Karen Berger Steps Down as Vertigo Excutive Editor, SVP

[Bruce Kent]

I don't think Vertigo will close. This all situation seem to have been started by the contracts change made by WB to keep the rights to the Vertigo stuff. So, WB itself is interested in Vertigo. As long as they see a change for a big idea to come out of Vertigo, they will support it.

[jesse_custer]

You can compare those aspects sure, but here's the thing: the writing and art are both really strong in both books. So ultimately, the "better' of the two will boil down to preference.

Perhaps.

I still need to read every trade of both series, but I've read the first few trades of each. Different genres notwithstanding, The Unwritten is a much more original comic book, both from a perspective of story and art. I also think a lot of Scalped's dialogue is risible.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I don't think Vertigo will close. This all situation seem to have been started by the contracts change made by WB to keep the rights to the Vertigo stuff. So, WB itself is interested in Vertigo. As long as they see a change for a big idea to come out of Vertigo, they will support it.

I think if Vertigo was gonna go away ...it would have in 2011 when DC was doing their entire line of books. They would have ended it there and pushed them into groups...if that was the case.

But right now...with 2013 as the 20th anniversary of the imprint ...I don't see them ending it. The imprint is DC's longest , lasting one so far if ya look.

Helix - Died in 2+ years

Piranha/Paradox - Died a slow death after 13 years

Zuda - Folded into DC's digital plans after 3 years.

As it stands right now...I can't see DC throwing the towel in on Vertigo.

[Sonofspam]

I don't know Warner Brothers is not gonna keep something around if they don't see a profit in it they aren't interested in comics just the properties that can be exploited into movies and tv shows and since that hasn't worked out and considering that comics don't sell all that well i don't think they care about anniversaries or nostalgia at all.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I don't know Warner Brothers is not gonna keep something around if they don't see a profit in it they aren't interested in comics just the properties that can be exploited into movies and tv shows and since that hasn't worked out and considering that comics don't sell all that well i don't think they care about anniversaries or nostalgia at all.

This has gotta be posted ...since a lot of people seem to skim over the Vertigo sales discussions..... the books don't sale as big as the mainstream DCU line books have. They haven't in years ...Fables is the big Vertigo sales one and it does 14,000-20,000 in that range. Many others fall below that. What keeps the Vertigo books around is the TPB sales. Even if Hellblazer is selling 9,000-10,000 an issue...TPB sales are good enough to keep it going.

Considering WB made a nice profit on a Constantine movie back in the mid 2000's....its not outta the realms of reality we may see an animated DVD of the 1st Fables arc at some point or another Hellblazer movie.

[hysang]

Unwritten is better than Scalped and Fables. It's the closest thing DC has now to the Swamp Thing/Hellblazer/Sandman/Lucifer era of Vertigo.

I love Unwritten. I mean, love it to death. But you can't compare it to Scalped. It's just not the same. It's like comparing The Invisibles and Sandman or Sandman and Preacher. I love all the series, but for different reasons.

Also, Vertigo will exist, but it will be VINO (Vertigo In Name Only).

[jesse_custer]

I love Unwritten. I mean, love it to death. But you can't compare it to Scalped. It's just not the same. It's like comparing The Invisibles and Sandman or Sandman and Preacher. I love all the series, but for different reasons.

Also, Vertigo will exist, but it will be VINO (Vertigo In Name Only).

You can like or dislike different books for different reasons, but it doesn't mean you can't compare them.

For example, one might think Sandman has a better ending than Preacher. Or one could argue that Preacher's art is more consistent than Sandman's art. If you break things down in technical, historical, and/or cultural terms, not genre-specific or plot-specific terms, you can compare different works of art. Critics and scholars have been doing this for a long time.

[Mr. Holmes]

Perhaps.

I still need to read every trade of both series, but I've read the first few trades of each. Different genres notwithstanding, The Unwritten is a much more original comic book, both from a perspective of story and art. I also think a lot of Scalped's dialogue is risible.

