DC's Jim Lee on the Company's Future: "We Are Still in the Business of Publishing Comics""There is no pencils down notice," says the exec who weighs in on this week’s major layoffs, digital comics, interim editor-in-chiefs, and a new Batman book from John Ridley.
As soon as the layoffs news hit Monday, the rumors soon began in earnest: AT&T, which acquired Time Warner in 2018 to form WarnerMedia, wants out of the comics business. Other rumors suggested DC will no longer put out comics and that Lee would be demoted from his role as publisher and chief creative officer.
You now have two interim editors-in-chiefs, Marie Javins, who headed digital strategy, and Michele Wells, who headed the YA imprint. How is that going to work? We are bringing in a general manager to the organization. My role, the way it was envisioned 10 years ago, was that I would always have a partner that would focus on the operational side. The general manager we’re bringing in has a wealth of marketing experience, global partnership experience, general business development experience. That person will start in September.
Bringing in YA and Diversity driven editors is doubling down on a policy that has been driving down sales for a decade now. Moving to digital? I guess it is true that AT&T wants to just be rid of the comic book end of DC.