The other day we mentioned the cancellation of the retailer giveaway mag COMICS & GAMES RETAILERS. Former editor John Jackson Miller has his own reminiscences.

The news that Comics & Games Retailer is heading online after 190+ issues in print is circulating — bittersweet news to receive as a longtime editor of that publication, but something that, as an outsider, I’ve expected since editor James Mishler departed this past summer. The truth is, in one way or another, similar repositionings to deal with the realities of the markets it served were a part of every single year for the publication. Producing a free magazine for shop owners for more than a decade and a half required a readiness to adapt the product to follow opportunities, wherever they happened to lead.

It’s an interesting look back at the dark days of comics, when branching out into games, collectible card games and other media was sometimes the only way for retailers — and the magazines that served them — to survive.