Yeah no doubt Unwritten is more original than another crime drama, no matter how well done it is.

[hysang]

We can compare them, sure. But I love them all equally, that's all I'm saying. I mean, if it came right down to it, I'd pick Unwritten, just because I'm a sucker for meta-fictional stuff, and it has been so consistently amazing.

Scalped lagged a bit there in the middle, even though it was still a great book. I have yet to read a bad issue of Unwritten. They've had some predictable moments here and there, but that doesn't surprise me, since they're playing around with tropes we know.

And the backstory stuff? The fleshing out of all the history? Wow. Just, wow.

I felt sad when Scalped was over, but when Unwritten ends...man, that's gonna leave a big crater.

[Libaax]

Yeah no doubt Unwritten is more original than another crime drama, no matter how well done it is.

There are many original comics that is not well written. Im not saying Unwritten is that but there is nothing good about being original idea only. Scalped is not another crime drama if you have read. Another crime drama is cool noir story with action like 100 Bullets.

I can understand you think Unwritten is better with storytelling or some other qualities but there is nothing unique about coming up with original story or idea. If it was that idea all you needed was sit home and come up with something new. Not create actual great characters in old story like crime drama.

[ScotsScribbler]

Vertigo lost its way long before this but I will miss it badly. It used to be pretty much all I bought, with Sandman and Lucifer and 100 Bullets, but now Dark Horse and Image have made up most of my recent purchases. The new Vertigo titles were promising ideas but badly executed, the lay-outs are now so lazy and poorly put together. Northlanders and Scalped weren't even that good, but I'd still rather buy them than any of the current derivative Vertigo titles. Unwritten was a Harry Potter rip-off so I never stuck with it. I didn't mind the name change from Hellblazer to Constantine, it made more sense to call it Constantine in the first place.

I missed Vertigo Resurrected books, they were cheap, complete stories and I hope now that they are wrapping up Vertigo they will collect more of the older 4 issue mini-series in this way.

[ScotsScribbler]

Hopefully Image will be in touch and they will give Karen Berger her own imprint under the Image banner. It's interesting that the Warners board members didn't get why they were selling comics for which they didn't own ancilliary rights and they didn't see the point of this and shut it down.

Maybe someone can point them in the direction of The Walking Dead, to understand how with creator ownership and no interference everyone can still go home in a Cadillac. As an aspiring comics professional, I'm wondering why anyone would want to sign the rights to their original creations away to DC and Marvel, when they can just go and work for Dark Horse and Image?

[Mr. Holmes]

There are many original comics that is not well written. Im not saying Unwritten is that but there is nothing good about being original idea only. Scalped is not another crime drama if you have read. Another crime drama is cool noir story with action like 100 Bullets.

I can understand you think Unwritten is better with storytelling or some other qualities but there is nothing unique about coming up with original story or idea. If it was that idea all you needed was sit home and come up with something new. Not create actual great characters in old story like crime drama.

Hate to sound like a douche, but what's your point? Especially when you admit you haven't read Unwritten.

[diablo7]

Hopefully Image will be in touch and they will give Karen Berger her own imprint under the Image banner. It's interesting that the Warners board members didn't get why they were selling comics for which they didn't own ancilliary rights and they didn't see the point of this and shut it down.

Maybe someone can point them in the direction of The Walking Dead, to understand how with creator ownership and no interference everyone can still go home in a Cadillac. As an aspiring comics professional, I'm wondering why anyone would want to sign the rights to their original creations away to DC and Marvel, when they can just go and work for Dark Horse and Image?

I'm not sure what kind of imprint they'd give her since they already publish mature reader books.

[Libaax]

Hate to sound like a douche, but what's your point? Especially when you admit you haven't read Unwritten.

You need more qualites than an original idea,story. You need more than an original idea to be a quality series. I see too often the word original being used like its the end of all qualities a comics needs. In comparison to Scalped you didnt mention any other quality than the genre Unwritten is in and being more original than crime drama.

An original story or just another noir story they both need to be good at other things like writing,characters,dialouge etc