DCU Blog The Source continues their rollout of the first official statements from the folks involved in the new appointments. Here, reprinted below, are the statements from new Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, and from new Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. We'll have more with all involved as the day continues:
A Note from Jim Lee and Dan DiDio
Change is in the air.
It can sound a little bit scary, but really, what is change? It’s
about reinvention. It’s about redefining. It’s about re-energizing.
And when you think about it, change is and always has been the vital
life force that has made DC Comics the premiere publishing powerhouse
that it is today. From DC Comics ushering in the Golden Age of
Superheroes in the late 1930’s, then boldly reinventing them for a new
audience in the Silver Age in the 1960’s, to the launch of the
critically acclaimed Vertigo imprint and the acquisition of WildStorm
three decades later and now, the creation of DC Entertainment, this
enterprise has always been about building the very best home for
creators to come together to tell the most diverse, enduring and
entertaining stories possible.
But you can’t just change everything, simply for the sake of change.
And that’s where we come in. With our respective experiences and
history with DC and our relationships with the world’s best writers and
artists, our mission is to reinvent DC Comics to prepare it for the
challenges and opportunities in this quickly changing world. With the
Co-Publisher structure, it’s going to allow us to be in many places at
once, both literally and metaphorically; to better position DC as one
of the great creative engines which fuels and defines so much of our
world’s Pop Culture while making sure we continue to address and
redefine what makes DC’s characters so great. Thankfully, we already
have between all the talented, hardworking staffers that comprise DC,
Vertigo, WildStorm and Mad—one of the greatest, most experienced
editorial teams one could hope for to do just that, and we look forward
to working with everyone to propel DC to new heights.
Given how long we have known each other and how well we know our
individual strengths and skill sets, there’s going to be some easygoing
but frank, healthy discussion about how we can accomplish these goals,
especially as we get into the specifics of what reinvention means. We
look forward to sharing the results of that dialogue with you going
forward into the future. Till then, we would like to pause at this
moment in DC Comics’ tremendously rich and storied history to simply
state not only how honored we are to be chosen to carry forth its
legacy but how excited we feel about the prospect of adding to it.
Former DC President/Publisher Paul Levitz has been the driving force
behind much of that legacy, and we owe much to his prescient guidance
and steadfast professionalism. We truly stand on the shoulders of
giants–thank you, Paul.
We are equally as beholden to new DCE President Diane Nelson for her
faith in the all-star team she has assembled. In very short time, Diane
has demonstrated to each of us through her intellect, her insight and
her leadership that she is the right person to take DC to the next
level. She has a tremendous vision for what DC Entertainment can be and
her passion and enthusiasm have been truly inspirational; we couldn’t
be any prouder to be leading the charge with her. And while DC will
continue to grow, evolve and change–at the end of the day, it will
always be about the words and pictures, no matter the medium, and the
incredible people who craft them into art. Given our passion for this
unique and wonderful art form, know that that much will always remain a
constant.
Jim and Dan
A Note From Geoff Johns
“WOW.”
That’s the first thing I said too when I heard about the team Diane
wanted to form to guide DC Entertainment both in and out of the comic
book pages and into the not-so-distant future. That not-so-distant
future being today.
And in the words of my Tiny Titans collaborators, “AW YEAH, DC COMICS!”
The second thing I said to Diane was, “Um, what about writing? I
love writing. I can’t stop writing!” Diane smiled and said, “…writing’s
part of the job!” Right away, I knew I was in. This was a dream come
true. So what am I going to be doing besides writing Green Lantern, The
Flash, Batman: Earth One and Brightest Day? What’s “Chief Creative
Officer” even mean? It sounds like a suit job…thankfully I’m still
wearing my t-shirts. Even in the blizzards here in New York. But before
I get into what new things I’ll be doing, I want to tell you why I’ve
decided to jump into DC Entertainment full on, as if it wasn’t obvious
already.
1) The People.
I’ve worked with Dan and Jim over the years and, honestly, there are
very few people I admire more in my life, inside or outside of the
comic book world. Dan’s leadership, endless energy and devotion to
pushing boundaries is infectious and Jim’s pure talent, enthusiasm and
dedication to exploring the outlets of the future inspiring. In the
short time I’ve come to know John and Patrick, I feel a sense of
progression and history forging together, both of which make DC what it
is.
And now there’s Diane. Someone whose passion and understanding of
the value of the creative process is undoubtedly going to lead DC
Entertainment into an incredible new era for all of us fans,
soon-to-be-fans and fellow creators – the writers and artists who
create the lifeblood of this industry. I can’t wait for you to meet
Diane. Her warmth and sincerity has made me feel like I’ve known her my
entire life. Just like DC Comics. Which brings me to the second reason
this totally rocks.
2) The Mythologies.
There is no place on Earth that has a more diverse and deep universe
of characters and worlds. From Atrocitus to Y: The Last Man. My love
for DC started when I first saw the Flash take on Captain Cold in the
Challenge of the Super-Friends. I never ate my Honeycomb that fast. It
when I bought my first comic books in 1985, including Crisis on
Infinite Earths, alongside my Super Powers figures and only grew over
the years until I broke into the industry myself.
So what does a “Chief Creative Officer” do? Well, I still wear
t-shirts and write and go to conventions, but I’ll be doing a whole lot
more too.
Under the leadership of Jim and Dan, I’ll continue writing and
giving my creative input as I have been in comic books. But expanding
onto that, Diane’s asked me to take our comic book world, embrace it
(as I do) and use it to lead the creative charge on bringing it all to
film, toys, television, video games, animation and beyond. The Justice
Society appearing on Smallville was only the beginning.
Let’s all let this sink in a little more: Martin Campbell of Casino
Royale is directing Green Lantern. And over the last few months, I’ve
met with Ryan Reynolds to talk all-things Green Lantern, I’ve worked
closely with Green Lantern producer Donald Deline and screenwriter
Michael Goldenberg on the script (Aw yeah, Kilowog!) and I’ve realized
that the Green Lantern comics and film and everything growing out of
them (wait until you see what!) is only the beginning of what DC
Entertainment has coming our way under Diane and Jeff Robinov’s
leadership. And I have to say something about Jeff too. He’s made
Warner Brothers the most successful and artist-friendly studio out
there and that will carry over into DC Entertainment. He knows what we
know: the potential of DC is infinite. We couldn’t be in better hands
on that front. Expect the characters we love, the A-list and the ones
even you and I might barely know, to be shepherded into the “outside
world” with respect, care and unbridled energy. They’ll be plenty of
Batman and Superman, but there are a whole lot of characters from the
DC Universe, Mad, Vertigo and Wildstorm waiting to be unleashed.
They might say, “The sky is the limit!” at other places when looking
at the new opportunities ahead. They think too small. We all know the
sky isn’t the limit at DC. The universe isn’t even the limit. There
isn’t one.
I was going to close this out with one of my favorite phrases from
Blackest Night – “All Will Be Well!” – but I think another one can sum
up DC Entertainment and the people and creative teams behind it.
“Beware Our Power!”
Aw.
Yeah.
Geoff
