The new look cbr.com

[mr_crisp]

You need to keep the address comicbookresources.com If you don't know about the website change and try to get to the site using the old address it won't come up and you've just lost some readers.

[DudeistMonk]

I only registered to make this comment (I've been reading CBR for a good few years now, but I'm not usually one to join in on comments and stuff).

I don't want to be negative, but the new design really is generic, boring and hard on the eyes.

Also, and most importantly, if the Comics Should Be Good blogs are difficult to get to I'm going to be less inclined to visit. If the CSBG blogs are gone completely then, I'm afraid, I'd be inclined to stop visiting at all. The CSBG blogs are about the only things that I can't find better elsewhere.

[dancj]

Just to echo - the new design is ugly, but I don't really care as I don't go to the main page anyway.

Losing columns is a big shame.

The new format of articles where each article has more articles right under it is annoying.

Comics Should Be Good is great and now it's hard to find the articles. Thanks to the poster who gave a link to Brian Cronin articles - but that still doesn't give all of the CSBG content.

All of my links to CSBG articles I haven't yet read are now broken.

Over all a sad state of affairs.

[fleat]

I really hope the original comments sections for the Comics Should Be Good blogs aren't permanently lost. They were crucial augmentations and very often were as good or better than the articles themselves. It would be a devastating loss.

I'm generally a glass half-full kind of guy but this update is heartbreaking. Every bit of personality has been excised. It really feels like CBR is going to become one of those sites that I used to visit daily.

[Andy E. Nystrom]

In fairness regarding the "generic" aspect, most generic websites don't have such great big huge images and fonts on their pages, so there is a notable difference from other generic sites that makes the new look stand out. The only problem is, the somewhat smaller size is the one thing that other more generic sites do right.

The good news is that site traffic from people with severe visual impairments might increase mind you. They won't have any trouble reading the headlines.

[resipsaloquitur]

I generally stopped reading Newsarama when it went from being a community based site with deep articles and a great discussion forum to basically another Buzzfeed clone. This new CBR format looks to be more of the same and I'm going to have to stop coming around if this is the new status quo.

[POWRSURG]

Hi all! We're currently working on issues with the redesign, adding more features and smoothing things out. Thank for your patience and feedback and I'll try to answer any questions that you may have.

Albert Ching
Managing Editor, CBR

Any chance you can set up 301 redirects on the RSS feeds?

[neonrideraryeh]

I usually access the forum via 'comments' on the bottom of articles, because then I can read (or post) reactions to the news and stuff right away. But now comments links to a silly facebook sidebar and I can't seem to find a way to link the articles back to the forum. This kind of disconnect between the site and the forum is really annoying. Why do the 're-designers' forget that one of the biggest aspects of running a successful site are the users. I thought this was supposed to be the "social media" age where users are more integrated. This is literally removing the integration of users. Please link back to the forum from the articles, I don't want to have to do facebook comments.

Also yes, once again the size of items on the list on the front page is way to big and bulky. Make it smaller again. If people really struggled to read it, they could zoom. It doesn't need to huge for the rest of us. How is having like three news items on a page maximum the best way of getting clicks? If it was smaller, you could back to having lots of articles on a page to click. See, CBR, you're redesign is actually even bad for yourselves too.

Also it appears it's not just me with the site loading way slower than usual. What kind of back end slow algorithms are trying to load here? People just don't appreciate this sort of behaviour from a website.

Spinoff links are broken too.

[Coin Biter]

I think it's fair to say a couple of things -

1. I don't pay to access the site, so the people behind it don't really owe me anything.
2. I know in business that website redesigns are always a thorny issue for anyone who works for the company, in dealing with them/explaining them to existing customers. So the staff have my sympathy.

Having said that, though, I can't say I like the new website either

The biggest issue, which lots of people have pointed out, concerns CBSG, which is a wonderful resource. Any change which has made that more difficult to access is, from my perspective, a change for the worse.

[Kevin T Brown]

Robot 6, Spinoff Online, and Comics Should Be Good all seem to be victims of the CBR Lobotomy.

The only column that CBR seems to be keeping at this point is . . . surprise, surprise. . . The Social Justice Warrior editorial "The Mission"

Columns that survived the CBR Lobotomy and can be found elsewhere.

1. Tilting at Windmills is at www.comicsbeat.com
2. The pipeline is at www.comicbook.com

please expand and repost this list if you find more relocated Columns or if you can confirm the fates of the previously hosted websites Robot 6, Spinoff Online, e.t.c.

Has anybody heard if the Marvel Q & A's Axel in charge, and X-position are continuing?

The 2 bolded items are basically the main reason I visit the site. if they're gone, I no longer have a reason to click on it and visit.

Now I need to find out where Comic Book Legends Revealed is located.

[Mart]

I signed on to CBR back in the late 90's. Never posted much - never had much to say, so my opinion is probably moot for the most part. Don't read many new comics, but I love old comics. The columns are what kept me coming back to CBR on a consistent basis. Comics Should Be Good (and all its sub categories like Abandoned Love, etc.), Robot 6 - good stuff, and good memories for an old duffer like me. If the columns are gone, well, I guess it will be time for me to move along as well.

Change is good. Provided it's a good change.

I'm old too, but I don't think you have to be to enjoy Brian Cronin's output. A redesign isn't necessarily bad, but doing away with the hew content - what is CBR's USP if it's not the columns?

On the subject of this particular redesign, I'm of the opinion that pointers to articles are now far too big, and doing away with the yellowy colour scheme is a bad idea... it's an old friend, and more nods to it in the redesign would help.

[shamus]

In fairness regarding the "generic" aspect, most generic websites don't have such great big huge images and fonts on their pages, so there is a notable difference from other generic sites that makes the new look stand out. The only problem is, the somewhat smaller size is the one thing that other more generic sites do right.

Still looks bland and visually disengaging. Large fonts aren't enough of an identifier to make the site stand out and the Blocky font choice is unappealing. The real issue is the content. I liked the columns and blog most of all and what I am seeing just is not of interest to me. I'm sure they've done their market studies and Web stats analyses but I'm no longer the audience for this site after close to 10 years of daily visits I feel a bit disappointed in the direction things are going as the thing that made CBR standout is apparently gone. I don't think people mind change when there is a benefit or improvement but when something that was unique gets turned into "more of what is already available" then there is certainly a feeling that something has been lost. I really can't see myself coming here much with the state this is presently in. Where is "Comics Should Be Good!" and all the rest of the blogs and columns?


I would really love to see Brian Cronin, Greg Burgas and the rest of the old CBR staff start a new site. I think they would easily draw a huge chunk of the old CBR audience. Please do it guys and gals. I realize the old CBR is dead and buried the more I scour this incarnation of the site. Very short-sighted move on the owners part. I suspect that the new owners have no idea what made CBR special and how comic book fans want.

[Lemurion]

I don't hate the new design, but it's a definite downgrade in functionality. There's no real information on the front page, and don't get me started on the incomplete headlines. The performance is terrible, but I'm sure that will get resolved soon enough. It's all style and no substance.

One thing I do like is the black text on white, though. A few years ago all the sites were going for gray text on white backgrounds and the contrast was so bad I couldn't read anything.

I come to this site for information. If I can't find it, I'll go elsewhere.

[Hermatt]

only one thing to say
images.jpg

[resipsaloquitur]

Brian Cronin has a Facebook page and he operates LegendsRevealed.com, but I can't find any information on whether he's been axed from CBR. His URL redirect to CBR just goes to the main page now.