DC Comics, after a couple of rounds of redundancies, has been a pretty paranoid place. More changes are still expected in the summer but no one seems to be talking about what they will be. As you know, nature abhors a vacuum and gossip fills its place. There’s lots of tittle-tattle, but it generally involved more staffing decisions to be made come the summer. Promotions, redundancies, there are all sorts of possibilities, and I am told that other West Coast publishers, and a couple of East Coast ones too, have received exploratory phone calls. If there’s a chance that people might be ejected, some are at least preparing the way for a soft landing somewhere else.
The first redundancy packages have been, I have been told, rather on the generous side, but dependant on the laid-off individual keeping their mouths firmly shut about – well anything. And their fingers welded tight too. It is notable that like likes of Mark Chiarallo, John Cunningham and Bill Morrison have cut their social media feeds dead in the wake of the news of recent weeks, and haven’t even been allowed to update their LinkedIn profiles or Facebook statuses to reflect the new reality.
The paranoia and gossip in the offices even concocted explanations for DC Publisher Dan DiDio‘s absence from the offices last week, as a precursor to his own redundancy, or having high-level meetings with Warner Bros executives in another building. Rather, it seems he was crossing coasts to talk to valued comic creators, comic stores and Diamond representatives face to face,m to assure them of DC’s stability going forward and to put the end to scurrilous gossip.
And, ironically, created some by his absence in Burbank,
Still, he’s back now, just in time for Josh Williamson to pop by to tell everyone about his plans for The Flash, ahead of the 80th Anniversary of the character in November…
About Rich Johnston
Chief writer and founder of Bleeding Cool. Father of two. Comic book clairvoyant. Political cartoonist.
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