Thursday 2 May 2013

RIP Comics Alliance

This week, Comics Alliance, probably one of the best comics news sites on the internet, was closed down. You probably know most of the circumstances and If you need any more info you can probably get the lowdown from a more informed person than I. I'm not writing this to go over the whys of what's just happened, but talk about what the site meant to me and why it's closure is such a great loss.

If it wasn't for Comics Alliance, I don't think I'd be the connoisseur of comic books that I am today. I wouldn't say I'm an academic in the field by any stretch, but the site's informed and entertaining manner in which it discussed the mediums history and legacy has gifted me knowledge that I might never have got from any other place. When I talk to non-fans and fans alike about how there is more to comics than people's initial expectations, chances are I'll be citing examples I first learned about from one of Comics Alliance's great writers.

And it wasn't just the knowledge that made the site great, but the sheer scope of which they covered. I've found out about so many great little series and interesting comics that I wouldn't have otherwise known about down to the site's recommendations, but that's not all. It may sound corny to say it, but there was always something about the writing staff that was right and just. They didn't just report and cover issues that continually dog popular culture in general (Racial issues, representations of sexuality, unfortunate implications of common aesthetics) but knew that condemnation wasn't always the right way to address a problem, discussion was.

Simple words cannot describe the feats of a site who's only obligation was to keep us up to date on things like the Thor movie. They went far and beyond what they were expected and for that I think we can all be thankful.

Especially me. Thank you staff of Comics Alliance, thanks for everything.

Disengage sincerity mode.

While it's still up you can find the site here