Karen Berger has announced her departure from Vertigo http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=42478
I admire her work with the imprint and her contributions to comics, and I'm saddened by the news.
I'm sure Dan DiDio has a replacement with great ideas for the future already lined up.
Whoever replaces her is going to have a heck of job trying to restore Vertigo to former glory if DC Comics is even bothered with it anymore.
Yeah, Vertigo's toast. Between contract rejigging from Time-Warner Corporate, to the fact that of their 4 big 2012 premieres, one was yet another FABLES spinoff, and two others are over (only ONE of which was meant to be a miniseries, and the one that was supposed to be an "ongoing" lasted one issue less than the mini!)... yeah. Without Berger, time to put it to rest IMO.
Its been on the cards. Wonder what she'll be moving onto?
Done many great things and you do wonder how long Vertigo will now last, but we'll see. Mind she doesn't like John Smith's work, if the rumours are to be believed, so she's not all good!
Would like to see American Vampire conclude, and hopefully not in a rushed fashion. Not really attached to any other Vertigo titles these days, though if it folds, it certainly leaves behind a fantastic back catalogue.
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 04 December, 2012, 08:36:48 AM
Its been on the cards. Wonder what she'll be moving onto?
I'm sure Eric Stephenson could find her a cosy office.
QuoteI'm sure Dan DiDio has a replacement with great ideas
Didio, great ideas? surely an oxymoron? To me he seemed to simply steals Quesada's ideas eg. cup o' joe / dc nation?!
To be fair, it's always been a back and forth with DC/Marvel doing each others' ideas with their own characters - Marvel Now is basically just Nu 52, for instance.
My comment about DD was sarcastic. If rumor is to be believed, he really, really hates that Vertigo is seen as a separate company from DC and it's taken as granted that he wants to dismantle the Chinese wall between the two, which presumably means the current DC staffers will end up running Vertigo in the same way as they have DC for the last ten years.
You may make of that statement what you wish.
Quote from: Link Prime on 04 December, 2012, 10:40:11 AMI'm sure Eric Stephenson could find her a cosy office.
He could, but does he need to? Image got on fine without her. Would they take her just to deny other publishers the chance?
Quote from: Ancient Otter on 04 December, 2012, 07:33:34 PM
Quote from: Link Prime on 04 December, 2012, 10:40:11 AMI'm sure Eric Stephenson could find her a cosy office.
He could, but does he need to? Image got on fine without her. Would they take her just to deny other publishers the chance?
Good point.
Stephenson has certainly proven his editorial chops, but she'd be a damn good asset with the direction Image has taken.
The only thing that pissed me off in recent years is that fact that they killed Unknown Soldier and Air two very enjoyable books. I guess if they don't make the bread then they get dropped, just a little sad.
But they did give DMZ and Vikings in recent years which were also fantastic.
At the moment there is nothing from Vertigo that interests me which is a shame as it is somewhere where you can find gritty not afraid to step outside of comfort zone (politicly not just tits, arse and sex) books.
Vertigo has been sidelined in recent years by other companies with more attractive contracts for creators - Image is usually the first stop for anyone looking to publish creator-owned books, especially now with Walking Dead as a huge advertisement. By contrast, Vertigo's biggest success of late was the McGuyver-esque Human Target tv series that has nothing to do with the comics and made naff-all cash for Peter Milligan.
Used to adore Vertigo in the late nineties, when Preacher, 100 Bullets and Transmetropolitan were all running.
Not much they've done has interested me since though, and I've tried.
Karen Berger going so soon after the announced cancellation of Hellblazer is interesting to say the least. What'll be even more so will be her first tell-all interview however many years down the line.
As far as im concerned the woman is twice the editor Dan Didio is at least, and i hope she immediately goes to Marvel and starts a whole new and wildly successful Epic Comics line. Or comes here and reinvigorates the non-prog uk industry.
