DC Comics 'Restructuring' Vertigo Imprint, Announces Shelly Bond's Departure

[CBR News]

DC is "restructuring" Vertigo, and with that comes the departure of Executive Editor Shelly Bond, who has been with the imprint since its earliest days.


Full article here.

[JayBee]

I don't think reporting to Johns & Lee is a good idea. Vertigo should (mostly) stand on its own from everything else DC is doing, especially these days.

[Desean101101]

I don't think reporting to Johns & Lee is a good idea. Vertigo should (mostly) stand on its own from everything else DC is doing, especially these days.

Maybe but the Vertigo Imprint hasn't been what it's used to be for a long time now and its been declining under her leadership so its pretty clear that a shake up needed to happen. They were putting marketing money behind alot of projects and it didn't pan out. I can see them trying to right the ship before finding a new head of the Division with Pure creator owned projects for people working at DC so they dont go to Image for their Page Rates.

[GreenLanternRanger]

Sad to see her go. I've enjoyed the latest wave of Vertigo stuff, Twilight Children was enjoyable overall, and I've quite liked Slash & Burn and Red Thorn.

[Tayswift]

I don't think reporting to Johns & Lee is a good idea. Vertigo should (mostly) stand on its own from everything else DC is doing, especially these days.

vertigo report to didio and lee. I agree that it is not a good move, because of it they lost Karen and now shelly bond is a escape goat for the poor perfomance.
vertigo also not being 100% creator owned doesn't help attract creators.

[t hedge coke]

I hope she goes on to good work elsewhere.

[numberthirty]

Man, it really seems like they just do not have anything that resembles a plan on this front.

[Lexor7]

She was probably the last editor standing from Vertigo's "good old days" so sad to see her go on that front, but really I haven't enjoyed much of what Vertigo's put out in the last five years. Whatever the politics, she's the leader and sales certainly didn't support most of their efforts. I wonder if they'll just truck along til Way's new imprint gets going and then see if it makes sense to fold up shop and invest mature reader titles in Young Animal.

[codystarbuck]

DC and Warner continue to demonstrate that they have no clue about publishing. They've been systematically eliminating anyone with a publishing background in favor of marketing people and their current DC braintrust, which has been losing readership consistently, with only a very few bright spots. All that matters is maintaining trademarks and feeding their other ventures, like gaming, tv and film. What does it matter if the comics are good are not; no one buys them. At least, that seems to be the attitude at Warner.

I think back to the late 70s, as Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz drag DC kicking and screaming out of the past and implement modern ideas to attract new blood. And it worked beautifully, leading to a wonderful renaissance that has systematically been undone since the turn of the Millennium (though chasing speculators, in the 90s, started things unraveling). Now, they have to constantly reboot because they are out of ideas, out of talent with a vision, and try to milk every dime out of a dying, possibly dead horse. This company makes the 90s look like the Golden Age.

[Swamp Thing 2099]

Don't fuck this up, and please keep books like Clean Room, Unfollow and Suiciders around. And don't fuck with Sheriff of Babylon. I know they say it's been "extended" to twelve issues, but the way Mitch Gerard talks about it, it sounds like he and Tom King have a lot of stories to tell beyond that.

[Nite-Wing]

they aren't going to be able to compete with Image unless they offer the same deals and right now that probably won't end up happening

[Tom Foolery]

DC and Warner continue to demonstrate that they have no clue about publishing. They've been systematically eliminating anyone with a publishing background in favor of marketing people and their current DC braintrust, which has been losing readership consistently, with only a very few bright spots. All that matters is maintaining trademarks and feeding their other ventures, like gaming, tv and film. What does it matter if the comics are good are not; no one buys them. At least, that seems to be the attitude at Warner.

I think back to the late 70s, as Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz drag DC kicking and screaming out of the past and implement modern ideas to attract new blood. And it worked beautifully, leading to a wonderful renaissance that has systematically been undone since the turn of the Millennium (though chasing speculators, in the 90s, started things unraveling). Now, they have to constantly reboot because they are out of ideas, out of talent with a vision, and try to milk every dime out of a dying, possibly dead horse. This company makes the 90s look like the Golden Age.

Quoted for truth.

I could hear the dirge playing for Vertigo when Karen Berger left. I'm not sure if WB doesn't understand that the real problem here is DC's upper management, or if they just don't care. Maybe they do only want night watchmen looking over their IP warehouse for TV and film, and not actual shepherds guiding it back to it's former glory. But go ahead and keep the law firm of Nelson, Didio, Lee, Harras, and Johns in charge while you slowly bleed readers every month.

It kinda sucks for Shelly Bond. She uprooted her life and moved out west, being a team player, and the team said thank you.

[skyvolt2000]

She was probably the last editor standing from Vertigo's "good old days" so sad to see her go on that front, but really I haven't enjoyed much of what Vertigo's put out in the last five years. Whatever the politics, she's the leader and sales certainly didn't support most of their efforts. I wonder if they'll just truck along til Way's new imprint gets going and then see if it makes sense to fold up shop and invest mature reader titles in Young Animal.

Shouldn't that apply to Dan and friends?

And it's not her fault the image of the company got tarnish by antics at DC with creators running for the hills.

Why should I go to a company where I get told one things and it changes at the last minute?

Why go to DC where artist can take over as writer of a book and replaced by an inexperience artist?

Or the questionable behavior of the editors.

Folks probably feel safe at Image and this won't help DC until they can prove that they are behind the imprint instead of acting like it doesn't exist.

[Factor]

I think they're moving Vertigo to full creator-owned while Young Animal will be positioned as the mature take on DC properties.

[nightrider]

they aren't going to be able to compete with Image unless they offer the same deals and right now that probably won't end up happening

You do know that image being 100% creator owned means creators need to fork out the money to print and publish their books as well as to advertise them right? Meaning to say, if you have no capital you can forget about publishing anything.
Otoh vertigo provides the platform, as log as editors Accept your pitch, you can publish your book without paying a cent. You still get paid royalties as long as DC publishes your trades. The only catch is for the first few years Warner Bros reserve all films and media rights. Izombie definitely made the creators a lot richer.