''ComicBook.com'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s, and

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related to

s under various domain names, before becoming ''ComicBook.com'' in 2004. In 2007, Joe Blackmon founded the website as a comic book news site. The site was relaunched in 2014 following Shannon Terry becoming CEO. ''ComicBook.com'' was acquired by

CBS Interactive Paramount Streaming (formerly CBS Digital Media, CBS Interactive, and ViacomCBS Streaming) is a division of Paramount Global that oversees the company's video streaming technology and direct-to-consumer services; including Pluto TV and Paramo ...

(which later became part of

Paramount Global Paramount Global (Trade name, d/b/a Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and Headquarters, headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, ...

) in 2018 before Paramount Global sold it to Savage Ventures in 2024, and Ben Kendrick was hired as the editorial director.

Background

''ComicBook.com'' began as a holding page containing sales links and press releases related to

s and had various names used by various companies: in 1996, American Entertainment used it for their websites, ''Smash'', ''Another Universe'', and ''Mania Magazine''. The site was acquired by

Fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of Fan (person), fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significan ...

in 2000 before it was changed to ''Cinescape'' in 2001. By 2004, the site was renamed ''ComicBook.com''.

History

In 2007, Joe Blackmon and a business partner founded ''ComicBook.com'' as a comic book news site, and by 2010, it was co-owned by William King of Magellen Press. At this time, it had formed into its own website, posting news about comic books and other fields related to comics. In January 2014,

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

CEO Shannon Terry became the CEO of ''ComicBook.com'', with Blackmon becoming the site's president. At that time, the site had eight full time staff, with several part-time writers. Terry relaunched the site in May 2014 with new features, such as message boards, polls, and a larger focus on social media. Jim Viscardi served as editor from 2015, with Sam Savage serving as CEO from 2016. In April 2018,

(which later became part of

) acquired ''ComicBook.com'' as well as ''PopCulture.com''. Following the acquisition, Savage left as CEO. In April 2024, Viscardi left ''ComicBook.com'' to become VP of Business Development at

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

, with the site then being led by assistant managing editor Joe Schmidt. In August 2024, Paramount Global sold ''ComicBook.com'' and ''PopCulture.com'' to Savage's digital media operator, Savage Ventures, as part of its plan to divest assets and achieve $500 million in cost savings. At that time, both ''ComicBook.com'' and ''PopCulture.com'' employed over 40 people. While no layoffs or leadership changes were initially expected, following the acquisition, several employees were let go from the company including Schmidt. The next month, Ben Kendrick was revealed to have joined Savage Ventures and was hired as the editorial director of ''ComicBook.com'', after previously working at

Static Media Static Media Inc., the business name of 7Hops.com Inc., is an American internet company established in 2012, incorporated in Delaware, and based in Indianapolis. It operates ZergNet, a content recommendation business that promotes paid content ...

for ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...

'', ''

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'', and ''

Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...

''.

Content

The site offers news, interviews, and reviews centered on comic books,

s, and

among others. ''ComicBook.com'' has also produced video content and podcasts, including the ''ComicBook Nation'' podcast, the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

and

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

–centered ''Phase Zero'' podcast, ''A Wild Podcast Has Appeared'', and the daily news and entertainment video series ''Daily Distraction''. In 2023, ''ComicBook.com'' collaborated with ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

'' on ''The Last of Pods'' podcast for the first season of

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's series ''

The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States ...

''. By October 2024, ''Phase Zero'' had ended as its hosts had all been laid off from ''ComicBook.com''; they went on to create the unaffiliated pop culture-focused podcast ''Phase Hero''.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Companies, Comics, Journalism, Internet, Tennessee 2024 mergers and acquisitions American entertainment news websites Companies based in Nashville, Tennessee Former Paramount Global subsidiaries Infotainment Internet properties established in 1996 Podcasting companies