Rare Good News for DC Fans as Comic Book Sales Triple Following James Gunn Takeover
James Gunn and Peter Safran, DC Studios’ new co-CEOs, are prepared to assume control and launch their own DC Universe with a vision to take DC Studios to the next level. But now, DC Comics has been greatly influenced by new co-CEOs.
DC Comics has finally made a comeback to San Diego Comic-Con 2023 and the recently concluded Dawn of DC after a pandemic-induced hiatus. As was previously mentioned, SDCC offers DC the ideal platform to engage with fans, present their content, and—most importantly—celebrate the importance of storytelling in DC. Jim Lee, the chief creative officer of DC Comics, was gushing about the new co-CEOs.
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Jim Lee praises James Gunn and Peter Safran
Jim Lee who is the President, publisher, and chief creative officer of DC Comics recently during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, shared, “Comic-Con is the event of the year for us, and we wanted to basically show up for the fans.”
The CCO of DC Comics acknowledged that even though the recently released DC movies have not worked at the box office as they were expected, there are a lot of hopes for the upcoming new phase of DC, which is going to be helmed by newly appointed CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Lee said, “It’s amazing to have partners in Peter and James, particularly James. He was a comics fan growing up and knows our mythology inside out. And having that kind of ally in the live-action space allows us to really leverage what he is doing and allow us to market and sell comic books to new readers.”
He continued to explain that people who are interested in the movies made by Gunn, or TV shows and if they want to take a deep dive into these characters, the director guides them to the comic books. He also added that they have noticed that there is a ‘double or triple-digit growth in sales since the new CEOs took over the studios.
The President also noted that for him the connection between comics and the media is the cornerstone of their celebration and at the end of the day, there is a DC company and then there is the content engine that creates all the DC content from comics to animation and movies.
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James Gunn and Peter Safran did not have a smooth ride
Even though the DC Comic book sales have increased since Gunn and Safran took over the Studios, it should be noted that the two of them did not have it easy as fans were and are not always aligned with their thought process especially when they revealed that they are going to focus on building a new DC Universe and combine the diamond characters with lesser-known characters.
The director has received backlash from fans after he announced that massive reshoots are being done for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom along with revealing that Ben Affleck, who was supposed to feature in the movie in a cameo role, will no longer appear. They received a massive backlash after Henry Cavill was announced not to return as Superman.
Gunn mentioned in an interview that the superhero genre has gone stagnant with studios churning out sequels or spinoffs without considering or giving them a second thought. He also said that what he thinks has happened is the fact that people have been lazy with superhero stories.
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James Gunn hints at being ‘done’ with Marvel Studios
James Gunn’s recent Marvel movie was The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which performed very well at the box office and has received praise from the audience along with the critics. But since Gunn shifted to DC, his fans, who are also fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have been curious if he is ever going to return. One of them asked the director of Threads to keep making movies akin to Guardian of the Galaxy.
The director-writer said he would be in DC, which some fans noted could be a dig at the MCU. However, ardent DC fans are excited for Superman: Legacy, starring David Corenswet as Superman, to be back on-screen as the movie marks the beginning of DC Studios’ movies and canon. Gunn has clarified that DCEU won’t carry over in the DC Universe.
DC Universe’s Superman: Legacy is expected to release on July 11, 2025.
Source: THR
