Viz Comic
Viz Comic is a privately held British satirical magazine published ten times a year since 1979 under Diamond Publishing Ltd. It serves adult UK readers with irreverent cartoons and reader-submitted content, monetizing through subscriptions, merchandise, and advertising.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersEaling, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Viz Comic does
Viz Comic is a privately held British satirical magazine founded in 1979 and operated under Diamond Publishing Ltd, headquartered at Harmsworth House in London. The publication is issued ten times per year and is built around irreverent, profanity-laced cartoons, recurring characters such as those featured in Roger's Profanisaurus, and reader-submitted content streams including Letterbocks (letters), Top Tips, and vulgar-language definitions. Its core technology stack is a traditional print publishing operation augmented by a content website (viz.co.uk) hosting interactive submission features and an e-commerce storefront.
The company monetizes through three revenue streams: recurring annual magazine subscriptions purchased directly via subscribe.viz.co.uk; merchandise sales including Viz Top Trumps, Viz Annual compilations, Viz Cards greeting cards, and branded apparel distributed through its own shop and third-party retailers such as Amazon UK and Brainbox Candy; and advertising space, with disclosed demographics skewing 82.2% male and concentrated in the 35-54 age bracket. Distribution is primarily UK-domestic via direct mail subscription, with global reach limited to Amazon marketplace sales of annual publications.
Viz Comic serves an adult UK readership seeking boundary-pushing satirical humor, and its brand has been elevated to that of a cultural institution, recognized alongside bodies such as the DVLA and Broadmoor Hospital and exhibited by the Tate Gallery. The company operates with 1-10 employees, has no disclosed funding or external investment, and has no parent company, indicating stable independent ownership across its four-plus decades of continuous publication.
Viz Comic firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Viz Comic
- Legal name
- Viz Comic
- Website
- https://viz.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Viz Comic is a privately held British satirical magazine published ten times a year since 1979 under Diamond Publishing Ltd. It serves adult UK readers with irreverent cartoons and reader-submitted content, monetizing through subscriptions, merchandise, and advertising.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Viz Comic industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Satirical Print Magazines
- NAICS
- Greeting Card Publishers (513191), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art/Alternative/Underground Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Anthologies & Serialized Comics Magazines Publishing (MPAJAGAL)
Keywords
Where Viz Comic is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ealing
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Viz Comic business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: Viz Comic operates primarily through magazine subscriptions, offering customers periodic delivery of the publication ten times per year.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of Viz-branded merchandise including Top Trumps cards, annual publications, greeting cards, and other products through its own shop and third-party retailers like Amazon and specialized candy shops.
- Advertising: The magazine sells advertising space, with demographic data available showing its audience is predominantly male (82.2%) with strong representation in the 35-54 age range.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Magazine subscription - Ten issues per year |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Viz Comic product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Viz Comic publishes a British satirical magazine ten times per year featuring irreverent cartoons, sharp political and social satire, and reader-submitted content. Its commercial offering combines recurring print subscriptions, branded merchandise (Top Trumps cards, annual compilations, greeting cards, apparel), and in-magazine advertising. Operations are run by Diamond Publishing Ltd from London and reach UK consumers primarily through direct subscription and third-party retail channels.
Product overview
Viz Comic is a British satirical magazine published ten times a year since 1979. The core product is Viz Magazine itself, featuring irreverent cartoons and sharp satire. The company also operates interactive reader engagement features including Letterbocks (letter submissions), Top Tips (reader tips), and Roger's Profanisaurus (vulgar language submissions). Additionally, Viz Comic offers a merchandise line through the Viz Shop, including Top Trumps cards, annual collections, and greeting cards. The products function as a traditional publishing operation with supplementary digital engagement features and merchandise extensions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Letterbocks: Reader letters section where letters may be published on the website and in the magazine.
- Top Tips
- Rogers Profanisaurus
- Viz Top Trumps
- Viz Annual
Products and services
- Viz Magazine British satirical print magazine published ten times per year featuring irreverent cartoons and sharp political and social satire, targeted at adult UK readers seeking boundary-pushing humor.
- Viz Annual Annual compilation of Viz comic content published in book form and sold through Amazon UK and other retail channels.