SBT
Quote from: Unicorn Bukakke on 05 December, 2012, 03:18:04 PM
By contrast, Vertigo's biggest success of late was the McGuyver-esque Human Target tv series that has nothing to do with the comics and made naff-all cash for Peter Milligan.
Or more importantly did Len Wein and the family of Carmine Infantino, who actually created the character. The answer to that one is almost certainly yes. I, like you, don't know the specifics, but its been widely reported Len Wein has got through some dry patches in his writing career, living off the money he earns in royalties from his character Lucius Fox appearing in the Batman movies.
That said your overall point is a fair one.
I'll resurrect this thread rather than start a new one as here the deaths throws of Vertigo were sounded must strongly on the boards, BUT interesting video here feeding back on the DC retailers summit that have been taking place. The news of Vertigo starts at 8.30 mins on the second video on the link, after some more general DCU stuff*
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/06/25/a-comic-show-monster-week-and-what-i-learned-from-the-dc-roadshow/ (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/06/25/a-comic-show-monster-week-and-what-i-learned-from-the-dc-roadshow/)
Now for those moire cynical amongst you, those that don't share my naive optimism, nor my acceptance that we're not on the inside so we don't really know, YES this is reporting on spin and YES it does sound a little like DC are trying to make Vertigo compete a little to closely with Image which might be dangerous, but at least the spin seems to suggest that the death bells for Vertigo might have been sounded too early... time will tell.
*Which it chills me to say I have no real interest in, even if not 18 months ago the DCU stuff being reported would have all sounded very exciting to me. DCU have you truly lost me, have you?
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 26 June, 2013, 10:41:37 AM
DCU have you truly lost me, have you?
Yes.
*Apart from Snyder & Capullo's 'Batman'.
And All Star Western and Wonder Woman, which doesn't feel very DCU actually and Animal Man which also doesn't feel very...
damn
That presenter ignores that Vertigo's problem was never that it wasn't printing comics outside the box, it was that the talent cleared off to other publishers because the contracts were better, and the editors didn't muck the talent around and actively undermine adaptations of creators' material in other media. You are correct, Colin, that we don't work at DC and we don't know the specifics, but we do know - if not from the testimony of writers like Alan Grant, Mark Waid, Chris Roberson, John Rogers, Dwayne McDuffie, Mark Millar, Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and so on*, then from the simple act of observing who stops working there and never goes back - that for whatever reasons the environment is hostile to talent and there are very few writers who last long - of those that do, I can't help but notice that these are the people working on Vertigo's new titles rather than indy finds.
There's little or no new talent coming into the imprint, and that presentation mentioned they're trying to resurrect Sandman and reprint old Swamp Thing tales? Doesn't sound much like planning for the future to me, it just sounds like they've taken the success of Image as a personal affront - just look how many times the name of the company comes up in that dude's monologue - and are trying to wind back the clock.
*I would have mentioned Alan Moore, but... well, you know.
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 26 June, 2013, 10:41:37 AM
but at least the spin seems to suggest that the death bells for Vertigo might have been sounded too early... time will tell.
Also, there was the under-reported story late '12/early '13 that I think I linked to in the 'Hellblazer Cancelled' thread about Vertigo being moved out of Bob Harras' direct chain of command, which I took to be a generally positive thing...
Cheers!
Jim
Is that definately happening, though? Seems pointless without the line's flagship character - although that could be why they're throwing money at getting Sandman back, I suppose.
Quote from: Professor James T Bear on 26 June, 2013, 02:08:55 PM
Is that definately happening, though? Seems pointless without the line's flagship character - although that could be why they're throwing money at getting Sandman back, I suppose.
I reckon they're throwing money at getting Sandman back as they'll make a LOAD more money from it once the book is out, its going to be massive (I would assume... I have a history of getting stuff like that wrong!).
I think loosing all the DCU characters (if that's what you're referring too?) back seems kinda the point of what they're trying to do (though chicken egg) get things opened up so they can create genuinely new stuff.
