DC Comics started the week with the announcement that Marie Javins has been named the sole editor-in-chief, a role she had been sharing with Michele Wells since Bob Harris was let go in August. The news, which was generally well-received by the comics industry, was soon followed by reports that DC is again notifying staff of more layoffs.
And among those laid off appears to be Wells, according to The Beat and Bleeding Cool. Before serving jointly with Javins as co-interim EiC, Wells headed up the DC Children’s/Young Adult line.
Other names mentioned as being affected include Alex Carr, group editor for the Justice League titles; Sales Manager Stuart Schreck; Marketing Services Director Adam Phillips; and Events Director Fletcher Chu-Fong.
Javins, in her role, will report to Daniel Cherry III, Senior Vice President and General Manager, DC Comics. He joined the company earlier this year.
While 2020 hasn’t been an easy year for anyone, DC has certainly seen its fair share of change this year. It started in February, when Dan Didio was let go as co-publisher, leaving Jim Lee as the sole publisher. When the pandemic hit, DC announced changes to its direct market distribution plans, as the company dropped Diamond for two new distributors, Lunar and UCS. They are now solely working with Lunar. Then in August, the first shoe dropped, as DC shuttered its DC Collectibles unit, revamped the DC Universe streaming service into a comics-focused app and laid off several longtime employees, including Harris, Hank Kanalz, Bobbie Chase, Brian Cunningham, Mark Doyle and Andy Khouri.
Again, as we said in August, this is terrible news for everyone involved, and Smash Pages wishes the best for all the staff who have been affected by these changes.
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