produces.

James Kernen · Postby **James Kernen** » August 1st, 2006, 9:13 pm

I didn't mind the flap at all.. At first, I just wondered why a memorial/tribute had advertisements on the backside of it...but then Billy was in the business so I figured he would understand (although I never met him)....

As a collector (and a double-edge sword), I can't take the flap off, since that would be ruining in the actual magazine....from a collector's standpoint....

Overall, I think it was okay, but harder to preserve if it is my only copy and will be read.......

Guest · Postby **Guest** » August 1st, 2006, 9:51 pm

Originally posted by james.kernen:
...As a collector (and a double-edge sword), I can't take the flap off,...

Nor open the bag, right? Takes it from a grade of 9.9 to what, a 9.5 at best?

(comic book grading joke)

BTW, I processed the magazine the same as I process others, step one is remove all stuff hanging off or on or inside and any cardboard thingies as well. Then read. So Guess where that nice pic and ad for the spy case almost went.

James Kernen · Postby **James Kernen** » August 1st, 2006, 10:01 pm

I know... I know....

James Kernen · Postby **James Kernen** » August 1st, 2006, 10:02 pm

and by the way, I only own one copy and it is being well read, despite my collector tendencies...