Notable artist-turned-publisher for DC Jim Lee has added the title head to his growing list of executive appointments.
Lee, who has re-inflated his deal with DC, has been promoted to president, publisher, and general manager of The Comic Book Company, part of Warner Bros. Pictures. Discovery.
The executive will continue to report to Pam Lifford, president of global brands, franchises and experiences at Warner Bros. Discovery, which announced the show on Wednesday.
Lee, according to the company, will continue in his primary role as DC’s publisher, leading the creative teams. He will also continue to lead creative efforts to integrate DC’s character and story publishing portfolio across all media, supporting WBD’s brands and studios.
Lee, one of the most recognizable names in comics, was a coveted presence in DC as the company traversed the choppy corporate waters that would give even Aquaman shivers. As one of DC’s chiefs, Lee has seen a series of owners, from Time Warner to AT&T and Discovery, with various mandates pushing the company one way or another.
It’s seen the graphic media side of DC explode in importance, but it’s also seen its share of upheaval in recent years. His promotion is seen as a crossroads in the discovery era of Warner Bros. and the emerging DC studios under James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Lee was a senior artist at Marvel in the early 1990s when he left with a few other creators to form Image Comics, the publisher that rocked the comics scene of the era. DC eventually acquired its own Image Comics imprint, Wildstorm, a move that allowed him to move up the executive ranks, where he became one of the creative powerhouses, having a hand in publishing shows like The New 52 and Rebirth, initiatives that completely relaunched the lines. From the monthly superhero comic books.
Under Lee’s leadership, DC also successfully launched digital comics on the same day through DC Universe Infinite, the company’s digital subscription service, and made it a priority to focus on international markets.
The Seoul-born, St. Louis-raised comedy veteran still holds the all-time record for single-issue sales with 1991. X-Men No. 1. Lee drew the case with Detective Scott Williams, while it was written by Chris Claremont.