After 26 years of doling out so-called “edgier” and more adult-oriented material under the larger umbrella of DC Comics, the Vertigo imprint is now shutting its doors, per a statement from DC Editor in Chief Dan DiDio (via The Hollywood Reporter). DC Entertainment announced on June 21 that it will be closing down Vertigo by January 2020. Likewise to shutter will be the YA-inclined brands DC Zoom and DC Ink. As for the fate of the comics released beneath the Vertigo banner, some will fold into the larger DC brand, while others will phase out altogether.
Accompanying the revelation of these reductions is the announcement of a few new members of the DC family, likewise how DC will distribute its material going forward across said new and existing subsets. The company is introducing DC Kids, aimed at readers aged 8 through 12. As such, it will shift the focus of its simply named DC banner to 13-and-above readership, and will sustain DC Black Label as the primary home for ostensibly mature content, i.e. material for adult readership.
DiDio’s statement reads as such:
“We’re returning to a singular presentation of the DC brand that was present throughout most of our history until 1993 when we launched Vertigo to provide an outlet for edgier material. That kind of material is now mainstream across all genres, so we thought it was the right time to bring greater clarity to the DC brand and reinforce our commitment to storytelling for all of our fans in every age group. This new system will replace the age ratings we currently use on our material.”
The past decade has seen Vertigo meet with some unrest; founding figure Karen Berger left Vertigo in 2013; five years later, the imprint was rebranded as DC Vertigo.
Though the explicit fate of the greater mass of the imprint’s material is yet to be disclosed, readers might be pleased to find some Vertigo titles transferred to Black Label, as the company has insinuated the intention to keep popular titles alive. How the shift will affect the material, if at all, is also yet to be determined.
Image: DC Comics