Hey all! I don't want to make a big deal out of this, but the trail is calling.
I've been doing iFanboy since just after I got out of college, and it's afforded me the ability to do plenty of things I never thought I would, but I have decided to move on.
As some of you may know, I recently had first son, and even with the security offered by our acquisition by Graphic.ly, it's just not going to work out. It's been very hard to work from home and take care of the newborn while trying to remain competitive with the website, and so I've decided to shift gears, and get away from the hustle and bustle of the internet. I've been offered a great position with a company I've worked with in the past, that unfortunately has nothing to do with comics. I'm sure the transition will be difficult, but my family and I have decided it's for the best.
Please know that I've cherished my time with iFanboy and all of the community more than almost anything in my life. You all made me smile every day, and I thank you for your continued support. We went from three guys who didn't know anyone but really liked talking about comics to producing the most popular comic book podcasts on the web, with friends all over the industry and community. I never expected this much, and I appreciate it every day. I have too many thank yous to give, so I'll say it to all of you at once.
UPDATE: Fooled you! I love you all too much to leave. Except for the peope who were so quickly prepared to replace me with Tom Katers. As he advised me, now I have a list of my enemies.
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Hardy har har.
Stupid baby. He ruined everything. (If this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke, then I apologize profusely.)
Sad day 🙁
I’m very sorry to hear about your departure Josh, but I wish you all the best with your new job and with your family. I hope you come back and visit because you will be missed sir.
@stuclach HAHA! I agree…stupid baby. 🙂
Aww that’s too bad. Good luck with everything!
Ron – “is now too soon to call Tom Katers?”
Well I certainly don’t know how to respond
this is a good april fools joke…. i hope.
If this is real it sucks
If not, this is a great joke, much better than Google’s
Wait, this isn’t a red article which means its most likely fake.
Oh God, please let this be an April Fool’s joke. This just isn’t okay. If it isn’t, best of luck man.
Well…Yeah. I just looked at my calendar. Give me the dunce hat!
Yeah, he’s joining me for Ultimate Around Comics…
It’s April Fool’s. But if not, Katers is free.
I really really hate April Fools’ Day.
Has anyone considered that I DONT want to replace Josh?
Is a joke right? You americans and your crazy traditions
Noooo! Who will hate fun now!?!
I’m sure Conor and Ron will give you a choice, Tom.
NOOO!! Please say it ain’t so Josh say it ain’t so!!! : (
Can the new guy be someone who likes fun? Please?
April Fool’s?
i do hope this is fake, i can’t live without all the anger that he brings to the podcasts.
So picking Blackest Night was kinda like a head fake?
I really hope it’s an April Fools joke!
Whether this is an April Fools’ Day joke or not, you have given us all a great gift over the years, Josh. Never doubt that.
And, Tom, who are you crapping? NOT want to replace Josh? Ha, that’s the best joke!
April 1st the day the internet is completely useless
Good riddance :p
Pssh. I’m not buying it until this stays posted over the weekend.
I… but… this is not a funny April Fools prank *pout*
I am not posting a serious response until it’s been determined if this a joke or not.
If it’s not a joke, then it was amazingly foolish to post it on April Fool’s Day. Josh is not a fool.
Josh forgot to mention that Jeph Loeb will be replacing him.
CLIP SHOW! This calls for a clip show.
Nice April Fool’s. hahahaha
@stuclach Unless that’s what he WANTS us to think as he slips out in the dead of night.
Josh, I’m hoping this is a prank/attempt to get the people who liked Tom better to say they really love you/opportunity to annoy Jimski.
On the other hand, you DO hate fun. Hmm.
How syllogistic of you, stuclach.
Nothing has been officially decided, but in the case of an overwhelmingly popular book I am prepared to step in and pick Scalped instead at a moment’s notice.
@tomkaters this isn’t about what you want tom
@kmob181 – I heard that Jeph Loeb will be replacing Josh on his creator owned comic "Boston", and since he is given away all his personal comic books, he is gonna stop reading comic altogether.
@Tom: No one cares what you think. 😛
I’m with @Hank. If this isn’t an April Fool’s joke – and, it seems an odd one of it is – then Katers is the ONLY choice to fill the spot.
