 | |
 ComicBook.com homepage in 2024 | |
Type of site | Infotainment |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Owner | Savage Ventures |
| Founder | Joe Blackmon |
| Key people | Ben Kendrick (editorial director) |
| URL | comicbook |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launched | 2007; 18 years ago (2007) |
| Current status | Active |
ComicBook.com is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields ofcomic books,television,films,video games, andanime. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related tocomic books under various domain names, before becomingComicBook.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 byCBS Interactive (which later became part ofParamount Global) in 2018 before Paramount Global sold it to Savage Ventures in 2024, and Ben Kendrick was hired as theeditorial director.
ComicBook.com began as a holding page containing sales links and press releases related tocomic books and had various names used by various companies: in 1996, American Entertainment used it for their websites,Smash,Another Universe, andMania Magazine. The site was acquired byFandom in 2000 before it was changed toCinescape in 2001. By 2004, the site was renamedComicBook.com.[1]
In 2007, Joe Blackmon and a business partner foundedComicBook.com as a comic book news site,[2] 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.[1] In January 2014,247Sports CEO Shannon Terry became the CEO ofComicBook.com, with Blackmon becoming the site's president. At that time, the site had eight full time staff, with several part-time writers.[2] Terry relaunched the site in May 2014 with new features, such as message boards, polls, and a larger focus on social media.[2][3] Jim Viscardi served as editor from 2015,[4] with Sam Savage serving as CEO from 2016.[1]
In April 2018,CBS Interactive (which later became part ofParamount Global) acquiredComicBook.com as well asPopCulture.com.[5][6][7] Following the acquisition, Savage left as CEO.[1][6] In April 2024, Viscardi leftComicBook.com to become VP of Business Development atImage Comics, with the site then being led by assistant managing editor Joe Schmidt.[4][7] In August 2024, Paramount Global soldComicBook.com andPopCulture.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, bothComicBook.com andPopCulture.com employed over 40 people.[7][6][1] While no layoffs or leadership changes were initially expected,[7] following the acquisition, several employees were let go from the company including Schmidt.[8] The next month, Ben Kendrick was revealed to have joined Savage Ventures and was hired as theeditorial director ofComicBook.com, after previously working atStatic Media, and prior to thatScreen Rant,Comic Book Resources, andCollider.[8][9]
The site offers news, interviews, and reviews centered on comic books,television,films,video games, andanime among others.ComicBook.com has also produced video content and podcasts,[7] including theComicBook Nation podcast, theMarvel Comics andMarvel Cinematic Universe–centeredPhase Zero podcast,A Wild Podcast Has Appeared, and the daily news and entertainment video seriesDaily Distraction.[10] In 2023,ComicBook.com collaborated withEntertainment Tonight onThe Last of Pods podcast for the first season ofHBO's seriesThe Last of Us.[11] By October 2024,Phase Zero had ended as its hosts had all been laid off fromComicBook.com; they went on to create the unaffiliated pop culture-focused podcastPhase Hero.[12]
