DC Realigns Again

Remember way back in the day when Wizard Magazine was a big player on the comic book scene? There was a section where the magazine took a comic and theoretically cast it as a movie, with the likelihood that the movie will never happen. Fast forward to about 2000 or so, with X-Men and Spider-man hitting theaters in all their splendor and more or less satisfying that theoretical casting by, you know, actual casting. Those two movies pretty much started the comics-to-film avalanche that we're currently immersed in. Marvel got on board, but DC was always a little behind the boat (despite The Dark Knight being quite possibly the best comic book film of all time). That's all about to change.

Yesterday, DC announced a major corporate realignment. DCE's publishing operations will remain in New York while the DC Comics business, brand and characters will be relocated to Burbank, California. The relocation is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011 with the big push to be focused on feature films, television, digital media, video games and consumer products.

“These organizational changes reinforce the strengths of DC’s greatest legacies – most importantly its people and its creative talent – and offer greater opportunity for maximum growth, success and efficiency in the future,” said Nelson. “Our two offices will stretch and build their respective areas of focus, while prioritizing and aggressively striving to connect and cooperate more strongly than ever before between them and with their colleagues at Warner Bros.”

Let's dive in.

Earlier this year DC realigned their publishing, putting Jim Lee and Geoff Johns as the big guys in charge of creative. The Green Lantern movie was greenlit (wordplay!) and is filming, the third Batman movie is in the works and there's talks of a Superman reboot. Marvel has a slate of films due out in the next few years, culminating the ultimate team-up film in the Avengers, which means that DC had something but not enough. The realignment means that they'll be able to focus on their properties in film much better in an effort to churn out as many films as Marvel does.

Warner Bros. has also made it a point that they want to start churning out more films based on DC properties because the reality is that the Harry Potter gravy train ends next summer. The seven films (eight if you count the two part seventh) will have been nothing but a cash cow for Warner Bros. for over a decade when it's all said and done. What's after that though? Nothing really. Sure, they'll churn out the occasional film not based on a property, but the truth is that it's better to wager on a sure thing like an established DC character.

I mean, fans have been clamoring for a Justice League movie forever and nearly three years ago it was almost a reality. Joss Whedon was attached to a Wonder Woman film. Since then, everything has fallen apart from a film perspective. And as I mentioned earlier, Marvel has clearly shown that people want these types of movies when they're actually at least half decent. Disney bought Marvel for a reason and I guarantee it's not for the Dr. Strange comics (no offense to Dr. Strange); it was for the opportunity to make money of their bigger properties as films. Audiences will support movies from both studios depending on the characters. Don't tell me you wouldn't see both an Avengers movie AND a Justice League movie if they came out within a week of each other.

In the end, this realignment makes a winner out of just about all of us. There are some losers though and that's the 20% of the workforce being cut, in addition ending the WildStorm and Zuda Comics lines. Zuda's closing was announced back in July, but the WildStorm closing was something of a surprise. This is sort of the catch-22 when a company like Warner Bros. owns a company likes DC and realizes what they have in them: they start to "clean house" and "cut the fat" so to speak. I'm not saying that 20% was useless or fat; rather, somewhere some accountants came in and told WB that maybe those two lines weren't exactly models of operating efficiency. The solution? Cut and consolidate.

We're entering into an exciting time in the world of comics. Books such as Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the upcoming Red are proving that there is clearly an audience for comic book films that don't rely on capes on tights. Don't get me wrong, the next Batman film will no doubt be a blockbuster that will make more than all three of those previous movies combined, but the evidence shows that people want comics. People want to break into comics. Geek is chic and comics are hip. The big guns that fund the projects are finally starting to realize that.

I can't remember who it is precisely but a comic creator tweeted something to the extent of "Comics are like hip hop. Everyone wants a piece." This is definitely true and we're in this time where just about every movie being released will be introduced with the following line "Based on the best-selling graphic novel." I'm still not convinced that's entirely a good thing, but then again I'm not the one running WB or Disney.

Full press release below.

DC Entertainment, as part of its ongoing strategy to integrate the DC Comics business, brand and characters into Warner Bros. Entertainment’s content and distribution operations, will relocate its business functions related to and supporting multi-media and digital content production to Burbank, California. DCE’s publishing operations will remain in New York, continuing DC Comics’ 75-plus year legacy of leadership in the comic book arena. These announcements were made today by Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment.

“These organizational changes reinforce the strengths of DC’s greatest legacies – most importantly its people and its creative talent – and offer greater opportunity for maximum growth, success and efficiency in the future,” said Nelson. “Our two offices will stretch and build their respective areas of focus, while prioritizing and aggressively striving to connect and cooperate more strongly than ever before between them and with their colleagues at Warner Bros.”

“This strategic business realignment allows us to fully integrate and expand the DC brand in feature films as well as across multiple distribution platforms of Warner Bros. and Time Warner,” said Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, to whom Nelson reports. “We are creating a seamless, cohesive unit that will bring even more great characters and content to consumers everywhere.”

The relocation process is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011, with DCE’s businesses related to the development and production of feature films, television, digital media, video games and consumer products as well as the company’s administrative functions relocating to a Warner Bros.-managed property in Burbank, CA. DC Comics’ publishing operations, which have been the bedrock since the company’s inception with an annual output of over 1,100 comic books, 300 graphic novels and MAD magazine, will remain in New York. The bi-coastal business units will work more closely together to continue elevating the powerful DCE brand.

DC Entertainment was founded in September 2009 to fully realize the power and value of the DC Comics brand and characters across all media and platforms. The senior management team responsible for shepherding DCE through this reorganization is comprised of Nelson, Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer; John Rood, Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Business Development; and Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, Co-Publishers of DC Comics.