Sandman is fine if you're a child or a lady type, but it's not enough on its own to justify an entire comics imprint, which is what's happening once you take away Hellblazer, Doom patrol, Books of Magic, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, etc and replace them with whatever the few writers left deign to squeeze out between writing the company's superhero output. I mean, even that guy in the video is saying things like "hey, you should give this a try, IT'S LIKE SOMETHING IMAGE WOULD PUBLISH."
Still reading more Vertigo books then DC. And Vertigo is looking stronger, which I expected.
Fables, Astro City, The Wake, etc...
Making Vertigo more like Image isn't a bad thing IMO. Because Image is killing it. That being said... you're not going to see DC give the level of creator control/ownership that Image does. But its always good to have options.
As an aside...
As someone who got into Vertigo late (2001ish) I didn't become a fan of the line on the back of the old guard titles (Sandman, Hellblazer, Preacher, Doom Patrol, Books of Magic, etc...) and actually actively avoided such books (still do in some cases). And yet actually still found a ton to enjoy. 'MY CLASSIC VERTIGO' was based around Fables, Y-The Last Man, The Losers, and American Century.
Vertigo is NOT defined only by its early successes. It is not its only draw.
Quote from: The Adventurer on 26 June, 2013, 07:49:17 PM
Making Vertigo more like Image isn't a bad thing IMO. Because Image is killing it. That being said... you're not going to see DC give the level of creator control/ownership that Image does. But its always good to have options.
Yeah and I think that may well be the problem, they can't as you say become Image and frankly what would be the point as well... that's what Image does and the rights thing as you say. So it has to become something else. Whatever that is and I'm sure they have a plan for that. The positive sales moves they are talking about might make part of that offer?
QuoteAs someone who got into Vertigo late (2001ish) I didn't become a fan of the line on the back of the old guard titles (Sandman, Hellblazer, Preacher, Doom Patrol, Books of Magic, etc...) and actually actively avoided such books (still do in some cases). And yet actually still found a ton to enjoy. 'MY CLASSIC VERTIGO' was based around Fables, Y-The Last Man, The Losers, and American Century.
Yeah completely agree with this. In some ways I think its a really positive move by Vertigo to have 'ditched' the last of its old DCU characters back into the mire. This way they don't have that need to have creators working on DC Horror type titles and can focus on new more creative things?
GAIMAN'S "SANDMAN: OVERTURE" SPEARHEADS VERTIGO REBUILDING INITIATIVE
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=46361 (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=46361)
"Hinterkind," written by Ian Edginton, set in a post-apocalyptic world in which creatures of myth and legend have returned"
I'm in.
Quote from: Montynero on 01 July, 2013, 02:24:44 PM
"Hinterkind," written by Ian Edginton, set in a post-apocalyptic world in which creatures of myth and legend have returned"
I'm in.
Yeah that sounds very good. I hope its an ongoing, no such details available, well where I saw it.
Also:
QuoteThe Discipline by Peter Milligan, an erotic thriller about a woman at the center of an shadow war that spans eons.
Sounds good. A little more here
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/07/01/sandman-overture-the-new-name-for-sandman-zero-plus-new-vertigo-comics-hinterland-by-edginton-the-discipline-by-peter-milligan-and-the-dead-boy-detectives/ (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/07/01/sandman-overture-the-new-name-for-sandman-zero-plus-new-vertigo-comics-hinterland-by-edginton-the-discipline-by-peter-milligan-and-the-dead-boy-detectives/)
Hinterkind's an ongoing, Colin.
I'd put an order in now, but no-one's listing it.
Wonder if the artist is a tooth alumni too?
Fantastic. I find these days I'm far more invested in getting ongoings regularly and trade waiting mini's. The concept seems right up Ian Edginton's street so I'm very optimistic about this.
Funnily enough given that I've not bought an ongoing Vertigo title for years (lots of the good uns started during my Wilderness years and I've not jumped on) I'll not be trying out two this year (assuming Hinterkind starts before the end of the year) as I have high hopes for Collider too.
