Comics / Comics News

Karen Berger Steps Down!

By Zak Edwards
December 3, 2012 - 19:05

Easily the most important news of the day (and perhaps the week or year), Executive Editor and Vice President of DC Comics Vertigo imprint Karen Berger has announced her retirement from the company.  Berger has been the head editor of Vertigo Comics since its inception in 1993 and was an influential editor for DC Comics throughout the 80's.

She is, for the large part, responsible for the careers of some of the best known creators in comics and for some of the most influential series in the history of Western comics.  Berger recruited such stars as Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Grant Morrison in what became known as the British Invasion of comics, and supported such series as Moore's Swamp Thing and Gaiman's Sandman.  Throughout the nineties, Vertigo continued to be on the forefront of comics, changing the perception of comics as simply children's literature through the support of comics intended for mature audiences.  Works like Morrison's The Invisibles, Preacher by Garth Ennis, and Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan and many other titles were both highly successful and integral in changing the reception of comics throughout the nineties.  The success of Vertigo continued into the 2000's with titles like Vaughan's Y: The Last Man, Brian Wood's DMZ, Brian Azzarello's 100 Bullets, and Vertigo's current flagship series, Bill Willingham' Fables.

Vertigo's influence has not only been limited to the content and perception of comics, but also how they are read.  Vertigo arguably also popularized the trade paperback, a graphic novel that collects a few issues of a comic book and is commonly sold in bookstores, which has greatly influenced the medium, including the current writing practice called "writing for the trade," which focuses on longer story arcs intended to be collected for trade paperbacks collections.



Berger's resignation is one story in a long line of recent downsizing of Vertigo Comics, whose dwindling output and influence has been noticeably felt in the industry.  Recent shifts in policies for royalties has caused many writers and artists to migrate away from the imprint with their work, and former mainstays in imprint, including Brian Wood, Brian K. Vaughan and, most recently, Grant Morrison, have taken their creator owned content to publishers like Dark Horse or Image Comics.  Similarly, DC has been requisitioning properties formerly held by Vertigo, including Animal Man and John Constantine: Hellblazer, the latter of which has now been cancelled in order to fit more seamlessly into the New DCU.

Berger has stated that she will stay on until May 2013, although I fear that 2013 may be the end for the imprint.  Creator owned material seems to becoming less of a priority for both major publishers as Marvel Comics' Icon Imprint has similarly dwindled in output over the years.  Creators, consequently, have migrated to other publishers, including Image Comics, who has been replacing Vertigo by drawing talent with guarantees regarding ownership and royalties.  With Sweet Tooth ending next week and American Vampire going on an indefinite hiatus, Vertigo has only four ongoing series: The Unwritten, Saucer County, Fables and its spin-off Fairest.  All announced upcoming projects focus on mini-series, including Neil Gaiman's return to his Sandman series.  However, creators seem to be only able to secure mini-series at the imprint, which does not bode well for its sustainability.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12