There goes my man-crush. Now, Conor or Ron?
If this isn’t an April Fool’s joke, I’m gonna cry.
if this real it sucks
if this is a joke its real good, way better than google’s
this is a bit of a gut punch, but totally understandable. we’ll miss you.
With that many spelling and grammar mistakes it HAS to be a joke. : )
So goes the nation.
To quote Garth Ennis, “Hhhhh.”
Had a great time, man.
@Anville – After having looked that word up 😉 I can now say: Yep. [I guess I should have added a nice QED at the end of my post.]
@ohcaroline – He is rather sneaky.
Uh oh it’s become a red article!
Well, it’s not quite as good as The Guardian’s (UK newspaper) April Fool’s about Gordon Brown’s election staff putting out posters of the PM challenging his rivals to "take this outside, posh boy", but I have to admit you had me for a second or two..or otherwise Tom Katers is way more nefarious than he seemed on the podcast.
Please be a joke…first Around Comics and now one of the legs on my favorite three legged dog….
Remember last year when Fraction, Ba and Moon said they were going to publish more Casanova (and as a webcomic no less)? Yeah…lame.
Worst. Day. Ever.
Is it because Graphic.ly wanted to push the show back an hour?
What was the April Fool’s joke last year?
It finally happened Ron and Conor killed him and are covering it up. So sad. Happy April Fool’s day.
I’m not fooled……at least, I don’t think I am.
Ofcourse it’s a joke, nobody is going to make such a serious announcement on april 1st.
April fools..right ??
It would have been more convincing if Ron or Connor had written it. Also taking Josh’s picture off the "About Page". Making it seem like he is actually gone and has no access to the site (passwords changed).
I like the "blame the baby" angle though, almost got me.
Well at least Tom Katers will have a job now. Just kidding hopefully this isn’t true at all but if it is No Josh Can’t GO!
Sounds good man, sucks to hear your leaving, but HEY gotta do what ya Gotta do. It is April 2nd over here so it MUST be true!
@gabo: What are you talking about red article?
I can tell this is a joke cuz Josh would have written something waaaay longer than this. That’s like 2 and a half paragraphs. There would be like 3 pages if this was real. Plus he said "but the trail is calling," who seriously says that and MEANS it?
In all seriousness, Josh I will miss you and I wish you the best. Hopefully you’ll be back!
This is neither genuine nor an April Fools joke. Josh is sending a secret signal to his costumed vigilante allies, like in Kick-Ass.
What he’s not telling us is that his son is currently being groomed to be his immediate replacement. He will surely be an interesting debator on the podcast!
Quick someone call Tom Katers!
Yeah i don’t buy this for 1 second. Aren’t you like a founding member of Ifanboy, and if so you must have recievced truckloads of cash from the graphically purchase. So you and your childrens children should be set for life right.
I think it’s clear who’s taking over, Ollie. The son must take his rightful place! 😛
While this may be like shocking news, iFanboy is actually just rebooting the Josh character. We all know he’ll be resurrected in the next article.
…hurm…
What the frack?
Josh, please give us your new contact info so we can all comment and give opinions on everything you do in your new venture.
We are gonna look like such dicks if this turns out to be true…
Sweet does this mean we get tom katers
Not cool Josh. Not cool.
Sites have really stepped up their April Fools game.
See, maybe the April Fools-ness of this is not that he’s NOT leaving, but that he IS leaving and would tell us in such a manner to make us THINK he’s NOT leaving when he really IS leaving…
Ohhh… *brain cramp*
@turaho needs a cookie for that comment. Genius.
In that case bring on Tom Katers!
Who is the sad looking fella on the right-hand side of that picture? is that the infamous Justin Gray? The guy in the middle is Palmiotti, right?
Nice try!
Our local radio station decided that they were broadcasting in 3D this morning!
I don’t believe you!
Well, although I came in close to the end, it certainly has been a good run and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
However, I really do hope that this is an april fools joke.
@Sunnyvale – I think it’s Darwyn Cooke.
I think this is an april fool’s joke since neither ron, josh or connor have commented on this situation at all.
