Thoughts on the DC Restructure
With the recent announcement of the changes to DC, Dan Didio and Jim Lee being Co-Publishers and Geoff Johns becoming Creative Director, I put the call out to see what people thought of these changes.
Personally I think that DC couldn’t keep going as it has been without Dan since he has been the face of DC which it has been lacking for so long before he came along and also he comes across as DC’s biggest Fan. Jim Lee was a surprise to me as we haven’t really seen much of him of late but you have to remember that he has been running Wildstorm for a long time (though it can do with a reboot to get a focus back on it) and has been dealing with the digital side of things for a while. I get the feeling that they will be splitting print and digital between them both so this can be a good thing.
Geoff Johns is DC’s golden boy at the moment with the great work he has been doing on Blackest Night and I think his promotion is showing that they respect his work and want to see his overall vision for the DC universe bring everything back together.
But that being said here’s what others had to say.
Derek Coward – Comic Book Noise
Other people making money doesn’t interest me much. I’m glad the people involved are able to provide for their family, but it doesn’t benefit me, so I don’t care.
Patrick MacEvoy – Artist of Starkweather: Immortal and can be found at Megaflow Graphics
It seems like a good move in general for DC. However, I’m a little mystified by Jim Lee’s status being that high in the organizational structure. He’s proven to be a shrewd businessman, obviously a top artist, and also a man with an eye for great new talent. However his actual track record at selling books (other than those he’s drawn himself) and overseeing a production house has been dismal since the end of the Image boom.
I certainly see his high value as a member of a managerial team, but not as a “co-publisher” as I understand the position. In that category, the term “failing up” seems to apply.
Bob Bretall – Co-Host of Comic Book Page
On the co-publisher topic, I’ll be very interested to see how the division of labor is going to work between Didio & Lee. This may work best if Didio takes the mainstream DCU and Lee takes Wildstorm & Vertigo. I’ll be really curious on how they both take to the “publisher” responsibilites, sice that requires a lot more focus on business stuff, and less on editorial content (a good reference for that is here: http://www.foliomag.com/2008/editors-have-you-got-what-it-takes-be-publisher-too). Lee has some experience with this from Wildstorm’s days before it got bought by DC, but the fact that it DID get bought by DC may be an indication that he was not as effective in the role as he might have been in order to keep the company as a separate entity, unless of course he mainly sold out in order to shed those business responsibilities and be able to focus more on the creative side, now he’s getting pulled right back into that business side of publishing.
As regards to Johns role as CCO, I think this is a fabulous move. He has already demonstrated a keen vision & respect for the DC characters, and him driving the DCU in this role could very well usher in a new “golden age” for DC. What I’d be really keen to see is whether he will have the authority/desire to reign in crazy stuff like Grant Morrison’s seeming lack of coherence/continuity between Final Crisis & the Batman RIP stuff. It would be really nice to see a consistent and coherent DCU that stretches from the comics, to video games to TV/animation.
Alan Baxter – Writer and can be found at AlanBaxter.com
Jim Lee and Dan DiDio as co-publishers? Looks like a make or break situation to me. DiDio hasn’t been doing too bad a job but I don’t really see what they hope to achieve by building a new publishing team like that. The biggest shame is that it might mean less Jim Lee artwork and no one draws Batman like Jim Lee!
Stuart McKenny – DC Artist on Superfriends and can be found at StuartMcKenny.com
I have to say that the DC restructure is intriguing to say the least – I’d hazard a bet that there’s a lot more going on than we’re seeing in the media right now. It will be fascinating to see how their new marketing strategies (i.e. the digital forum etc.) pan out over the next year or so – DC has such a rich library of characters that I hope to see reach a more mainstream audience! For myself I’m particularly keen to see how the more ‘family/girl/child friendly’ part of the marketing strategy evolves – exciting times ahead!
Ken Haeser – Of The Living Corpse
I think it’s great that they are promoting from within for those positions. Having one of the industry’s top writers (Geoff Johns) and best artists (Jim Lee) running the show for DC comics is great. Both those guys know how to make great comics and if they can bring that to all of DC’s line, we’re in for some great comics coming from DC!
Dirk Manning – Writer of Nightmare World from Image Comics/Shadowline, now available through book stores and comic shops nationwide as well as via Amazon.com.
For what it’s worth, I’m loving the new DC restructure. Having two self-made creators promoted to the top tier of the company makes me smile from ear-to-ear, and knowing that the two creators in question are two of the nicest self-made guys in the industry is the icing on an already very tasty cake.
As a writer/creator whose main focus at this point is creator-owned work and creator’s rights, I am cautiously optimistic that this could bode well for comic creators past, present and future across the board with DC…
Here’s to hoping!
I’d like to thank everyone for their input and thoughts on the matter and everyone should go and check out their sites and show them all some love!
One Response to “Thoughts on the DC Restructure”
Lord Shaper
Great input from everyone. I think it could be a positive move and I agree with my man ken. Lee makes good books and for a guy who’s first work was alpha flight 51 in 1985, it sure has been a long road to such a steller position. Not being one on the inside I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a proactive move to boost the spirit of DC and make some noise with all the hype weilding the comic industry thrives on.