- Viz Top Trumps Card game based on Viz characters, sold as branded merchandise through the official Viz Shop.
- Viz Cards Branded greeting cards featuring Viz comic characters and humor, retailed through specialty outlets such as Brainbox Candy.
- Viz Shop Official online merchandise storefront selling Viz-branded apparel, accessories, and related items to consumers.
Companies that use Viz Comic
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Viz Comic technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Viz Comic partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Diamond Publishing LtdcoreDiamond Publishing Ltd handles the publishing and licensing operations for Viz Comic, located at their London office address. They manage the commercial operations including the address for advertising inquiries.
- More TVicar (Viz Shop)minorMore TVicar operates the official Viz merchandise shop at moreticar.com, selling branded clothing and accessories.
- Brainbox CandyminorBrainbox Candy retails Viz Cards products, distributing Viz-branded card merchandise to consumers.
- Amazon UKminorAmazon UK serves as a marketplace channel for Viz Annual publications and books, making the products available to a wide consumer audience.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Viz Comic competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 2000 AD: 2000 AD is a long-running British weekly science-fiction comic magazine with a similar niche-but-loyal UK reader base and serialised publication model. It overlaps Viz in distribution format and UK newsstand culture, though focused on sci-fi rather than satire.
- Private Eye: Private Eye is a British satirical magazine that has operated since 1961 and shares Viz's adult-oriented, UK-domestic satirical positioning and loyal subscriber base. Both publications are independently operated UK institutions that combine satire with boundary-pushing humour.
- National Lampoon: National Lampoon was the American satirical humour magazine known for adult-oriented, irreverent comedy — a structural analogue to Viz in content style, adult tone, and serialised publication cadence.
- The Beano: The Beano is the UK's other iconic long-running comic magazine, published continuously since 1938. It serves a similar UK mass-market comic readership with regular periodical issues and digital extensions, making it the closest direct comparison to Viz despite its more family-friendly tone.
- MAD Magazine: MAD Magazine was the leading American satirical comic magazine, featuring irreverent humour and recurring characters in a periodical format. It is the international archetype for the Viz format and was historically a direct competitor in the satirical comics category.
- Punch (magazine): Punch was the UK's historic satirical magazine (1841–2002, 1996–2002 revival) and a direct structural predecessor to Viz in British satirical publishing, with the same irreverent humour style and periodical delivery model.
Emerging players
- The Onion: The Onion is the leading American satirical outlet, originally print-based and now primarily digital. It overlaps Viz in satirical brand identity and target audience (adults seeking irreverent humour) but has made a much more aggressive pivot to digital channels.
Regional players
- Charlie Hebdo: Charlie Hebdo is France's flagship satirical magazine, offering irreverent political and social commentary in a weekly newsstand format. It mirrors Viz's irreverent, boundary-pushing editorial voice but operates in the French market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Viz Comic social profiles
Digital presenceViz Comic financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Viz Comic leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Viz Comic funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Viz Comic M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Viz Comic
What does Viz Comic do?
Viz Comic publishes a British satirical magazine ten times per year featuring irreverent cartoons, sharp political and social satire, and reader-submitted content. Its commercial offering combines recurring print subscriptions, branded merchandise (Top Trumps cards, annual compilations, greeting cards, apparel), and in-magazine advertising. Operations are run by Diamond Publishing Ltd from London and reach UK consumers primarily through direct subscription and third-party retail channels.
Is Viz Comic a public or private company?
Viz Comic is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Viz Comic founded?
Viz Comic was founded in 1979. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Viz Comic based?
Viz Comic is headquartered in Ealing, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Viz Comic make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales and advertising.
Who are Viz Comic's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 2000 AD, Private Eye, National Lampoon, The Beano, MAD Magazine and Punch (magazine). The Onion is listed as an emerging player. Charlie Hebdo is listed as a regional player.
Does Viz Comic have an API?
No public API is recorded for Viz Comic.
What industry is Viz Comic in?
Viz Comic's product category is Satirical Print Magazines. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAGAK, Art/Alternative/Underground Comics Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAGAL, Anthologies & Serialized Comics Magazines Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513191 and its SIC code is 2731.