Although if you do go it wont be the same, ive lost both you and 24 in the same week 🙁
josh its
been great…thanks for all your hard work and help. i always enjoyed your voices and your commentaries…thank you very much for everything
been great…thanks for all your hard work and effort…you have been great
Best of luck on all your future endeavors. Truly the pleasure has been ours.
-J.
@sunnyvaletrash That’s Darwyn Cooke.
no way no way NOT LIKE THIS
I am very sorry to see you go Josh, but I can understand why. You want to spend more time with your family and I can respect that. Good luck to you and the rest of your family.
Wow thats just sad for us. I’m sorry to see you go sir. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Can you change the name of the site to IFanMen now?
Cherry Pie buttholes this sucks…how come none of the iFanboy guys are commenting back…yeah I think its a joke playas.
NOT LIKE THIS!
i have two things to say josh:
if its true: fuck you !!!! why are you leaving me !!!!!!!!!!!!! i thought we had something special. no offense to to ron and connor but josh you complete me!!!!!! ur the opinion i cherish the most!!!!
if its false: Fuck you!!!!! i cant believe u had this baby so you can set up this oceans 11 scam on me!!! what the fuck!!!! i love you thank god its false
I think we’ve all been Joshed
Without Josh and Sonia already gone there’d be no good looking iFanboys. I can’t just stare at gargoyles all day!
I read this very sadly and sincerely until I realized what day it is. Also "not like this" is the funniest comment i’ve seen.
This would be a massively funny (and ultimately depressing) April Fool’s Day joke if Josh posted it today to make us think it was a joke and it was actually true. Diabolical.
Its a fake…wanna know how I know?…browse through the comments and see if Josh has debuncted any of the speculations that its a April Fools Joke…you wont find it 🙂
First rule of April Fools: If someone asks you if its a joke you cant keep it going, if so then it goes from a joke to a flat out lie. Best way for him to keep it going would to not post anything.
Nice one Josh 🙂
This better be a joke.
DNT DO THAT !!!!!!!! damn man i seriosly was shocked an a little sad for like 2 seconds
Noooooooo! Now fun will run unchecked and free!:
I think he was just waiting for someone (Heroville) to say he’s the best looking.
I like Tom Katers better anyways…
Good riddance I always hated him on the show.. that self indulgent jerk. .. Just kidding Josh. Apr fools
@ohcaroline – Perhaps an iFanboy/iFanbase beauty pageant is in order. You going to the NYCC? I’ll bring Mario Lopez if you agree to bring the tiara.
I look good in a tiara. I really brings out my sideburns.
Katers would be a fool if he didn’t leave his already well established accounting career, and grab those .COM millions that IFanboy is getting with both hands.
ps- When I read the headline I thought to myself "So THIS is how they are doing the whole April Fools thing huh?
It would be weird if Ron Conor and Josh did a 52 style show from now on and left for a year to leave Gordon, Jimski etc. to run the show for a year. Just my theory
Quit Joshing around and fess up already!!
If it WERE tru, we might get a "Brightest Day" potw tho!
Don’t toy with my emotions!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'( Please be April Fools’
This is a stressful joke.
I just wanted to let everyone know that the reason that Ron or I haven’t commented here is that, at this time, we’ve been advised against it by our lawyers.
Well, I think Conor just confirmed what this is.
He and Ron are clearly leaving too.
@conor – Sexual harassment is no laughing matter.
Josh, don’t make ollie the yoko of ifanboy………..
just kidding of course.
I blame this all on Lady Gaga run Illuminati
I really this is a joke. But if not can we Tom on a regular basis now?
The true shocking reveal at the end of all this is that Josh and Tom Katers are one and the same. I know this from reading Previews 3 months ago.
You can still use a cardboard cutout of Josh for the video show and use past podcasts to mix in his voice. Or just put Tom Katers behind the cutout. Everyone’s happy…
April Fools, douchiest of all holidays!
Neb, i agree but the real question who is the superhero and who is the secret identity?
iamso77, Josh soundboard being created now. you can be replaced Flanagan.
If Josh’s "replacement" is just going to be one of the voices he does (ie, Tom Katers), I would actually prefer Eddie Vedder. Can we work that out?
