Goodbye NYC! DC Comics Headed To Burbank

The idea of DC Comics leaving New York to join up with the rest of their team in Los Angeles has garnered mixed reactions (but largely that of suspicion) from comic book fans and also DC’s fellow colleagues in other areas of the entertainment industry. For more than 75 years, DC, like Marvel, has been headquartered in the Big Apple. Diane Nelson, the President of DC Comics, recently told the Wall Street Journal  that “”it was never optimal to run any business, but certainly not a creative business, on two coasts.”  The plans had likely been in the works for several years, especially since all other functions were moved out to Burbank in September 2010.  It’s clear that Nelson had worked with DC Entertainment to make their transition slower than that of their partner divisions. Owned by Time Warner, DC has already been fielding questions on who will stay and who will go and has insisted that anyone who wants to move west with them is more than welcome.  From writers to editors, names are being tossed about like ingredients of a house salad but only Nelson and her team at the upper echelon of DC truly know what the end result will be.

For the many fans who are unfamiliar with the publishing process and are aware of all the geographical locations often involved, the comic books they’re purchasing were likely written and drawn by staffers in Los Angeles and subsidiary companies in other parts of the globe.  As Newsarama put it in a piece they recently published: it really doesn’t matter and I tend to agree: if all of your other offices and subsidiary companies are out west and overseas – having one small division in New York is completely pointless and not very cost effective.

Diane Nelson’s full letter regarding the move is provided in full here:

Dear DCE Team,

As I hope you know, I and the entire DCE exec team work hard to offer transparency about as much of our business plans and results as we possibly and responsibly can. In an effort to continue to do that where possible and to ensure you are hearing news from us, rather than a third party, I am proactively reaching out to you this afternoon to share news about our business.

I can confirm that plans are in the works to centralize DCE’s operations in 2015. Next week, the Exec Team will be in New York for a series of meetings to walk everyone through the plans to relocate the New York operations to Burbank. The move is not imminent and we will have more than a year to work with the entire company on a smooth transition for all of us, personally and professionally.

Everyone on the New York staff will be offered an opportunity to join their Burbank colleagues and those details will be shared with you individually, comprehensively and thoughtfully next week. Meeting notifications will be sent tomorrow to ensure the roll out of this information and how it affects the company and you personally.

We know this will be a big change for people and we will work diligently to make this as smooth and seamless a transition as possible.

Best,

Diane