At the start of the month, we shared the rumour that DC was going to ditch Vertigo. That’s now been confirmed along with the news all of DC’s old imprints are going. In their words; “DC will sunset the Vertigo publishing imprint at the end of the year.”
Three new, age specific, DC ranges will launch under a single banner to replace the retiring brands.
DC Publisher Dan DiDio told press;
We’re returning to a singular presentation of the DC brand that was present throughout most of our history until 1993 when we launched Vertigo to provide an outlet for edgier material,”
That kind of material is now mainstream across all genres, so we thought it was the right time to bring greater clarity to the DC brand and reinforce our commitment to storytelling for all of our fans in every age group. This new system will replace the age ratings we currently use on our material.”
The three new labels under the DC banner are now;
- DC Kids for readers of about 8-12 and content created specifically middle-grade readers
- DC for ages 13 and up, this is the new norm and where the bulk of DC now lives
- DC Black Label for content appropriate for readers 17 and older
So it’s a bub-bye to Imprints like DC Zoom and DC Ink. Though, this blogger doesn’t quite get what changes by swapping the word ‘Zoom’ with ‘Kids’ gets – except for kids not wanting to be treated like kids.
Creator owned titles
DC has promised that the creator-owned titles currently in Vertigo and elsewhere will not be harmed by the change.
DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee explained,
We will also continue to publish creator-owned projects, and will evaluate and assign to the appropriate label to help our fans find the best books for their interests. These new labels not only bring greater consistency and focus to our characters, but they also open up a wealth of new opportunities for the talent working on our books.”
Are you with DC on this? There’s no longer the need for a unique brand away from the parent image as the mainstream audience is far happier with ‘edgier’ content in their comic books? Or is this just a short-sighted marketing effort?
Creative Commons credit: Trigun Sunset by Jasper Khan and the Stone King.