Dude this is April fools right? cause this shit aint funny…
But for plan b. are you guys gonna call Mike Romo out from the minors now?
"My pick of the week is……Green Lantern."
"My pick of the week is……Scalped."
"My pick of the week is……Uncanny X-Men"
Ron seems to be in charge of the soundboard.
Josh, you answered all of the letters I wrote to iFanboy, even the one I wrote while I was high and trying to convince people Mickey Rourke would be good candidate for Frank Miller’s Dark Knight. I’m going to miss you on the show.
I don’t care who they get to replace you, I already hate them.
Some of you are very gullible.
Who the f@ck is Josh Flanagan?
the Tiki
Good Luck Man.
and Remember "In the end, veracity and rectitude always triumph."
Josh I love you whether this is an April Fools Joke or not.
Even Connor’s response doesn’t help. If they really talked to their lawyers than this is serious business! That last thing I need is another screwattack style meltdown… As much as I love Mr. Tom Katers, this would be all bad.
Hopefully I just got got good
SOMEONE FUCKING TELL ME WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A FUCKING JOKE
One more thing. If this is real, I want someone just like Josh to take his place. People make jokes about him not liking fun, but they’re wrong. When he picked Scalped over Blackest Night #1, he was right to do so. Scalped that month was batter than blackest night and had more of an emotional impact than BN did.
No offense, but I can almost always tell you what Conor or Ron are going to pick before the books are even on the shelves. Although I have to admit X-Men forever was a surprise pick even for Ron. I love this podcast almost as much as I love the Three Stooges.
The new guy will always be Shemp to me.
Josh is going be replaced by Ryan Reynolds that guy is in everything
God, this year April Fool’s really got me bad – this was some scary news. I was upset for at least 2 minutes, then remembered the f*cking date.
You can’t play with our feelings like that, Mr Flanagan.
@conor: Good, always listen to your lawyer.
There’s just enough truth in here to take it seriously. It would be a huge disappointment for any of the original iFanboy crew to go (especially since Neseman and Katers just killed "Around"), but if it is the truth, I hope that Josh, Lindsay, and Ollie live long and prosper.
What??!!! Is this for real??? I really hate the internet on April 1st.
If it is for real, don’t talk to me I’m gonna need some alone time to grieve. *sniff, sniff*
Between this and Around Comics ending I may just have to start listening to music again. Shit. Hope this IS a joke, but if it’s not, best of luck to Mr. flanagan and his family.
This sort of lets the air out of my announcement next week.
Nice April’s fools joke! I am expecting you guys to make the announcement tomorrow, that it was a prank, because it better be a prank !!!
Josh leaving is a nightmare, but if Ron went away would we really be missing anything? I mean really would we really miss the updates of X-men Forever? The references to Brit Pop? I really don’t think so. Conor will never leave he probably eat both Ron and Josh before he leaves. Nah I love all the guys and hope they keep doing it until their kids can take it over.
So.. when did comments on what is most likely an April Fools Joke turn into an impromptu roast?
get hunter to replace him. where did hunter go? lol
Can I have your 360?
The internet = my bitch.
So long as Josh isn’t lost in time while Paul walks around wearing his clothes for the next six months I’m good.
@ohcaroline: I vote that Josh’s voice replacement be Josh with the British accent.
Best of luck Josh, you’ve truly improved my appreciation for and enjoyment of comics. Best of luck!
QUIT PLAYING GAMES WITH MY HEART!!!!!!!
Does that mean there’s an opening on the iFanboy couch?
HAHAHAHA Josh your so fucking funny. Well, I have the last laugh! You know why? I’m on spring break. I will be sleeping tonight. ha.
in all seriousness though, I very very happy it is not true
and if it is…..well then…….sorrow
This format is so wierd. REALLY.
ah, that’s a shame. oh well
If this was true, I would be heartbroken. While my interests overlap with all of the ifanboys, my taste is closest to Josh’s. If he left, I might find myself being compelled to become obsessed with the X-Men.
So glad that Ron Richards is leaving I never really liked the guy
he just sits there like a fat lump and hardly contributes anything
to the show.
@ironman63 Ouch, low blow dude.
