Comic Book Resources
| Name | CBR |
| Former Name | Comic Book Resources (1995–2016) |
| Logo |  |
| Screenshot |  |
| Caption | Screenshot of CBR homepage in August 2023 |
| Type | Pop culture |
| Language | English |
| Owner | Valnet |
| Author | Jonah Weiland |
| Current Status | Online |
| Headquarters | Saint-Laurent, Quebec |
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 publications including Screen Rant, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers.
History
Comic Book Resources (CBR) was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland created to discuss DC Comics' then-new mini-series of the same name.
Acquisition by Valnet
By April 4, 2016, CBR was sold to Valnet Inc., a Montreal, Canada–based company that owns other media properties including Screen Rant. The site was relaunched as CBR.com on August 23, 2016, with the blogs integrated into the site. Popverse reported that following the acquisition by Valnet "comics were increasingly sidelined for coverage ..., as were both reviews and columns as focuses for publishing; instead, the site refocused on shorter news pieces and reactions to news stories". Valnet Inc. is a subsidiary of Valsef Group, which is also headquartered in Montreal.
Firings and staff turmoil
Adam Swiderski, CBR's editor-in-chief since July 2022, along with "senior news editor Stephen Gerding after 18 years with CBR and senior features editor Christopher Baggett after eight years" were laid off by Valnet in May 2023. Heidi MacDonald, for The Beat, reported that Swiderski, Gerding and Baggett were removed for "standing up for writers" and "pushing back against" changes Valnet instituted. MacDonald wrote that "writers were being asked to do more work while shrinking the pay-per-view rates. The situation was described to me by one person as 'working writers to the bone', saying "The situation is so dire that in addition to the three editors, I'm told two HR people were laid off, who also objected to the demands that management was making on writers, who, as a reminder, are contractors, not employees". Graeme McMillan, for Popverse, commented that Valnet's culture does not permit "its contributors and employees to question corporate decree" which has led to layoffs of people who have spoken out "about potential issues over Valnet's management and business practices" at CBR and other Valnet-owned sites.
In June 2023, McMillan of Popverse reported that there was a continuing "editorial exodus" at CBR. In August 2023, Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool commented that there appears to be "serious internal tensions" at CBR and highlighted that former CBR Comics News Editor Sean Gribbin stated between May and August ten News Editors have either left CBR or been laid off. Johnston reported that CBR Managing Editor Jon Arvden pushed back on speculation that CBR was eliminating its news section.
Reception
In 2008, the University at Buffalo's research library described CBR as "the premiere comics-related site on the Web."
In April 2013, comics writer Mark Millar said he read the site every morning after reading the Financial Times.
In 2014, an article by guest author Janelle Asselin criticized the cover of DC Comics's Teen Titans, leading to harassment of and personal threats against Asselin in the website's community forums. Weiland issued a statement apologizing for the incident, condemning the way some community members had reacted, and rebooted the forums in order to establish new ground rules.
Heidi MacDonald, for The Beat in June 2023, commented that after CBR was purchased by Valnet in 2016 it "gradually became a more generic 'content farm' turning out less and less comics content and more and more listicles and inane click-baity articles".
Awards
- 1999, 2000, 2001: Won the "Favourite Comics-Related Website (professional)" Eagle Award.
- 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008: Nominated for the "Favourite Comics-Related Website" Eagle Award.
- 2009: Won the "Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism" Eisner Award.
- 2010, 2011: Won the "Favourite Comics-Related Website" Eagle Award.
- 2011: Won the "Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism" Eisner Award.
- 2013: Won the "Best Biographical, Historical or Journalistic Presentation" Harvey Award for its Robot 6 blog.
- 2014: Won the "Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism" Eisner Award.
- 2021: Nominated for "Best Comics-Related Website/Publication Tripwire Awards.
