Acclaimed DC writer Joshua Williamson is leaving two of the DC series he’s been penning for over a year. As a DC exclusive writer, Williamson has kept his plate full of projects, from helping to transition the DC Universe from Dark Knights: Death Metal to Infinite Frontier to Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. The fan-favorite The Flash writer has been one of DC’s big guns when it comes to storytelling and helping to shape the DC Universe, which means the projects he works on are ever-changing. Unfortunately, that also means Williamson has to adjust his workload and say goodbye to two titles he’s currently writing.
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Joshua Williamson announced his departure from writing Batman and Robin and Green Arrow on his Substack newsletter. Batman and Robin #13 is his final issue of the series, while Green Arrow #17 and the Green Arrow Annual scheduled for October are his last for that series as well. Williamson was quick to point out that the decision to step away from both titles were his choice, and he explained his reasoning behind the choices he made. In some positive news, Batman and Robin and Green Arrow will continue with new creative teams, and Williamson is excited about the choices DC made with the eteams.
Joshua Williamson explains exits from Batman and Robin and Green Arrow
“I’ve been feeling some burn out for a bit now. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for a few years and it was very clear that I needed to take some time off and reduce my schedule drastically,” Joshua Williamson wrote. “I’ve been writing a LOT of books the last few years, and as much as I loved every minute of it, I need to recharge and reset. Spend more time with my young family and adjust my priorities. I’ve talked about this a bit in past newsletters and then in the videos with Sal on YouTube. That I often times feel like I’ve been running a marathon, and I’ve learned how to be a better runner while on the move, but I’ve never taken the time to finish the marathon, rest, stretch, and run smarter. I’m often envious of directors or writers who finish a project and then take some time to just THINK about the next one. This is often difficult in comics as we’re a weekly business. But I knew I needed it.”
After stating how massive the Superman arc after Absolute Power is, he discussed some exciting opportunities on the horizon.
“I’ve been offered some new comic projects that were difficult to turn down. I knew that I needed the headspace to really think about them. Give them the room to breathe and live in my head a bit before I start to put pen to paper. They are all projects I’m excited about, but I knew I couldn’t just add them onto my already busy schedule. I needed to clean my plate, take some time to think about the new work, and then get started. I’ve learned that I am at my best when I’m not rushed, so that meant taken my time with these new ones. News on these later,” he said.
“Because of my packed schedule, I’ve had to say no to a few projects in the past. But recently, I’ve had opportunities in front of me that were different and interesting in surprising ways. Different from what people would expect from me. It felt like the right time to work on them.”
