Broken Frontier

There have been some major development in the DC comics offices, with Jim Lee and Geoff Johns recently becoming the new Co-Publisher and Chief Creative Officer respectively. This development will probably shape the future of DC Comics for years to come, and could affect the entire comic book medium. This move continues the trend of creative talent being used in executive positions, bringing with them an intimate knowledge of the ins-and-outs of the Comics business.

It seems like Lee and Johns were born to take on these roles. Lee has been the head over at the WildStorm imprint for nearly two decades now, and Johns’ creativity has shaped the DC universe in major ways for the past few years. It’s great to see DC promoting from within and recognizing the solid contributions of the creative talent over the years with promotions into management.

Geoff Johns first started out as an assistant to director Richard Donner (Superman, Excalibur [King Arthur not Nightcrawler]). In 1999 he started writing comics and the rest is history, as Johns writes one hell of a epic superhero comic. Johns has been one of the most influential minds in shaping the DC Universe of late (Blackest Night, Infinite Crisis, Flash: Rebirth), and he is sure to be even more influential in his post as Chief Creative Officer of DC.

Johns should flourish in helping to shape the entire DC continuity. As Chief Creative Officer for all of DC Entertainment you can expect him to be involved in DC Entertainment products across many mediums. I’d expect Johns to be involved with the development of television, films, and video games that feature DC characters. I imagine that Johns' prolific monthly writing ability won't be impeded much, but we might witness a slowdown at some point as his new role expands. With his vast knowledge of the continuity I’d imagine that Johns will act as a “showrunner”, overseeing how the DC universe and its characters are portrayed across various forms of media.

New Co-Publisher Jim Lee really has come full circle in his long career. Getting his start as the penciler for Marvel’s Alpha Flight, Lee soon became one of the most popular artists of the early '90s. Lee both penciled and co-plotted X-Men #1 which will probably never be unseated as the highest selling comic of all time at over 8 million copies sold.

Lee was part of the Image breakaway in 1992, and it was there he first formed his imprint WildStorm Productions. After six years as part of Image, WildStorm was sold to DC in 1998, and Lee continued to be involved as Editorial Director. Now Lee is in the top spot at one of the big two (albeit sharing duty with Dan DiDio). It will be interesting to see how Lee will approach his latest and greatest challenge. He seems uniquely qualified to oversee the future developments in the DC Comics line.

Expect to see Lee write monthly “letters from the editor” like he has done in the past at WildStorm. He could also “pull a Quesada” and moonlight as an artist and produce some awesome cover art. It will be fun to see what direction DC heads under his lead, as WildStorm did quite well under Lee’s watch.

With Lee and Johns at the helm, fans can rest assured that the DC comics universe will be in good hands for years to come. From a fans perspective, it has been great to watch their careers develop up to this point. I think that this will turn out to be a great move for all parties involved, much like the Marvel hire of Joe Quesada back in 2000. Hang on to your hats folks, this is bound to be the greatest DC team-up ever!