comicbookmovie.com
There is an older website, Comic Book Movie, that focuses on comic books and pop culture. The website was launched in 2003, around the same time major comic book movies were being produced.
millions of people visit the website monthly to read comics, graphic novels, and anime news. In 2008, the website expanded to include more genres of fiction.
Website Design
The website for the upcoming comic book movie is very underwhelming. The focus immediately shifts to the advertisements instead of the actual site. Upon landing on the home page, I was hit with three advertisements. One ad near the header, one at the footer, and a huge popup video distracted me from seeing the website.
Although it is challenging, I was successful in getting past the advertisements on the website. I clicked the "exit" button on them multiple times and only succeeded with one. The website does not look great because of the ads, so this is a huge problem.
The webpage is not well designed and has not been updated in a long time. The color scheme is very jarring and the branding is confusing. The logo on the top is different from the logo on the tab.
Content
These categories include: Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Movies, TV Shows, and Video Games.
The website Comic Book Movies provides a variety of content. The topics covered range from comic books, graphic novels, sci-fi, horror, anime, and more. There are various menu categories on the website including Comics, Graphic Novels, Movies, TV Shows, and Video Games.
The primary menu on the website features the following categories: News, TV, Comics, Videos, Features, Reviews, Editorials, Fan Fic, CBM Index, About and Members. Most of the tabs offer your run-of-the-mill entertainment content. However there is a lack of a related topics system after reading articles. There are few backlinks in the articles.
One cool feature on the website is the fan fiction tab. Here, writers create fan casts for upcoming movies. There are also many fan artworks in articles. Another interesting category is the Comic Book Movie Index. Although the format of the webpage is confusing, it is an archive of movies. The archives are done by category. The index helps users find content related to their favorite movies and TV shows. It has the potential to be a really cool space on the site but isn't quite there yet.
Desktop & Mobile Accessibility
Sadly, I do not find much good to say about the website?s design. The desktop version is terrible. There are so many advertisements it is next to impossible to read the content. It feels like the website is hiding their bad content with even worse website design. The color scheme is off-putting, there is no sense of clear branding to be found at all, and overall the website just feels outdated and tired.
The mobile browser is a nightmare. Although the titles are spaced out slightly better, the ads still break up the flow of the website. Readers cannot access the articles due to the number of ads. As far as I could find, there are no mobile apps available for the website.
Positives
The only positive aspect of Comic Book Movies is the content. There is a wide variety of topics available for readers to view. However, it may be a stretch to say that these articles are entertaining. Most of them are not very long and difficult to read.
Negatives
I find that most of what I have to say about comic book movies are negative. I am in shock that the website is operational or that it sees millions of viewers per month. The claim that it is the number one source for comic news is absolutely bogus. I can think of many better sites to get my news.
The website design is dated and unattractive. The theme is confusing and disorganizing. The background color is dismal, while the menu uses garish colors that clash with each other. The social icons in the top right hand corner only add to the confusion. In sum, the website fails to prioritize reader experience and instead opts for dated aesthetics.
The barrage of ads on the website leaves much to be desired. Not only are there footer and header ads, but there are also video pop-ups. The sidebar has an entire row of ads, which could be better used to feature popular posts from the website instead of defaulting to ads for the newest content.
Another design complaint is the way the articles are organized. They are squeezed together with a barely legible font. The reason they are so cramped together is because of the grey background. The background margins are set much too wide. Instead of leaving wide blank spaces, the website should re-format the space between articles.
The search bar on the website does not function as a search bar. It instead reveals a google-wide search. This is unfortunate because it takes away from the usefulness of the search on the website, which is intended to be for content related to Spiderman.
Improvements Needed
There are many improvements that need to be made to this website for it to be functional and user-friendly. The amount of work that needs to be done is immense, and it may be wiser to just shut the website down and start from scratch. This would be a huge favor to the subscribers who have been reading the website for a long time and those who are looking for information on mobile app development.
If a full re-design is out of the question, there are a few places comic book movies could start. The background taking up too much room should be a simple fix. Most web designers would be able to fix this issue with little trouble. If the background took up less space there would be more space available for a visually appealing layout of articles.
The sidebar on Comic Book Movies could be used better because advertisements are rampant on the site. If the company could sacrifice the sidebar to run featured articles for themselves, it would be more beneficial for readers. The sister websites featured do not look legitimate and the ads for them would make me wary of clicking. This is another example of why Comic Book Movies should rethink their online presence.
Summary
Comic Book Movies is an entertainment website that is popular with comic book fans and news junkies. It is one of the older websites of its kind, but its age has started to show in its design. The website is filled with unsavory advertisements, which makes it look dated.
Although the website has a few positive features, such as its color scheme and design, these are overshadowed by the many negative features. The logo is confusing and outdated, and the website appears to have not been updated in a long time. The website's success is likely due to the ads, but if people stop visiting because of them, what will happen?
I hope that the Comic Book Movie team sees fit to do a full re-design or re-launch sometime in the near future. The viewership is there, but the functionality is not. The potential for a great website is there, but it's unlikely that they will change anything. Long-time readers deserve a better platform. There are many features the site could fix without tearing the whole page down. For example, the search button could be fixed. The organization would be another quick fix.
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