DC Entertainment has announced a “restructuring” of its famed Vertigo imprint, which includes the departure of long-tenured editor Shelly Bond, as her position as Vertigo Vice President & Executive Editor has been eliminated.
According to a statement from DC, the company is “reexamining the direction and focus of the Vertigo imprint of comic books and graphic novels,” saying “the goal is to keep competitive and stay relevant in the changing marketplace, and to set the business up for future success.” Long on the forefront of cutting-edge comics, the imprint has ceded serious ground in that territory in recent years, mainly to Image Comics, which offers a purely creator-owned deal where the publisher doesn’t own any of the material, nor control film or TV rights.
Bond has been with DC Comics and specifically Vertigo since 1993, the same year the imprint was formed. In her time at the company, she’s worked on some of the most celebrated comics of the era including “The Sandman,” “Sandman Mystery Theater,” “The Invisibles,” “Fables” and “iZombie.” In 2012, Bond became Executive Editor of the Vertigo line, following the departure of longtime Vertigo head Karen Berger. Last year, Bond made the move with many of her colleagues to the west coast, as DC’s editorial operations shifted from New York City to Burbank, California.
Earlier this month at Emerald City Comicon, Bond was named by Gerard Way as a key part of DC’s upcoming Young Animal imprint, which is curated by the “Umbrella Academy” writer and inspired by early Vertigo series.
In DC’s statement, the decision to eliminate Bond’s position is described as a “very challenging process,” as the company “made every effort to ensure all decisions were made with great care and consideration.”
Details on exactly what the Vertigo restructure will involve are still to come, but the current Vertigo editorial team will now report directly to DC Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee.
