Well, this week started out pretty slow but that all changed yesterday.
In a shocking move, it was announced that Vertigo was restructuring and, as part of that restructuring, celebrated long time editor and Vertigo vice president, Shelly Bond, was being let go from the company due to her “position being eliminated”.
The timing of this couldn’t be more bizarre with Vertigo having just announced the new Young Animal imprint – a project that Bond was spearheading – at ECCC just two weeks ago. What does this mean for the future of the Vertigo line, or for the future of the recently announced Young Animal books? We have no idea. And we probably won’t have any clear idea for some time. It’s as baffling as it is concerning.
According to current Vertigo senior editor, Jamie Rich, Vertigo isn’t going anywhere.
https://twitter.com/jamieESrich/status/723202895332560896
What this actually means, however, has yet to be defined. The announcement of Bond’s removal also prompted a resurgence of talk around known serial sexual harasser and current Superman office executive editor, Eddie Berganza.
Berganza and his continued employment at DC have been on-again/off-again matters of great debate, usually leaving him as a sort of “named-unnamed” enemy – the sort of person no one was able to call out directly for an list of very valid and legitimate concerns regarding the repercussions of doing so. As of yesterday, many former (and some current) DC employees and associates have decided to end the silence.
I’m not privy to enough information to have any personal insight into Berganza or his considerable list of transgressions of my own, but I can point you in the direction of several articles put together by people who are:
It’s heavy stuff, made more disheartening by the fact that no one can say whether DC will even so much as acknowledge the accusations, much less take any degree of action. It is, however, important to remember and understand that there are two very distinct and very important conversations happening here simultaneously. The continued employment of a serial harasser is one, and the firing of a celebrated female editor is another.
Normally, I’d try to make a segue into a topic that’s less dire and more fun, but I don’t think I have it in me today.
Here’s hoping we get some good news soon. We could really use it.
