artist Pete Woods announced today via Facebook that he will be leaving the title to pursue another, as-yet-unannounced opportunity with another publisher.The veteran penciller, who also has a story coming up on Adventures of Superman, took to social media in part to assure fans that his relationship with DC is as good as ever, but that the opportunity being offered was too good to pass up. He said that it will be several months before the project is formally announced.Woods will complete the sixth issue of Vibe, which will be his final issue on the series. There’s no official word on who will replace him yet; he’s still solicited as the artist of August’s seventh issue.Before Vibe, Woods, worked on the cancelled Legion Lost series. Since the launch of Vibe, the series first lost Geoff Johns and then Andrew Kreisberg as writers, who were then replaced by up-and-coming DC writer Sterling Gates, who also worked with Johns on The Sinestro Corps War and the Man of Steel Prequel.You can read Woods’s statement below.
I’m currently halfway through drawing issue 6 of Vibe which will be my final issue. The next major project I do will not be a DC project.With all the sensationalism that goes on these days I feel I should make several things clear.First- I LOVE working on Vibe and hate to leave it. It’s a fantastic book and exactly what fans always say they want. Sterling Gates is doing a kick-ass job and there’s plenty more fun in the future of the character. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE- if you haven’t tried Vibe then give it a shot. It’s fantastic. Even without me drawing itSecond- DC Editorial is not a pack of megalomaniacal egotists out to dictate their sexist, violent, high-collared view of what the DCU should be. They are in fact a group of dedicated professionals working hard to bring you the freshest, most exciting comics they possibly can. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with these people and I hope that I can again in the future. They have been my family and I love them.Third- I am leaving Vibe of my own volition. No big, mean editor fired me. They didn’t ignore my service of over a decade because they’re heartless and cruel. DC has been good to me and committed to keeping me employed. They are good people. I am leaving Vibe because I was presented with an opportunity from another publisher to help launch a property that I have loved since I was a kid. It was an opportunity that presents itself once or twice in a lifetime and I simply could not turn it down.I am sorry to those who might feel let down by me leaving Vibe. As I said it was not an easy decision to make. Brian Cunningham is a great editor and I’m sure whoever he gets to take my place will make you a happy camper.