COIN-OP CARNIVAL

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Mar 7, 2019

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

New print publication Coin-Op Carnival launches March 22, focusing on EM pinball history and designers.

Summary

Coin-Op Carnival, a new printed publication, has been announced as a collaboration between cartoonist Ryan Claytor and podcaster Nick Baldridge. The 64-page offset-printed magazine focuses on electromechanical pinball and arcade games from 1934-1978, featuring designer interviews, technical education, and comic illustrations. Issue #1 launches March 22 at Texas Pinball Festival with Wayne Neyens as the featured designer, with a planned four-issue run releasing approximately every two years.

Key Claims

Coin-Op Carnival is a four-issue series planned to feature different electromechanical game designers from 1934-1978
high confidence · Official announcement describing editorial roadmap
First issue features extensive interview with Wayne Neyens covering his work at Western Equipment & Supply and D. Gottlieb
high confidence · Pinball News article confirming featured designer and content
1,100 copies of issue #1 have been printed with March 22 release date at Texas Pinball Festival
high confidence · Direct statement from publishers regarding print run and launch date
Publication uses hand-drawn comic illustrations instead of historical photographs throughout
high confidence · Article describing design differentiator and Ryan Claytor's contribution
16-stop US tour and Canadian distribution planned to promote the publication
high confidence · Tour schedule image and distribution details provided in article

Notable Quotes

“We both have an affinity for print media. Nick has a heavy connection to zine culture from his youth and I am a long-time comic book reader, creator, and professor. When conceiving of this project, we both envisioned it to be an analog offering.”
Ryan Claytor — Explains the creative vision behind choosing print over digital distribution, reflecting the analog nature of EM games
“Much like the machines and the era that Coin-Op Carnival documents and pays homage to, we wanted this project to also be untethered to modern advances, like screens.”
Ryan Claytor — Reinforces thematic alignment between publication format and subject matter of vintage electromechanical games
“During the creation of Coin-Op Carnival #1, we remained open to allowing the issue to grow and evolve into what it needs to be. We'll be taking this same approach with subsequent issues, but, we suspect future instalments will be somewhere near that 64 page ballpark.”
Ryan Claytor and Nick Baldridge — Indicates flexible editorial approach while maintaining realistic production timelines

Entities

Ryan ClaytorpersonNick BaldridgepersonWayne NeyenspersonGordon HassepersonEdward ZelinskypersonCaitlyn PascalpersonCoin-Op CarnivalproductTexas Pinball FestivaleventD. Gottliebcompany

Signals

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community_signal: 16-stop US tour and Canadian distribution plan demonstrates direct community engagement strategy for new publication
high · Tour schedule image and Canadian distributor partnerships detailed in article
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design_philosophy: Editorial choice to use hand-drawn comic illustrations instead of historical photographs to provide greater relevance and reconstruct scenarios without existing documentation
high · Article quotes stating comic illustrations convey 'greater sense of relevance and detail' and allow reconstruction of scenarios lacking photographs
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event_signal: Texas Pinball Festival selected as launch venue for Coin-Op Carnival issue #1 with seminar featuring creators and historian Gordon Hasse
high · Article confirms March 22 launch at TPF, seminar scheduled for 8pm, Pinball News attending coverage
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personnel_signal: Collaboration between cartoonist/professor Ryan Claytor and podcast/zine culture-connected Nick Baldridge combines comic illustration expertise with technical electromechanical knowledge
high · Article identifies both creators' backgrounds and how they complement publication's dual focus on history and technical education
?
announcement: Official announcement of Coin-Op Carnival, a new printed publication dedicated to electromechanical pinball and arcade games with four-issue editorial roadmap
high · Pinball News article with detailed launch information, release date March 22, 1,100 copies printed, $15 cover price

Topics

New pinball media publication announcementprimaryElectromechanical pinball history and designersprimaryPrint publication strategy in analog eraprimaryWayne Neyens designer interview and biographical contentprimaryTexas Pinball Festival and pinball community eventssecondaryDistribution and retail partnerships for specialized publicationssecondaryComic illustration in pinball publicationssecondaryTechnical education: relay mechanics and EM game constructionsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.85)— Article presents the launch of a new publication with enthusiasm and novelty. The collaboration is framed positively, the production quality is highlighted, and the mission to preserve EM game designer history is presented as valuable. No criticism or controversy detected.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

