The interviews with DC’s new executive team are trickling out, and first in our inbox is a Vaneta Rogers chat with everyone except Caldon. A key takeaway: The DCU is looking for a new head.
DiDio’s former position of executive editor has yet to be filled, although he said all editorial positions are currently being examined by the new executive team. “Right now, this is about setting up the executive team, and at this particular time, that’s where our focus is,” DiDio said. “In the course of time and over the next month or so, we’ll be reviewing the staff and how we fill the position going forward. We have such incredible talent at the top of the masthead now with Jim and Geoff, and it’s important to figure out how we fill out from there.”
The whole crew is at pains to point out that the humble comic book remains at the center of Diane Nelson’s vision for DC:
Look no further than the executive team announcement to demonstrate how much Diane believes in the comics art form for the future of the entirety of DC Entertainment,” Rood said. “The content, the creativity, the intellectual property, all the synergy fodder — whatever you call it, it all begins and ends with comic storytelling. And we’re not going to go into new media or new categories of products just to be there. It has to be organic to the comics DNA.”
Lee will be heavily involved with DCE’s digital strategy — the big news is that now they will have one. It looks like Johns is going to continue to be an uber consultant, who will help expand DC concepts onto multiple platforms and work as point man in Hollywood — or at least the 7-11, as readers of Johns’ twitter stream will know.
While official statements continue to roll out, over at Techland, Douglas Wolk has a more pointed look at what each man brings to the table.
Is it just me, or is this already turning into a big messy ball of yarn? Where does the buck stop at DC/Warner? Robinov? Nelson? Didio? Johns? Unnamed Editor in Chief? How does Geoff Johns call the creative shots in relation to a similarly-tasked Editor In Chief? Or not?
Lots of overlapping or poorly-defined fiefdoms can spell trouble.
Whoops! Darn key-stroke malfunction….
What I meant to say is that “Yep, they’re merely rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, so now they’re looking for a new ‘Executive Editor’ who all the other suits can point at and blame for the ongoing mess in the comics division.”
I nominate Sean T. Collins.
If they’ve been working on this since last November, they certainly had adequate time to select a new Executive Editor (EE), or at least assign the duties to someone on an interim basis. If an EE isn’t needed to get the comics out to the printers over the next several weeks to months, that would imply that a new EE isn’t needed.
SRS
I’ll do it, but only if I can write an Arm Fall Off Boy and the Plaid Lad monthly.
Sarah Palin.
That’s a pretty horrible breakdown by Techland, I still can’t believe that they are under the delusion that creating new characters and bringing in mainstream readers is a strategy that works for comics considering it never has.
These companies need to work on strenghtening their iconic characters and getting back all the fans they lost the last couple of decades by forcing the brand spanking new heroes thing that basically ruined comics for a over a decade.
As far as who will take over the Executive Editor role that’s an interesting question but considering the names at the head of DC at the moment it will probably be someone with close ties to all the main players.
Tomasi?
Keeping my fingers crossed – Eddie Bergenza.
And not Ian Satler.