Karen Berger Steps Down as Vertigo Excutive Editor, SVP

[Darrell D.]

i think that might be the last book she works on for vertigo.

I have a feeling after the Sandman book comes out, Vertigo will close up shop.

[Maidman]

Vertigo is dead.

One can only hope! Now all those 20 something slackers that read this junk will have to get jobs and move out of their moms basements.

[Darrell D.]

One can only hope! Now all those 20 something slackers that read this junk will have to get jobs and move out of their moms basements.

Nah, they still have all of the NuDCU.

[MartinRedmond]

Said the Avengers fan.

[Billy Batson]

LOL lame troll.

[jesse_custer]

I'm not yet convinced that Vertigo is closing down soon. As great as Berger is, I think she allowed a good bit of lackluster stuff under her watch the last several years. I'm interested to see if someone else can bring more to the table.

If Vertigo does close down, oh well. No amount of nostalgia is going to change the fact that the imprint hasn't been as interesting lately. We can blame DC for this, but I would also blame the creators and editors.

[Global Honored]

Karen Berger put together a who's who of my all time favorite creators on books that became part of my growing up. Vertigo, wow. Its like losing something personal and close. I wouldn't be a comic fan today if not for those titles like Sandman, Preacher and Invisibles that reignited my interest in the medium. Karen's the best.

Time to go hit the Powerball and finance a new publication with her in charge!

[areacode212]

Karen Berger & Vertigo were some of the biggest reasons why I was still reading comics in that late 90s/early 2000s period, especially once DiDio took over the DCU side of things and the only DC books I continued to support were Vertigo. I saw her getting out of a subway car a few years ago, at the station right next to DC's offices, and for me, it was like seeing a rock star.

As far as the imprint's lackluster offerings these last few years, I think Rich's Vertigone article made things a lot clearer...obviously creators didn't want to have their best ideas published through Vertigo if they could retain more of the rights by going through a different route. Maybe things could have been better if Warner had been more aggressive in pushing Vertigo properties into their other media channels.

The truth is, as a business person myself, I've encountered so many of these soulless MBA types. They really just care about how much money they make. A lot of my MBA classmates didn't even really care to read anything other than books about other successful people and what they did to make billions. If you quoted Ovid at them, chances are, they'd ask you if it was from a movie or worse, tell you that they heard the line on TV. Do those sound like the kinds of people who'll discover the next Sandman? Of course not... but that's the type of person that's increasingly being put in charge of creative enterprises, whether it's in publishing, film or even video games.

I'm finishing up my MBA myself, and I can totally back this up. Aside from some notable exceptions, most of my classmates barely even watch movies or have any sense of culture, pop or otherwise. It is a little depressing.

[jesse_custer]

As far as the imprint's lackluster offerings these last few years, I think Rich's Vertigone article made things a lot clearer...obviously creators didn't want to have their best ideas published through Vertigo if they could retain more of the rights by going through a different route.

Still, this doesn't excuse the lackluster ideas that creators did bring to Vertigo.

[hysang]

I have a feeling after the Sandman book comes out, Vertigo will close up shop.

Time to close up shop!

[LoneNecromancer]

Karen Berger & Vertigo were some of the biggest reasons why I was still reading comics in that late 90s/early 2000s period, especially once DiDio took over the DCU side of things and the only DC books I continued to support were Vertigo. I saw her getting out of a subway car a few years ago, at the station right next to DC's offices, and for me, it was like seeing a rock star.

As far as the imprint's lackluster offerings these last few years, I think Rich's Vertigone article made things a lot clearer...obviously creators didn't want to have their best ideas published through Vertigo if they could retain more of the rights by going through a different route. Maybe things could have been better if Warner had been more aggressive in pushing Vertigo properties into their other media channels.


I'm finishing up my MBA myself, and I can totally back this up. Aside from some notable exceptions, most of my classmates barely even watch movies or have any sense of culture, pop or otherwise. It is a little depressing.

I've always found that thought a little odd, though. Doesn't a creator try and push themselves to do better stuff and top the ideas and work they've done before? It's hard for me to picture someone saying "right, this is the best idea I'm ever going to have, so I think I'll do this one at Image or Dark Horse so I can keep tv/film rights but use this other not-so-good idea at Vertigo so I can make a decent wage as the monthlies are coming out."

[Darrell D.]

Still, this doesn't excuse the lackluster ideas that creators did bring to Vertigo.

Yeah, the last current creator-owned book I bothered with was Scalped.
Fables just bored the shit out of me.

[obii]

There are probably more and less marketable ideas to pitch.
Some weird SF story for example has less chances to get picked up by a movie studio.
Do a crime story like scalped or seemingly northlanders and your chances are better.

Vertigo might be still viable for creative types trying to break in the comic medium, but for established creators other publishers would be a more interesting bet. If Millar can do it with 'Wanted' why wouldn't other developers think they can't do it too. :P

[Johnny P. Sartre]

[QUOTE=LoneNecromancer;16259711]I've always found that thought a little odd, though. Doesn't a creator try and push themselves to do better stuff and top the ideas and work they've done before? It's hard for me to picture someone saying "right, this is the best idea I'm ever going to have, so I think I'll do this one at Image or Dark Horse so I can keep tv/film rights but use this other not-so-good idea at Vertigo so I can make a decent wage as the monthlies are coming out."[/QUOTE]It really isn't that hard.

Some writers think that and others don't.

[Tom Strong]

You guys are so chill. The Bleeding Cool thread on this news is a war zone.