A new pinball and coin-op game publication has been announced, but this one is strikingly different from anything seen before. Coin-Op Carnival is a collaboration between noted cartoonist and pinball fan, Ryan Claytor, and equally-noted podcaster and electromechanical pinball & arcade game nut, Nicholas Baldridge. The two have been close friends for many years, and on one of their joint family vacations two years ago they came up with the concept of a coin-op publication promoting electromechanical pinball and arcade games of all types. The result is Coin-Op Carnival issue #1, a 64-page offset-printed publication produced on paper stock chosen to reflect the era of the vintage games they cover. ![Issue #1 of Coin-Op Carnival](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/coin-op-carnival/02-coin-op-carnival.jpg) Issue #1 of Coin-Op Carnival Ryan told Pinball News why they decided to produce a printed publication, rather than publish on-line or in e-book form. He said, “*We both have an affinity for print media. Nick has a heavy connection to zine culture from his youth and I am a long-time comic book reader, creator, and professor. When conceiving of this project, we both envisioned it to be an analog offering. Much like the machines and the era that Coin-Op Carnival documents and pays homage to, we wanted this project to also be untethered to modern advances, like screens.*“ This is the first of four issues they plan to produce together, each one looking at a different game designer from the electromechanical years 1934-1978, explaining how the games were designed and built, and how they function both mechanically and electrically. The first designer they feature is Wayne Neyens who they interviewed extensively and who provided a mass of new information about his many years working at Western Equipment & Supply and then, more notably, at D. Gottlieb. The subsequent game designers featured won’t be announced until closer to the publication date of their respective issues. ![The featured game designer in the first issue is Wayne Neyens](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/coin-op-carnival/01-coin-op-carnival-1024x792.jpg) The featured game designer in the first issue is Wayne Neyens Nick then explains the workings on one of the most basic components of any EM game, the relay – what it does, how it works, how it is constructed and, perhaps most importantly after so many years’ service, how it should be adjusted. ![The form and function of the humble relay is explained](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/coin-op-carnival/05-coin-op-carnival-1024x792.jpg) The form and function of the humble relay is explained Each issue will also feature two game reviews – one pinball and one non-pinball – and a third review of a related product. In this first issue they examine the DVD by Edward Zelinsky of his collection of mechanical marvels at the famed Musée Mécanique in San Francisco. ![The first EM game review is of Mystic Marvel](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/coin-op-carnival/03-coin-op-carnival-1024x792.jpg) The first EM game review is of Mystic Marvel ![The second EM game is Space Pilot](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/coin-op-carnival/04-coin-op-carnival-1024x792.jpg) The second EM game is Space Pilot Perhaps the biggest differentiator from other pinball publications is the way Ryan’s hand-drawn comic illustrations are featured throughout. Rather than reproducing historical photographs of people and places, the illustrations convey a greater sense of relevance and detail to the audience and also provide the opportunity to reconstruct scenarios where no actual pictures exist. ![The review of the DVD about the games at Musée Mécanique](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/coin-op-carnival/06-coin-op-carnival-1024x792.jpg) The review of the DVD about the games at Musée Mécanique The pair said they chose to cover electromechanical games because the people who created them are dying off and, although there is a lot of technical information about the games available online, there’s very little about the people who designed them. They also wanted to present this information in a way which is accessible to non-pinball people and newcomers alike. One common mistake new publishers make is to over-promise when it comes to a publishing schedule, but Ryan and Nick have been at pains to make sure they have a timescale which will fit comfortably with their other life and work commitments. The first issue will be released on 22nd March this year, with subsequent issues published approximately every two years. They also have the opportunity to scale their product according to the amount of content, although they also seem happy to continue with the 64-page size of the first issue. They told us, “*During the creation of Coin-Op Carnival #1, we remained open to allowing the issue to grow and evolve into what it needs to be. We’ll be taking this same approach with subsequent issues, but, we suspect future instalments will be somewhere near that 64 page ballpark*.” They have printed 1,100 copies of issue #1 which will be launched at the [Texas Pinball Festival](https://texaspinball.com/tpf/), where the pair are holding a seminar with famed historian Gordon Hasse. Copies will be available to buy at the show and also on the pair’s website of [coinopcarnival.com](http://coinopcarnival.com/). The cover price is $15 (plus shipping, if applicable). Coin-Op Carnival badges and T-shirts will also be available on the site. In addition, Coin-Op Carnival will be available from online stores [Pinball Life](https://www.pinballlife.com/) and [The Pinball Resource](http://pbresource.com/) after the launch. To help promote the publication, Ryan and Nick will embark on a 16-stop show tour across the US, while in Canada Caitlyn Pascal will be selling it at the [Hawkesbury Pinball Flea Fair](https://www.facebook.com/events/409211293160652/) in June and the [Ottowa Pinball Gameroom Show in September](http://www.ottawapinball.com/opgs). There are currently no resellers outside North America. ![Ryan and Nick's tour schedule](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/coin-op-carnival/07-coin-op-carnival-683x1024.jpg) Ryan and Nick’s tour schedule Pinball News will be at the duo’s seminar with Gordon Hasse at 8pm on Friday 22nd March at the Texas Pinball Festival in Frisco, and will bring you all the details of their talk in our extensive TPF coverage.