The words "Major Layoffs" have appeared on far too many headlines in 2020. With the pandemic not only creating a major health crisis in America, but an economic crisis as well, more and more companies both big and small within the entertainment industry have been forced to make some painful decisions this year, and DC Comicsis no exception. Though the reasons for the layoffs are complicated and extend beyond Covid-19, ultimately publishing comics during a pandemic turned out to be a cost-heavy business for WarnerMedia.
When news broke that DC has mostly denied that claim. But regardless of the hows and whys, the home of such monumental pulp icons as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, was forced to cut 20 percent of its staff. While fans are still waiting for the dust to settle, one thing is for certain at this point--DC's rockstar publisher Jim Lee is still in the captain's seat, and "there is no pencils down order" in regards to current content, as the executive puts it. But with Lee shouldering the fate of DC in a way that he never has before (and Co-Publisher Dan DiDio departing back in February) the company is bringing in a general manager to assist with the operational elements starting in mid-September.
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," said Lee in an interview with THR. "The general manager we're bringing in has a wealth of marketing experience, global partnership experience, general business development experience.
With this new general manager taking over what will likely be an amalgam of DiDio's old position combined with parts of the Chief Creative Officer position previously held by Geoff Johns (but with a bigger emphasis on franchise-building), Lee reassured DC fans that he will "continue to be involved as intimately with publishing" as he was before the hammer fell. He itted that expectations of him are running high in the company, but his primary focus will remain on DC's creative decisions, its content strategy, and how many books the company puts out. Lee himself has been an icon at DC for quite some time; from his early glory days as one of the most acclaimed celebrity artists of the 90s era to quickly becoming one of the top guys in charge of all of DC's artistic visions.
Though the layoffs have devastated multiple departments, from senior editors to their merchandise and collectibles division DC Direct (though the department's principal lead, Jim Fletcher, will remain on staff), Lee overall tried to paint an optimistic picture for the future. The publisher/artist reaffirmed that DC will one hundred percent continue to put out comics, proclaiming that they are the cornerstone of everything the company does and will continue to do as a brand. He itted they will be scaling back the number of books being published, but claimed it was about adding more "punch for the pound." Lee also pointed out that the sales numbers of some of their Batman storylines such as Joker Warand Three Jokers have actually exceeded expectations considering we're still in the middle of a pandemic.
"This week has been a really heavy difficult time not just for me, but for the entire organization," Lee remarked in his interview with THR. But despite having to make some tearful goodbyes to the very people that were instrumental in making DC what it is today, Lee assured fans that "everyone has been notified to keep working on all the projects we've greenlit and started." What that means is at the very least fans will get to finish storylines they've already started. A small consolation given the bleak circumstances, but a silver-lining nonetheless for both readers as well as the creative teams putting together said stories.
Rumors continue to pour in online regarding what's going on at DC Comics and who is taking up the new position as general manager. Some have speculated that the person has a background in e-Sports, while others claim they will likely have a previous working relationship with WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar. One big question on peoples' minds is why hire a general manager and not an editor-in-chief or a CEO? One theory speculates that the bloated media conglomerate is restructuring to make their complex chain-of-command more flexible to the needs of their new business strategy, which allocates much of the company's vast resources and brands to HBO Max.
