What Does the Future Hold For Vertigo Comics?

By D. Goodman | Apr 22, 2016

With news of another “restructuring” of the venerable Vertigo Comics imprint, one has to wonder if there is even a place for it at DC Comics anymore.

I can remember a time when if you wanted to read some of the best, forward thinking comics that were geared for adults, the place you went was to Vertigo. The DC Comics mature readers imprint was really the only place in the late 90s and early 2000s to find cutting edge comics that pushed the envelope and really made you think.

Founded in 1993 and the home of such critically acclaimed titles as The Sandman, Preacher, Transmetropolitan, Fables and 100 Bullets, it also became a proving ground for creators who would go on to become some of the most influential in the business. Creators such as Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Brian Azzarello, Peter Milligan, Chris Bachalo, Brian K. Vaughan and Mark Millar all got their start at Vertigo or found their first success in the industry with the imprint.

At one time the best place to go if you wanted to own what you worked on, that changed as DC took more and more control of the imprint. Creators has to give up a larger portion of ownership and ceded control of the film and TV rights to Warner Bros., who owns DC.

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In the years since Image Comics rose to fill the void left by Vertigo, the imprint has fallen on hard times with several attempts to drum up interest in the books not finding success. Vertigo has had to rely on spinoff titles centered around The Sandman as the only way to get readers to even notice them anymore.

Now DC has announced more changes, none of them good.

In a statement on Wednesday, the company announced that they are “restructuring” the imprint once again in an attempt to make it successful. It said in part:

"DC Entertainment is reexamining the direction and focus of the Vertigo imprint of comic books and graphic novels. The goal is to keep competitive and stay relevant in the changing marketplace, and to set the business up for future success."

This has resulted in Shelly Bond, Executive Editor on the imprint, being let go. Bond replaced Karen Berger, who founded Vertigo and was pushed out once Warner Bros. took a more active role in DC Comics in 2012 and what was going on at the publisher.

Bond has been with Vertigo since day one as a writer and editor and some feel she is taking the fall for the fact Vertigo has underperformed over the last few years in the wake of the rise of Image Comics.

So with all these changes, you have to wonder if Vertigo is even worth saving at this point, or is it time to close up shop and call it a day.

Former Vertigo titles such as Doom Patrol and Shade have found a new home with Gerard Way’s Young Animal imprint, which is aiming for the same audience Vertigo used to have. Image is now leading the charge with the best terms for creators to publish their own work, which is what Vertigo used to be best known for.

Where does that leave Vertigo and does it even mean anything anymore with Shelly Bond, the heart and soul of the imprint since Berger left, told she isn’t needed anymore?

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Personally, unless DC plans to make Vertigo a real home for creator-owned titles again and not just give the idea lip service like they have, I think it’s time to shut it down. I would much rather have the fond memories I do of the imprint then see them continuously try to cash in on the Sandman brand or see them try to publish a prequel/sequel to Preacher.

The Vertigo I knew and loved died a long time ago. I think it’s time for DC to reach the same conclusion and send it off into the sunset. It’s the right thing to do for an imprint that meant an awful lot to a whole lot of people over the years.