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Newsarama was one of the preeminent voices where people could talk (and talk@) comics in North America for almost 30 years - but now, that voice has become silent. After a storied 28-year career breaking news mega events from Marvel and DC, the dissolution of the Comics Code Authority, the fracturing of the comics market during the COVID-19 era, and the pivotal acquisition of Jim Lee's WildStorm (and Jim Lee as an exclusive creator) by DC, Newsarama as we knew it is no more.

Despite its somewhat idiosyncratic name, Newsarama was for many years the crossroads where people would go to find out what was happening in the North American comics medium, and for years fostered one of the largest comic communities through its forums (and later, social media platforms). It primarily focused on comic books popular in North American comic stores — namely, those of Marvel, DC, Image Comics, and creators associated with those companies, whether at those companies or branching out into their own independent efforts. Newsarama was on the ground floor of the superhero movie boom, covering the rise of Marvel Studios (and the profile of its boss, Kevin Feige), as well as the myriad of eras in DC's movie and television efforts. Existing solely as a free journalism website funded by the ever-changing online ad revenue model of the past 25+ years, Newsarama evolved as reading habits changed from desktop computers to laptops and now smartphones. 

Originating as a column on various '90s forums by Mike Doran, what became known as Newsarama came together with him and journalist Matt Brady (Entertainment Weekly, Wizard Magazine). With Brady acting as editor, Newsarama became one of the defining comics journalism websites in a post-print magazine world. In its wake, websites such as ComicBookResources (now CBR) and The Pulse (which begat The Beat) followed, becoming the defining source for news, information, and commentary about North American comics. 

Newsarama was founded in 1998 in a partnership between Wizard Magazine freelance writer Matt Brady and comics newsletter & forum pioneer Mike Doran, spinning out of the latter's column, Comics Newswire. This came at a time when readers had begun migrating from finding news and interviews about comics primarily from paid print magazines to reading them online for free from ad-supported websites such as Newsarama. Newsarama quickly became one of the primary outlets for breaking news in the world of North American comic books, thanks to their connections and ability to break news any day (or any night) as opposed to a monthly magazine. 

Newsarama was the leading voice in comic journalism's transition from print magazines to the internet, joined by Comic Book Resources (CBR) and The Pulse (from which The Beat later came). At its height, Newsarama employed a full-time staff of three and up to 15 regular, freelance contributors, and weathered the hurt feelings and temporary blacklisting from prominent companies and prominent individuals when news didn't show them in the best light. In 2006, it was the official news outlet of the newly-launched New York Comic Con, and in 2008, it became the first website to win the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for 'Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism.'

Meanwhile, changes were taking place behind the scenes as online journalism and ad-supported content in an internet age changed how people who created it were able to make a living. In 2002, filmmaker Kevin Smith became a primary financial supporter of Newsarama for several years. Also during that time, Doran left the company to work in Marvel Comics' publicity & marketing department, only to return a few years later. In 2007, Brady and Doran sold Newsarama to the then-burgeoning online journalism outfit Imaginova (USA Today was among its investors). A year into that, Brady left the site for a successful career in secondary education, and Newsarama's ownership was part of several changes that led to its current owner, Future PLC, in 2018. 

In 2020, Newsarama was consolidated into the pop culture journalism site GamesRadar+, which had previously absorbed sites such as Total Film, SFX, and Edge. While there, Newsarama became GamesRadar+'s comics-specific vertical and maintained an independent editorial structure while benefiting from additional resources and expertise from then-EiC Sam Loveridge.

Things seemed to change two years in as Newsarama's staff was cut from three to two with the layoff of the editor, followed by the sudden departure of Newsarama co-founder Mike Doran just a few months later. A UK-based general comics editor was hired to fill the void of those two positions, working alongside longtime staff writer George Marston. In February 2025, however, Salmon was moved from comics duties to focus on streaming, and the Newsarama branding on GamesRadar+'s website began to quietly disappear. Marston continued at the site as Newsarama's sole remaining employee, but from all appearances began to be shifted to focus less on comics journalism and more on comics-adjacent stories in film, TV, games, and more. In April 2026, Marston was laid off as part of broader cuts by Future PLC across its portfolio — and with it, the site's output has gone silent.

I wrote for Newsarama for 18 years, beginning with a story about Kurt Busiek & Stuart Immonen's Superman: Secret Identity and ending by mulling on the transcience of death in superhero comics. In that time as writer, editor, and ultimately senior editor, I was able to meet some of the most talented people in the comics industry, report on some of the best (and worst) things to happen in comics, talk to Stan Lee about shaving, and in many cases be the first person to interview future greats and the last person to speak with industry giants such as George Pérez and John Paul Leon. Working inside Newsarama and with everyone in comics, I learned and became invigorated by the people inside it. 

Although Newsarama as we know it is over, the people who made it and the people who read it are here today — still reading comics, still making comics, and still talking comics. With Newsarama gone, we should never stop talking comics, and sometimes Talk@Newsarama. 

Get ready for what's next with our list to upcoming comics and how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to all the free comics you can get with this year's Free Comic Book Day 2026 and Comics Giveaway Day 2026.