The entire landscape of media is heading deeper into the world of streaming and digital offerings, with some mediums feeling as though they are vanishing entirely, but DC Comics chief creative officer Jim Lee has confirmed that the publishing arm of the company isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Due to the embrace of digital comics, rumors emerge frequently about a complete pivot towards digital-only releases, while other rumors will claim periodicals will be scrapped entirely, though Lee pointed out he’s just as aware of how often those rumors pop up and how difficult it can be to avoid weighing in on those claims.
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“Occasionally you will run across that article or tweet and I have to bite my tongue to not jump into the conversations,” Lee shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s the furthest thing from the truth. If anything, it’s the exact opposite. The comics that we publish, the core canon we establish in comics, is driving everything that we do across DC in media. We are constantly referring to the characters as we build DC beyond the publishing world.”
He continued, “Having publishing is vital to our future. You can’t rest on our laurels and having an influx of new voices, new characters, new points of view is vital to keeping the industry healthy and representative of current times. It’s mission one for us to make sure that universe we create and champion is reflective of the fanbase that loves our characters. So yes, it is the cornerstone of everything we do.”
Adding more possible complications specifically to DC Comics’ future, WarnerMedia recently merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery, leaving some fans to wonder what emphasis this newly formed brand will place on publishing.
“Without getting into the breakdown of numbers, I can say the majority of this industry in the West is physical periodicals and the books in the direct market and beyond the direct market. It’s a vibrant business to be had there. That is and will always be a big part of our business. And that is where the core of our community is,” senior vp and general manager Daniel Cherry III added of the importance of publishing. “And the community extends digitally. The people who go to those shops do engage digitally. And that digital extension of the community is something we’re excited by. We can leverage the power of that community to fans across the world.”
Cherry continued, “When you think of digital as an extension of the passion we have to the core market, it’s not a replacement of that physical book. It is a way to create an onramp. It’s a way to accelerate fandom.”
Stay tuned for details on the future of DC Comics publishing.
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