Diane Nelson, the lady who brought the Harry Potter franchise to Warner Bros., is not a fan per se of comics. Speaking to The Wrap, Ms. Nelson said:
“I’m the first to admit, I’m not by my nature a comic fan. What I bring to the party is a skill at moving properties and brands.”
Okay, so you’re in charge of a company that’s main property is comics, and you’re not a fan. Oh God. Though that is not great, Ms. Nelson spoke with Jonah Weiland at Comic Book Resources where she stressed the importance of being focused on creators.
Jonah Weiland: Diane, what do you see as DC Comics’ greatest strengths and assets today?
It’s a reflection, I believe, or at least it’s consistent with what Warner Bros. has cared about and stood for, that we are a talent-friendly company and are a place that values creators. I think the depth and breadth of the DC library and all of its imprints give us a real advantage over any competitor, however you define them. This isn’t just about the biggest or most well-known properties — those will clearly be a part of our initiative — but it can equally be about much lesser known properties that we incubate and build throughout the company, and it can be and should be about the acquisitions of new properties and characters. We are a content company and we’ll be even more focused on that in the future and that’s on a Warner Bros. and Time Warner level. I think recognizing the value of what our creators have created in this library and treating them carefully for the long term is the single greatest thing we have to work with here.
I think that is incredibly heartening, I must say. So, even though she might not be a fan, I think she trusts the people who are to keep creator’s interests and keep what is essentially the lifeblood of the universe pumping and happy. So, as long she sticks to the business role and enhancing the line’s visibility, the company should be fine. But I’m an optimist by nature, and I know many, many people are probably freaking out over the headline to this post.
In the mean time, I’d like to know who is going to be the Publisher now that Nelson is President.
