Newsarama is effectively over as a dedicated comics journalism outlet.
Popverse editor-in-chief and former Newsarama editor Chris Arrant reported that Newsarama has gone silent after the last dedicated staffer working on the brand was laid off as part of broader cuts at Future PLC, the parent company of GamesRadar.
George Marston, who had spent 17 years writing for Newsarama, also announced earlier this month that he was no longer with the outlet.
Arrant said on X that Newsarama “no longer has staff,” though the brand’s sizeable social media following could still be used to share comics-related stories published by GamesRadar in the future.
He compared the situation to what happened with Comics Alliance, another once-prominent comics site that eventually disappeared as a real editorial operation.
Newsarama No Longer Has Dedicated Staff
Newsarama launched in 1998 and became one of the biggest online destinations for comic book news, interviews, previews, and industry coverage.
The site helped define comics journalism during the move away from print magazines and into daily online reporting.
The outlet covered Marvel, DC, Image, indie comics, major publishing moves, creator interviews, comic book movie news, and the rise of superhero films.
Back in the day, I could be found there helping to promote Quasar, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy and more on their forums, which were popular at the time.
Popverse notes that Newsarama also covered major industry moments, including the end of the Comics Code Authority, changes in the comics market during the COVID era, and Jim Lee’s WildStorm sale to DC.
Newsarama was eventually acquired by Future and folded into GamesRadar+ in 2020. It kept the Newsarama branding for a time as GamesRadar’s comics vertical, but according to Popverse, the branding started to disappear over the past year as comics coverage became less of a focus.
George Marston Layoff Marks The End
The final blow appears to be the layoff of George Marston.
“After 17 years, I am no longer writing for Newsarama or its associated sites,” Marston wrote on Instagram. “I am devastated. My career is my passion. I love what I do, and I loved my job.”
Marston had been the only remaining Newsarama staffer. With his exit, the site’s dedicated editorial voice is gone.
GamesRadar still has a Newsarama page online, and comics-related stories may continue to appear there. But Newsarama itself no longer has staff behind it, meaning the brand now appears to be more of a social media and legacy label than a functioning comics news outlet.
Mike Doran Left In 2023
The news follows the 2023 departure of Newsarama co-founder Mike Doran.
Doran helped launch Newsarama after beginning with online comics news posts in the 1990s, and his exit from GamesRadar/Newsarama marked a major turning point for the brand.
By 2022, the staff had already been reduced. Doran then left, and the remaining comics operation was eventually narrowed down further until Marston was the last dedicated person left.
