DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio Exits Company

It’s the end of an era at DC Comics as longtime co-publisher Dan DiDio is no longer with the superhero publishing company. DiDio was best known for overseeing multiple initiatives that pushed massive awareness of the brand, with storylines and titles including Infinite Crisis, 52, the New 52 relaunch, and DC Rebirth, as well as other stories like Before Watchmen and Doomsday Clock. DiDio has served as co-publisher alongside superstar artist Jim Lee for the last decade, being anointed as one of the figureheads of DC Comics by then-president Diane Nelson.

ComicBook.com has learned that DiDio is no longer with the company, with DC Comics confirming the news. They have not yet issued a statement publicly, though it’s likely coming soon.

The publisher has had multiple false starts and fan-derided initiatives in recent years including the shuttering of the Vertigo publishing imprint, instead bringing the branding in line with the new DC Black Label. He recently stressed that there had been problems with the rollout for those comics, though he vowed to improve the publishing schedule.

“Extraordinarily successful for us,” DiDio revealed in a Q&A with retailers [via Newsarama]. “The response and reaction has been better than we could imagine. Our plan is to make sure we’re consistent in the material we’re putting out, and that it’s strong, and that it comes out on time. We will not be soliciting anything until we are clear that this material will come out as scheduled.”

He added, “We like the maturity, the sensibility, the quality. The talent is going to be driving this line. We will not overproduce here, because we want to make sure this is a long-term plan.”

While we wait to hear about DC’s plans for a succession, whether Jim Lee will be joined by someone or if he’ll take over the publishing duties solo, it’s important to recognize that just one year ago, Warner Bros. brass. made the decision to lay off employees in the comics division.

“Today has been a challenging day. We have made organizational changes across DC that we believe will help to strengthen and evolve the division for future success. With these changes come difficult decisions which we take very seriously,” said Pam Lifford, president of Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences, at the time of the layoffs. “We recognize and appreciate that all of our employees have made considerable contributions to our business and that it is difficult to lose colleagues, many of whom have been here for a long time and have made an important impact on DC. We thank them for their hard work and dedication to DC. As always, we are committed to taking care of our employees and will be as thoughtful as possible with those who are impacted by these changes.

Cover photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for ReedPOP