Karen Berger Steps Down as Vertigo Excutive Editor, SVP

[Eumenides]

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."

As unromantic and unglamorous as it may be, writers also want to be paid for their work and have bills to pay, like mere mortals.

[Mr. Holmes]

Certainly seems to be the case with Peter Milligan now. I wish he'd go back to doing something totally subversive and trippy. As of today's issue of Stormwatch, it's clear he's phoning it in.

[hysang]

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

I lost interest in Fables right around when Prince Charming died. I feel like that series has been running on fumes for years now.

[hysang]

Certainly seems to be the case with Peter Milligan now. I wish he'd go back to doing something totally subversive and trippy. As of today's issue of Stormwatch, it's clear he's phoning it in.

Yeah, his Justice League Dark was a MAJOR letdown. I was expecting so much more. Lemire seems better, but I'm just uninterested in the crossovers with I, Vampire and other books. I signed up for something unique and got....I'm not sure what.

[diablo7]

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

it would be fitting since sandman was one of the books that launched vertigo.

[diablo7]

Certainly seems to be the case with Peter Milligan now. I wish he'd go back to doing something totally subversive and trippy. As of today's issue of Stormwatch, it's clear he's phoning it in.

as much as i like milligan's writing, the last thing he wrote that ive enjoyed was x-force. i miss the milligan that gave us shade, extremist, face, girl, and enigma.

[diablo7]

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

i find theres alot of lackluster ideas even at image also. maybe lackluster is the best some writers have.

[kit_walker]

All right..I have a different take than rest... I think its about time she quit.. See , the way i see it, Vertigo contracts have been changed and off late vertigo has started losing its top writers to other companies. I realized a change is coming when Grant Morrison of all people went to Image instead of Vertigo.. I don't know what the machinations are behind the scene, but from where i am sitting, i think Vertigo is tightening its noose under a corporate entity ( whose rival just made a 2 billion dollar movie btw)..I honestly don't see a lot of creators approaching vertigo now with the new policies and its been some time since we had a "latest" resounding success from the imprint..and of course Constantine is going away along with Animal Man/Swamp thing... Vertigo is being New 52'ized.. so I think its a good step for Karen to take.. I for one am waiting for the inevitable news of what she's gonna do next.. and then i am there to follow her.. i am sure its gonna be great and as a comic reader, more than worth my time and money.. peace

[aaronghunter]

If only her next wacky career move involved replacing Didio.

[Libaax]

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.

The editors dont write and draw Vertigo comics. You need talented creators too. Its given Berger let more lackluster comics out from Vertigo when the best creator owned comics comes out from creators like Ennis and co who went to Dynamite,Dark Horse. People that lived at Vertigo before DC changed. Jason Aaron& Scott Snyder Scalped and American Vampire i think is the only recent Vertigo able to compete with 1990s-2000 Vertigo. They have become big,acclaimed creators.

You need to have core talent to work with as an editor.

I dont have much hope for Vertigo unless the new editor can lure in good creators. Its not easy its more competition for them from Image/Dark Horse and co.

[AgPhoenix]

The editors dont write and draw Vertigo comics. You need talented creators too. Its given Berger let more lackluster comics out from Vertigo when the best creator owned comics comes out from creators like Ennis and co who went to Dynamite,Dark Horse. People that lived at Vertigo before DC changed. Jason Aaron& Scott Snyder Scalped and American Vampire i think is the only recent Vertigo able to compete with 1990s-2000 Vertigo. They have become big,acclaimed creators.

You need to have core talent to work with as an editor.

I dont have much hope for Vertigo unless the new editor can lure in good creators. Its not easy its more competition for them from Image/Dark Horse and co.

I think you're discounting Carey/Gross's Unwritten too easily. It's easily as good as any of Vertigo's best.

[jesse_custer]

The editors dont write and draw Vertigo comics. You need talented creators too.

Don't be silly. Who said editors write and draw Vertigo comics? I guess the implication of your post is that editors have no responsibility and thus deserve no blame, which is preposterous.

It's clear that Vertigo has always had talent, even after the creator's rights thing. The problem is that the books haven't been as good.

I think you're discounting Carey/Gross's Unwritten too easily. It's easily as good as any of Vertigo's best.

Amen. Everyone should be held to the standards of Carey and Gross. They're clearly the people who give a fuck.

[FanboyStranger]

I wouldn't downplay the idea that Karen stepping down has to do with the full DC operation being moved to California rather than the complete neutering of Vertigo. She's a lifelong New Yorker. Lifestyle decisions often happen, too. I suspect it's a combination of the two.

Also, The Unwritten is as good as anything Vertigo published in its "glory days". One of the few titles these days that really pushes itself in terms of storytelling.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I'm sure a lot of factors led into Berger deciding to step down as Vertigo Editor. But the ones proclaiming the imprint is dead and dying need to realize a few things.

1.) Sales for the Vertigo books in the direct market isn't huge. In fact Fables...does 14,000-20,000 in that range at last check. But what the imprint does is sell TPB's in the next market very well. DC is set up for the sales mostly now in the direct comics market for single issues. A Vertigo book won't sell that big and DC realizes it.


2.) Your not gonna see the published material of many creator owned books in the DC line. Sure maybe 1 or 2 will get published by the DC line at some point , but its rare you see them do it as much as Vertigo does. But the majority of what Vertigo does is books like The Unwritten , Spaceman , Fables and more. DC is mostly about their core line of books now. The lines they established. Where would a Fables and Fairest fit in at those lines they established with the Edge or Dark books ?

3.) Vertigo has annouced more projects with creators coming ahead. I doubt they will suddenly fold it all and decide ..hey fuck you guys. Hellblazer is ending and Berger is gone. They will publish the projects more or less the next year and hope they work.

4.) The line itself has changed. Gone is the DCU characters that was moved over back in the late 1980's/90's in Constantine , Swamp Thing , Shade , Doom Patrol , Animal Man and Black Orchid. Its no shock that DC has slowly pulled them all back for their mainstream DCU stuff the past decade. We sorta knew this was coming as one by one each character came back.

Instead of all DCU characters in Vertigo like the good ole days. This era will see them try and float new characters and concepts in that line. Some will work...some won't. But DC is treating the Vertigo line as a completely different deal and pulled the DC characters from it for that reason. I hate losing Constantine as they could have published 2 different books. But I sadly have to deal with it.

5.) If they wanted to fold Vertigo ...they would have done it in 2011. They would have brought all the books into the DCU and created an imprint then and all. That was the logical time to do it when DC was bringing Constantine over .In fact they could have ended Hellblazer at #275 (March 2011) and then claimed this was the idea there.


Losing Berger is a big blow. It is. But the doom and gloom for the imprint is just silly. Not when they have projects lined up by creators and that none of what they publish right now could actually work in the mainstream DCU many follow.

[Billy Batson]

Right on, SUPERECWFAN1.