by the fans for the fans

Warner Bros.’ DC Entertainment has promoted largely from within

Lee, DiDio, Johns to Top DC Entertainment

benprice01.blogspot.com/2010/02/news-021910.html

Warner Bros.’ DC Entertainment has promoted largely from within as new president Diane Nelson announces her management team for the newly reorganized comic book company.

In a statement released Thursday, Nelson appointed Dan DiDio and Jim Lee co-publishers of DC Comics, while making writer Geoff Johns the company’s new chief creative officer. The company also promoted Patrick Caldon to the position of executive VP of finance administration and brought in former ABC Family executive John Rood as executive VP of marketing and business development.

The move marks the beginning of a new era for DC and the fans of its many superhero comics. The transformation into DC Entertainment under Nelson is part of Warner Bros.’ desire to better exploit DC’s 75-year library of comic book characters in multiple media.

DiDio moves up from the post of senior VP and executive editor of the DC Universe, while Lee rises from the title of editorial director of Wildstorm Studios. They replace Paul Levitz, who had worked as a writer, editor and executive at DC for more than 30 years and announced last September he was returning to writing comics after Nelson took over as president of the company.

Prior to joining DC in 2002, DiDio worked in television, where his credits indclude stints as senior VP of creative affairs for Mainframe Entertainment and executive director of children’s programming for ABC.

Jim Lee began his career in comics as the popular artist on such Marvel titles as Alpha Flight, Punisher War Journal and X-Men. In 1992, he co-founded Image Comics and established the comic book production company WildStorm Studios. Lee came into the DC fold in 1998, when he sold WildStorm to the company. He has drawn such popular comics for DC as Batman: Hush and All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder with Frank Miller, and has lead the design of the upcoming DC Universe Online video game.

Johns is a prolific writer whose DC stories featuring the likes of Green Lantern, The Flash, Teen Titans and Justice Society of America have been fan favorites in recent years. He also has written for television, including episodes of Robot Chicken, Titan Maximum, Smallville and Marvel’s Blade: The Series. He began his career as an assistant to filmmaker Richard Donner, who directed 1978’s Superman: The Movie.

Caldon formerly was VP of finance and operations for DC Comics and MAD Magazine. He has worked with DC Comics since 1985.

Rood returns to Warner after a decade at Disney-ABC, where he most recently was senior VP of marketing for ABC Family.