Superstar Comics Artist Jim Lee Is Now President Of DC – And That Means Something For James Gunn's DCU
Jim Lee, the legendary comic book artist who has been at DC Comics since 1998, is getting a big promotion. After serving as Chief Creative Officer and Publisher at the company for some time, Lee has officially been promoted to President of DC Comics. What's more, Lee will maintain his status as CCO and Publisher, making him one of the most powerful people at one of the most powerful publishers of superhero comics, rivaled only by Marvel.
According to The Wrap, Lee will continue to report directly to Pam Lifford, President of Global Brands, Franchises, and Experiences at Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is owned by WBD, and the comic publisher has been a huge focus for the company ever since Discovery's acquisition of WarnerMedia last year. To that end, Lee is now poised to be working closely with DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, as they get ready to relaunch the DC Universe in 2024 and beyond with a rebooted slate of movies and TV shows. To that end, the report notes that Lee "leads creative efforts to integrate DC's publishing portfolio of characters and stories across all media."
Gunn and Safran took over as the heads of DC Studios several months ago and have already announced plans for the new DCU, with the first chapter being dubbed "Gods and Monsters." Gunn, the director of Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy and DC's "The Suicide Squad," is set to kick things off in earnest by writing and directing "Superman: Legacy" for 2025. No doubt, with his new appointment, Lee will have a part to play as this bold new era for DC gets underway.
Creating synergy in the new DC universe
With well over 30 years of mainstream comic book success under his belt, working on everything from "Punisher War Journal" to "Batman: Hush," Jim Lee is one of the most respected people working in the industry. He's also one of the rare artists to ascend the executive ranks to such a high level. Gunn has made it incredibly clear that he values and respects the comics as more than just fuel for blockbuster movies, and that's why Lee's appointment as President of DC Comics, at this moment in time, is key.
Gunn's track record at DC Studios is already notable. For one, trailers for movies such as "The Flash" and "Blue Beetle" that have been released since he took over have highlighted specific comic books for viewers to check out, should they be interested in diving into the source material. By the same token, Gunn also very specifically highlighted which comics are inspiring the upcoming DCU slate, such as "The Authority" and "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow." The books Gunn referenced have since gone on to top Amazon's best-seller charts.
For all of its success at the box office, Marvel Studios has not done nearly as good of a job highlighting the Marvel Cinematic Universe's source material. This is evidently a big priority for Gunn, making Lee a key partner in shaping the publishing side of the business moving forward. It is difficult to imagine a world in which Lee is not working directly with the DC Studios folks, and that is absolutely a good thing. After all, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, or hardly any superheroes would be who they are without the comics.
James Gunn wants more people to read comics
Another thing to consider is that Gunn and Safran are going out of their way to make sure that everything from here on out shares a cohesive DC multiverse, which even includes video games that will be developed under their leadership. Naturally, Gunn is not going to forget about the comics in all of this. That said, the filmmaker-turned-executive has also made it clear that he is not in charge of the publishing side of things in his new role.
After his new role was first announced, Gunn said on Twitter last year that he is having "very open communication with the folks at DC Comics." He added, "As everyone knows I'm a huge comic book fan & I hope everything we do will lead to more people reading DC Comics (& vice versa). But Peter & I are not in charge of the comics – just all filmed DC entertainment." Thanks to his new appointment, Lee is definitively the man in charge of DC Comics and, based on these past comments, it's evident Gunn and Safran will be in contact with him.
It would seem that the comic book side of DC is by no means going to be left in the dust as the new DCU gets underway. Moreover, it appears Lee is poised to help shine a brighter light on the comics as this new era dawns, becoming an important figurehead for some of the biggest characters in all of pop culture. Now, if only Marvel could also highlight their comics and treat their creatives a bit better. But that's another issue entirely.