Batman Just Officially Saved DC Comics From a Terrible Fate

Business mergers always come with shake-ups, and Skydance's recent acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery was inevitably going to be messy in some way. What was unexpected, however, was this week's announcement that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be stepping down as co-heads of DC Studios. At the same time, Skydance has initiated layoffs in other divisions such as Skydance Games. One area that seems to have escaped the chopping block for now, though, is DC Comics.

Bleeding Cool reports that, according to multiple sources, no one at DC Comics has been offered voluntary buyouts like other divisions were this October. The surprising reason for this comes down to performance. Apparently, DC Comics is outperforming a number of other Warner Bros. departments and is actively turning a profit. Much of that success is directly laid at the feet of Absolute Batman, Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's tent-pole series for the publisher's phenomenal Absolute line. Absolute Batman has been both a critical and commercial success, helping DC surpass Marvel in sales. As Bleeding Cool puts it, "no one wants to kill that golden batgoose." There is also an animated adaptation of the comic currently in the works.

There may be another wrinkle to the story, however. The report also states that the company's organizational structure makes roles and responsibilities unclear, meaning that Skydance does not want to risk accidently firing someone integral to the success of books like Absolute Batman. Due to this nebulous organization, Batman seems to have saved DC Comics from going through a major shake-up.

Not everyone is sorry to see James Gunn and Peter Safran leave DC Studios

A shocking part of Bleeding Cool's report also revealed that DC Comics publisher, president, and CCO Jim Lee has "welcomed the news of Jeremy Latcham's appointment." Latcham is replacing Gunn and Safran. According to Bleeding Cool's sources, Lee has felt like he has been frozen out at DC Studios by the outgoing pair. This has instigated Lee's decision to work more publicly on projects outside of DC, perhaps preparing to exit his role. That may change with Gunn and Safran gone.

At the same time, rumors are swirling that DC scribe Tom King may be ousted as well, or perhaps just be looking to jump ship. The writer has penned a number of well-received runs at DC, such as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Mister Miracle, Omega Men, and more. He was also tapped by Gunn to be an architect of the new DC Universe, with several projects being based on his comic work. King also helped create HBO's Lanterns. Now, it seems like King could be leaving DC for a possible return to Marvel. With his divisive Wonder Woman run about to end and Gunn and Safran out, it might be the best opportunity for King to go on to other things.