References
- Press Kit, Comic Book Resources, The Wayback Machine, October 27, 2019, October 27, 2019, live
- Arrant, Chris, DC Hires Jonah Wiland as VP of Marketing & Creative Services, Newsarama, The Wayback Machine, October 27, 2019, en, August 6, 2019, October 27, 2019, dead
- Rich Johnston, Rich Johnston, How Comic Book Resources Employees Learned Their Site Had Been Sold To Valnet, Bleeding Cool, The Wayback Machine, April 4, 2016, June 14, 2016, 2016-06-11, live
- April 4, 2016, Comic Book Resources Acquired, August 23, 2023, ICv2, en, August 23, 2023, live
- Heidi, MacDonald, CBR.com has new design, rebrand, no blogs, The Beat, The Wayback Machine, 2016-08-25, 2017-01-12, 2016-11-11, live
- McMillan, Graeme, June 12, 2023, CBR layoffs: What led to the firing of three-quarters of their editors (and what happens next), August 23, 2023, Popverse, en, June 18, 2023, live
- Home - Valsef Group, July 13, 2024, Valsel Group
- McMillan, Graeme, May 30, 2023, The comic & pop culture journalism website CBR just laid off its editor-in-chief, June 5, 2023, Popverse, en, June 5, 2023, live
- Johnston, Rich, June 4, 2023, Firings, Quittings and Valnet Fallout at Comic Book Resources, June 5, 2023, Bleeding Cool, en, June 5, 2023, live
- MacDonald, Heidi, June 2, 2023, Inside the CBR layoffs and bad week, June 5, 2023, The Beat, en-US, June 5, 2023, live
- McMillan, Graeme, June 28, 2023, Three more editors leave CBR, continuing exodus pattern, August 23, 2023, Popverse, en, August 29, 2023, live
- Johnston, Rich, Rich Johnston, August 22, 2023, A Deleted CBR Post Indicates Serious Internal Tensions, August 22, 2023, Bleeding Cool, en, August 23, 2023, live
- Comic Books: Internet Resources, University of Buffalo Libraries, November 6, 2017, December 11, 2008
- The Third Degree: Mark Millar, Jupiter's Legacy, 1, 1, April 2013, Image Comics
- Asselin, Janelle, Anatomy of a Bad Cover: DC's New 'Teen Titans' #1, Comic Book Resources, Wayback Machine, January 10, 2017, April 11, 2014, January 13, 2017, live
- Out With the Old: Introducing the New CBR Community, Comic Book Resources, Wayback Machine, January 10, 2017, April 30, 2014, January 13, 2017, live
- Polo, Susana, CBR Overhauls Forums In Wake of Widespread Discussion of Treatment of Women in Comics, The Mary Sue, 2014-05-01, 2016-02-27, 2016-02-21, live
- 2001, Eagle Award, s, Wayback Machine, February 27, 2016, February 6, 2011, February 6, 2011
- 2008, Eagle Awards, Wayback Machine, February 27, 2016, November 30, 2011, November 30, 2011
- 2000s, San Diego Comic-Con, Wayback Machine, November 6, 2017, en, December 2, 2012, April 11, 2008, dead
- 2010, Eagle Awards, Wayback Machine, February 27, 2016, September 28, 2011
- 2011, Eagle Awards, Wayback Machine, February 27, 2016, November 30, 2011, November 30, 2011
- 2010-Present, San Diego Comic-Con, Wayback Machine, November 6, 2017, en, December 2, 2012, February 13, 2014, live
- Your 2013 Harvey Awards Winners, The Comics Reporter, Wayback Machine, March 23, 2015, September 8, 2013, September 23, 2015, live
- 2014 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Winners, San Diego Comic-Con, Wayback Machine, March 23, 2015, en, July 26, 2014, April 1, 2015, live
- 2021-08-27, Tripwire Awards 2021 Results In Full, 2024-03-23, TRIPWIRE MAGAZINE, en-GB
External links
Category:American entertainment news websites
Category:Eisner Award winners for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
Category:Internet properties established in 1995
Category:Websites about comics