Comments on: John Nee resigns from DC

by: el Seed

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:03:07 +0000

All people leave jobs and go on to somewhere else. It is the natural cycle of the employment world. It can be argued at DC the cycle is broken. People stay there, stagnant. DC is filled with staffers of all levels who have been coasting for years, drinking the Kool aid. Stagnant, and amazing as they produce nothing new or stand on the backs or ideas of others to hold their position on the ladder. DC is filled with so many VPs that the title is meaningless and unimportant. Top Heavy does not even describe it.

Maybe John Nee was tired of the same old, same old struggles and patterns of every day work life at a job he has been at for 10 years. Maybe he wanted to no longer be associated with the stigma of VP at DC has come to reflect: Old ways, stagnant ideas and coasting on past achievements or the blood of fresher ideas. May be he wanted a challenge, for once instead of banging the the drum to the same beat. What ever reason, God Speed John Nee! Best of luck on your new adventure, we are watching with interest and curiosity. and God Speed DC, I still read you with interest and excitement.

by: R. Maheras

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:15:10 +0000

There’s no comparison between DC and Cross Gen. If you walked up to 1,000 people on the street and gave them a list of the top three Cross Gen characters, I’ll wager less than one percent would have heard of any of them. On the other hand, what percentage of those same 1,000 people do you think would be familiar with, say, DC’s Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman?

This brand recognition is critical for any company to survive — especially if the brand has crossover marketing potential.

Cross Gen did not have the market share, the infrastructure, nor the character brand strength it needed to survive its business crises. Marvel did, and DC definitely does.

by: KET

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:51:33 +0000

Great characters don’t automatically equate with success. Cross Gen had great character concepts and creators as well, and look how well that turned out.

Granted, none of them had the long-term legs of DC’s usual character stable, but when ineptness rules the day, simply having great characters won’t save them as a company. Especially if the suits at WB are merely looking at exploiting DC’s characters from a licensing standpoint, and forgoing comics publication altogether. One should keep in mind that WB has already gutted other, formerly more successful subsidiaries in order to shore up it’s stock price.

by: R. Maheras

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:49:35 +0000

Every organization of any size goes through periods of turmoil. Keep in mind that Marvel’s future looked awfully bleak when it filed for Chapter 11 in 1996.

Regardless of who comes and goes, DC still has a bank of great characters, so I think it will survive its current personnel issues.

by: Torsten Adair

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:03:51 +0000

If Paul Levitz and/or Bob Wayne leave DC, then I would fear for the future of both DC and the Comicbook Industry.
DC’s problems are editorial, as titles and events are not selling as well as expected.
According to the job listing site, Indeed.com, there are two VP positions listed.
Whether Wildstorm?

by: Richard Pachter (a/k/a Rockin' Rich)

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 21:01:24 +0000

John Nee’s departure could mean anything, which is why it will be interesting to see how things shake out and if this is related to anything else. One would hope that it’s of his own volition and that he won’t be frog-marched out the door, of course, and the fact that he’s still working, as Michael notes, is a “good” sign.

If you missed Ellis’ follow-up, here ’tis:
“Also: yes, the news story earlier changed versions a
couple of times. What eventually came out was
that John Nee, a VP at DC and a legacy hire from
the Wildstorm takeover, has resigned — although,
naturally, the circumstances reported aren’t matching
the various stories circulating through back channels.

I’m trying to beat a script to death, so I can’t get into
this as deeply as I’d like, but this is interesting for a
lot of reasons, none of them good.

Heidi Mac at the Beat says: ‘If nothing else, the news
capped off what had to be considered a week of bad
news and turmoil for DC.’ Sadly, I don’t think that
does cap off the week for DC. I don’t think they’re going
to have a very good day at all, tomorrow. I hate this,
really.”

So, what happens next is anyone’s guess, in spite of Warren’s understandably ambiguous foreshadowing.

by: Michael

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:13:43 +0000

I’m not sure what you think you’re with me on, Derek. I doubt this was related to the Dixon thing, or that there’s any particular set of dominos being toppled. If Nee has handed in his two weeks’, but is still working there, the split was probably quite amicable; I suspect he simply received a better offer from someone else, or is taking some kind of personal business sabbatical.

by: Derek

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:20:53 +0000

I’m with Michael on this. I wonder if Chuck Dixon was the first domino.

by: Michael

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:49:27 +0000

So, in other words, the only person at DC who’s remotely interested in expanding their audience is leaving the company.

by: Jim Sheridan

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:22:22 +0000

Actually, looking a that photo, I was wondering if John and Gene Simmons were shaking the other two little guys down for their lunch money.

by: JWH

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:29:13 +0000

You know what sucks? That so many are looking at this to decide where it fits in the Didio soap opera or how it fits the Warren Ellis Nostradamus effort, rather than just seeing someone who appears to be a good guy and appears to have done good work. Poor guy has to have people wondering if he knew too much, fell on his sword to distract from Didio, or is important enough to rate a broadcast e-mail from Warren Ellis.

by: Angry Girl

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:25:42 +0000

In any organization there will always be one person who knows what is going on - This person must be fired.
Sorry to see J. Nee go regardless of the circumstances. Good lord when will they kick Levitz and Wayne to the curb? DC need to regain their credibility.

by: Sam Humphries

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:19:26 +0000

Couldn’t you find a better looking photo of John??

Such a handsome man.

by: Richard Pachter (a/k/a Rockin' Rich)

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:00:34 +0000

That’s it? I’m sure Nee is a fine fellow, but was his departure what Warren was referring to? Odd…

by: Alan Coil

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:40:33 +0000

It’s not unusual for executives to leave a job. He’s been there 10 years.

by: Lawson

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:29:40 +0000

Dan DiDio JOGS?!!

The hell you say!

by: rev-d

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:21:05 +0000

You don’t suppose Nee’s taking a bullet on behalf of the Senior Veep, do you? Seems like releasing this info late on a Friday is sure to fan flames of speculation and draw attention away from the vultures circling over Didio.

by: Lea Hernandez

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:56:04 +0000

Damn, I liked John. I hope he does well.

by: Ian Brill

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:52:56 +0000

Best wishes to Nee.

Perhaps the big news Ellis was referring to was the new KISS line-up in the above photo.

by: Christopher Moonlight @ Moonlight Art Magazine

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:14:22 +0000

Me too. I hate to hear about anyone being out of a job.

by: Torsten Adair

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:04:25 +0000

Wow.

I wish him well.