Oh well. Get Tom Katers. UPGRADE 😛
Just kidding, I love Ron.
They could get Chris Evans to replace Josh!
You know what, your not my favorite anymore Josh, I dont even care
surely you jest
These comments are awesome.
The title’s in red bold and everything.
Josh will not be leaving the Graphic.ly family. Instead, he will be moving over to ipaperboy and paper.ly, where he will now be delivering newspapers to everyone in Queens (Long Island on Thursdays).
Good luck Josh! And I hope your new paperboy hat fits.
I totally fell for this . . . until the first comment.
Is something wrong with me that I was filled with dread when I saw the article title?
Is something wrong with me that when I was reading Josh’s post that I was bit depressed?
I definitely just teared up about this, and if it’s a joke, I’m actually going to be really offended.
Anything but Long Island!
You guys are so sweet, I almost felt bad.
My favorite was the justifications for why it was or wasn’t true.
Sleep well my princes and princesses of comicdom, for you are stuck with me.
Yay! And here I was about to type something nice about you, Josh. Nevermind. 😉
who?
"I can finally enjoy listening to iFanboy now?"
Is what I was going to say. Wow, an April Fool’s Joke that got my hopes up! 🙂
Josh you are nuts to come clean i bet your traffic jumped today just for everyone checking on the status of this story i know i have been one the site 4x as much as i normally do.
You suck
wait a minute, you mean this isn’t true?
*crap*
I guess I can step away from the ledge now. I hope we didn’t lose anyone. Good one.
Are we approaching a record number of comments? I think I remember something going over 200…. Was it the Liefeld article?
@stuclach: No, we’re not even close.
Damn.
Ok this is good news.
The internet is freaking worthless on April 1st.
Looks like some one just had a lot of "fun" at our expense.
Joe Casey did this to you, didn’t he? Just beat you and beat you with those cold, uncaring eyes through those dark, bottomless blackholes he calls sunglasses til you couldn’t take no more. Poor Josh.
Well, good luck on your second career trying to revive Arrested Development. :b
wait, can you guys still film at josh’s house with the black couch and with The Who poster?? cause thats whats really important here… Josh doesnt need to be in the show as long as its still filmed there 🙂
finally they get rid of this temp guy he hates fun!
Now that we know this a joke. could everyone on the site vote to get him off the show and replaced by Lindsay. She has better taste anyway.
far out..its not April 1st in some parts of the world anymore Josh.
Dabnabbit! My wife came in from the other room to find out what was wrong
OK,before i freak out. I do not accept this. Josh goes no where. I only say this if i come back tomorrow and its for real. Cause I’m gonna say its an April Fools Joke. At least it better be Mr Flanagan.
this really was an epic comment thread. do all the people who violated the TOS by just posting something along the lines of, "oh great, now we get Tom Katers!" or "call Tom Katers!" get their comments deleted?
so tomorrow we get a post with him just standing arms crossed like, "I ain’t goin’ nowhere, bitches." Queens pants and all. that’d be badass.
see, like that guy! didn’t read the thread where it has already been confirmed as false!
hey i know. I used the end button on my laptop so i skipped the part where he gave himself up…Sue me. I just got off work. I was a little surprised. You have to love when i opened my laptop this was my first sight though.
now i’m gonna go read Blackest Night, XForce,and Second Coming,talk to u people later.
Again, mr flanagan I bring up my long luxurious hours of uninterrupted slumber
@jorel3459- no problem man, I too recently got home and feel the urge to post before reading.
thank you see…ppl know what i mean. excitement got ahead of me,lol
Woohoo! 🙂
It doesn’t matter, there was NEVER a Josh to begin with! That’s the real answer to why Ron and Josh sound so similar! Think about it! I think Ron was in danger of damaging his voice before he embarks on his new career as lead singer of an Elastica cover band. Truth is, I could always see the strings in the video show holding up your animatronic "Josh", the one that looks like Bernie Liederkrantz!
I think if Josh were real I would really miss him if he did leave though! You guys do a fantastic job every single day.
Forget Katers! According to every other comic news site creators the world over are kicking Meltzer out of the industry. That would be an awesome curveball. Would he be allowed to review any of his past works?
Best. Thread. Ever.
