DC’s Jim Lee Praises James Gunn for Guiding Movie Fans to Comics

There’s been a lot of change happening at DC in the past year – especially since the announcement that Warner Bros. Discovery was launching DC Studios, with James Gunn and Peter Safran in charge. Gunn’s approach to marketing and PR for DC Studios projects has been very different than, say, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige; Gunn has been much more engaging and open with the thought process behind his “DC Universe: Chapter One” slate –  including the notable change of recognizing the comic book stories and creators that inspired this new era of DC films and TV shows. 

Now DC Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee is speaking up, praising James Gunn for making sure to point DC fans towards the comic books that inspire these DC films and TV shows – or just comic books in general. 

“It’s amazing to have partners in Peter and James, particularly James. He was a comics fan growing up and knows our mythology inside out, and having that kind of ally in the live-action space allows us to really leverage what he is doing and allow us to market and sell comic books to new readers.” Lee told THR during Comic-Con 2023. “These are people who are interested in his movies, his TV shows, and if they want to take a deep dive into these characters, he directs them to the comic books.”

Jim Lee isn’t just talking about the spirit of solidarity between DC filmmakers and comic creators – he’s talking big figures of money. THR notes that while Lee didn’t reveal any company specifics, Gunn’s free promotion of key DC stories and titles has had a significant impact on comic book sales – to the tune of double or triple-digit increases. For Jim Lee, it’s nice to see the onscreen DC content and the publishing side of the company in sync: 

“At the end of the day, there’s the business of DC and then there’s the content engine that creates all the DC content, from the comics to animation and movies and stuff like that,” Lee added. “But it’s that connection between comics and media that we’re celebrating here.”

Indeed, increased synchronicity between DC Publishing and DC Studios seems to be benefitting both sides. A prime example is Tom King’s Superman: Woman of Tomorrow. That limited series from 2021-2022 is the inspiration for DC Studios’ movie of the same name; when Gunn and Safran announced that the book was getting a movie adaptation, the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic sold out of stock for weeks, as did certain volumes of Booster Gold (which is getting a TV series). 

So far, DC seems to be keeping things in sync well: now, all Gunn has to do is launch a Superman: Legacy reboot that convinces the masses to make it a major hit. No pressure.