Quote from: Montynero on 01 July, 2013, 02:24:44 PM
"Hinterkind," written by Ian Edginton, set in a post-apocalyptic world in which creatures of myth and legend have returned"
I'm in.
From the S to the O to the L to the D.
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 01 July, 2013, 02:28:41 PM
QuoteThe Discipline by Peter Milligan, an erotic thriller about a woman at the center of an shadow war that spans eons.
POEKHALI!
Sounds a bit like Legendary and Axa respectively to me - mind you, I wouldn't risk/waste my A material at Vertigo these days, so fair play to the lads.
I'm no Professor, but I'm not sure how a thing being a bit like another thing makes it B grade. :)
Skizz was a lot like E.T. (coincidentally) - if you described the thrust of it to someone.
The Discipline sounds like old school Vertigo Milligan stuff like The Extremist, the Lee Bermejo double duty title sounds interesting too, more information at Bleeding Cool, along with a promo images. (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/07/01/all-six-new-vertigo-titles-including-lee-bermejos-suiciders-and-caitlin-kittredge-and-inaki-mirandas-coffin-hill/)
I think it's a bit overly optimistic to call it a Vertigo fightback though, as I can't the see the non-Sandman/Dead Boy Detective titles being huge break-through sellers (though I hope to be gladly proven wrong).
Thanks for the link:
"HINTERKIND – Decades after "The Blight" all but wiped out the human race, Mother Nature is taking back what's hers and she's not alone ... all the creatures of myth and legend have returned and they're not happy. After her grandfather disappears, Prosper Monday must leave the security and seclusion of her Central Park village to venture into the wilds to find him, unaware of how much the world has changed. An epic fantasy adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world, HINTERKIND is written by Ian Edginton and illustrated by Francesco Trifogli, and debuts this October"
Sounds like magic in the making. And I love that sample art too.
Confess a real interest in the Sandman prequel, as I was a big fan of the original run when it came out first. I remain unconvinced that there ever was any significant story about how Morpheus lost his mojo that Gaiman somehow forgot to tell over 75 issues (much of the charm of Sandman was the way so much happened off screen, and that was very deliberate), especially given the very uncertain tone of the early episodes, but I don't doubt Gaiman's ability to come up with something interesting. I struggled to care about the Endless Nights thing, but I did enjoy The Dream Hunters novella, and as I'll read any old crap with JH Williams III on art duties, this could very well justify a return to buying yanqui comics for me.
Quote from: Montynero on 01 July, 2013, 07:12:11 PM
I'm no Professor, but I'm not sure how a thing being a bit like another thing makes it B grade. :)
COUGHCOUGHalsonowsoundslikeAgeoftheWolfCOUGHCOUGH
An awesome tune remains an awesome tune the tenth time you hear it, it's just it's the tenth time you've heard it, you know? I've drawed plenty in the small press and mentioned - much more diplomatically than my posting style here on the board may suggest - if something is a bit similar to something else, and most writers brush it off with "oh yeah, I didn't think of that", "I've never seen/read that", or "I will change this one little/big thing in the script and that should cover us." Pointing these things out is not really a big deal* and most accept that writers who speak the same language and live in the same culture draw from the same big creative pool of influences, but in some instances (a Vertigo pitch would count as such), and especially in these elevator-pitch-obsessed times you sort of expect the road less traveled, like a book about a galaxy-sized ghost snake made from the lost boots of a thousand realities that sneezes dreams or something like that, though I shan't pretend I won't still be here in five years' time complaining that there are far too many books like
Sneezey the Wellington Snake on the shelves.
* Although one writer did take a massive huff at the suggestion he was subject to outside creative influences and I never heard from him again - until he turned up working for one of the Big Two. Fair play, though, as he seemed to be wearing his influences on his sleeve by that point.
haha! I just want to read about this galaxy-sized ghost snake made from the lost boots of a thousand realities sneezing dreams now. C'mon, let's pitch Sneezy the Wellington Snake to Image! As long as it's an undead ghost snake, or a sexy female ghost snake - we should be fine.