I too would’ve liked Josh’s voice replacement to be Eddie Vedder( or a drunk Bob Dylan)
I♥josh (in a totally straight way)
Josh is staying?
ah, that’s a shame. oh well
Wait a min Huh???
Edward, I still want to give you the best comment of the week for an Aussie user, but . . .
So…..that means Tom Katers will be joining iFanboy??
LOL
I was kind of hoping Josh would lead a new group of "public" Ifanboys and force those other two guys to be the street level Ifanboys.
Is this because you picked a Blackest Night book as your Pick of the Week and can no longer live with yourself?
I fell for this until I read the comments… I’m so tired…
@Matrix- no, it means him and Gordon are going to form a new iFanboy with a giant gorilla and a lipstick lesbian. and then I think Mike Romo possibly loses an arm? …all in the name of justice!
and Queens burns!
hardy har har.
glad you’re staying, Josh
@josh: you know the scariest thing about this april fool’s joke? Is that now you have a draft for an actual "farewell" article. Am I not the only one who’s a bit disturbed about that? If he’s like me, all he’d have to do is just phrase a sentence or two a bit differently and BAM! got yourself another article if/when you ever leave.
btw, forgive my bad grammar. very tired and just finished setting up sakura-con, will sleep on monday, need to just tough it until then.
I would laugh my ass off if this was reposted tomorrow as a actual story.
Full disclosure though, initally I forgot what day it was and got pretty sad.
if this is an april fools joke then good riddance! the guy hated fun!!!!
if not: ………… 🙁
If I had a website that had tons of loyal peeps reading my stuff I would be mean to them as well.
So are you guys getting Tom Katers to replace Josh full time? That’d be cool….
Who is Josh?
well done sirs
So, if this is all an April Fool’s joke, then:
1. You haven’t been doing this since just after college
2. You don’t have a new bambino at home
3. You haven’t been aquired by Graphic.ly
4. You meant "fortunately doesn’t have anything to do with comics."
5. You don’t cherish you time with iFanboy
6. You don’t want to thank anyone ever
Well played, sir.
I almost cried josh; you are the reason I watch and listen to Ifanboy(no offense Ron and Connor). Good thing you are staying on.
Wow, too bad we never get this many comments from our user reviews as we do April Fools Day gags!! I would almost think this site is ABOUT comic books!!
@robbydzwonar what’s a comic book? Those funny pages things they used to have in the 50s? do they still make those?
Why am I so naive?
You can only leave if you’re getting published.
FLANAGAN!
I can’t believe I fell for this. Still, good to hear you’re still on board for the long haul.
Well played, sir. Well played.
-J.
Well i’m relieved 🙂 I was afraid with Josh gone we’d have to listen to more of Ron and his pesky mutants!!
Just kidding Ron. Your sideburns are awesome. And strangely distracting… 🙂
You got me!
I am happy you are not leaving though.
Bah, I semi-fell for it. The fake story struck my parental nerve! I’m glad the iFanboy team stays intact. I’m still laughing @stuclach’s "stupid baby" comment, that was priceless!!!
@MikefromGotham – You’re welcome.
Josh was never able to live down the Fables POTW scandal. That was his chappaquiddick.
WHat REALLY happened was that Ron and Conor DID kill Josh, but when they showed up to do the next show, there he was!
Apparently the guy that said he wanted to kill Jacob has taken on his appearance in a desperate attempt to get off the show. So who we really see and hear now, is "Man-In-Josh"!
Maybe they can get Hurley to talk to the spirit of Gordon, and see if they can figure out what to do next.
@Unoob – The De Lorean shows up and Doc Brown takes Josh back to 1974, but crashes into Marvel Comics, killing a writer before one of comic’s greatest creation’s has seen the light of day. Faced with the possibility of time straying from whence he came, Josh is forced to try and make it in the big city and create: Dealthlok!
I saw this and thought, "Oh, crap. Well, I was afraid Lil’ Oliver was going to do that."
Glad it’s a joke. Wouldn’t be the same without you, Flanagan.
NOOOOO!!!!!!
Wait…..this is just an April Fools joke? He isn’t leaving?
…..NOOOO!!!