10 Days that Shook The World

Okay, now we know why there's still unease over all outposts of the DC Entertainment empire today: In the first interview we've seen with DC head Diane Nelson, she explains that DC's staff will be cut by 20%:

Well now, didn't exactly see this one coming: while everyone has been wondering if WildStorm would become the new DC since they were already on the West Coast...turns out that as of December, WildStorm will be no more. WildStorm titles, licensing and kids comics, all recently coming out of La Jolla, will be turned over to the DC banner. The Zuda brand is also done for.

PR just went out announcing the organizational changes. In a surprise last-minute reprieve, editorial is staying in New York...but digital, multimedia and administrative are going to LA.

Ever since the Big Shake-up last year, both Marvel and DC have been the subject of much speculation regarding moves, with some guessing that Marvel might move to Disney's offices in White Plains...or to Burbank. However it seems that preserving the Pixar-like independence for Marvel is still a priority, as they are staying in town and merely moving a few blocks uptown. While an announcement of some kind is expected today about DC's possible West Coast move, the NY Observer confirms that Marvel is moving to newer uptown offices, , 135 West 50th Street, the same address as Sports Illustrated and EW. The House of Ideas will take over the 60,000 sq. ft. office on October 1 -- or...next Friday.

We're told a series of meetings will take place at 1700 Broadway today in which the shape of DC's move to the West Coast will be described.

DC Entertainment head Diane Nelson pledged a "no fear" era at DC since announcing changes earlier this year, everyone has been plenty nervous ever since she took over. The reason? DC's proposed move to the West Coast. Will it happen and when? That's been the question on everyone's mind. Word on the street is that next week, the answer to "Will DC be moving to the West Coast?" will finally be revealed, and an article in The Hollywood Reporter seems to back that up.

The business news website ICv2 isn't known for being hyperbolic. So when Milton Griepp said that this month's comics sales had "plummeted" everyone leaped up, screaming, knocking over chairs and spilling drinks everywhere.

Sales of comics and graphic novels through Diamond Comic Distributors dropped substantially in August with periodical comics falling 17% and graphic novels down 21%.  There wasn’t a single comic title even close to the 100,000 in August. 

If it weren't for the continued strength of SCOTT PILGRIM trades, the GN drop would have been even more grisly. On the periodical side, there was no big book, but, said ICv2, Certainly "the lack of one big title can’t account for everything." The grim details immediately set the punditocracy to arms, perhaps sniffing the hint of burning smoke in Tom Spurgeon's Doomapocalyptigeddon which he descried from his aerie high in the Misty Mountains, the same distant smell of charring paper and brimstone that we've been picking up for the last few weeks.

ICv2 has its first comprehensive interview with DC co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio since the publisher restructured in February. The interview runs in three parts. There's a hint that some of the CMX titles that weren't finished may get picked up by a different publisher, perhaps Dark Horse, and an acknowledgment of the need to keep prices down from DiDio:

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It was a busy day for DC Entertainment's new executive team, and they were made available to many press outlets. Although a few key...

On an busy day for DC Entertainment, president Diane Nelson has been making the press rounds, and she very graciously stopped by to answer...