Jim Lee, the superstar artist-turned-publisher of DC, has added the title president to his growing list of executive designations.
Lee, re-upping his deal with DC, has been promoted to president as well as publisher and CCO of the comic book company, which is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The executive will continue to report to Pam Lifford, president of global brands, franchises and experiences at Warner Bros. Discovery, who announced the promotion Wednesday.
Lee, per the company, will continue in his primary role as publisher at DC, where he leads the creative teams. He will also continue to lead the creative efforts to integrate DC’s publishing portfolio of characters and stories across all media, supporting the brands and studios of WBD.
Lee, one of the most recognizable names in comics, has been a reassuring presence at DC as the company has navigated choppy corporate waters that would give even Aquaman the shivers. As one of the heads of DC, Lee has seen a succession of owners, from Time Warner to AT&T and Discovery, with various mandates pushing the company one way or another.
He has seen the filmed media side of DC explode in importance, but also seen its share of upheavals in recent years. His promotion is seen as a throughline into the Warner Bros. Discovery era and the nascent DC Studios under James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Lee was one of the top artists at Marvel in the early 1990s when he and a few other creators left to form Image Comics, the publisher that shook the comics scene in that era. DC eventually acquired his Image Comics imprint, Wildstorm, a move that allowed him to slide into the executive ranks, where he became one of the top creative forces, having a hand in publishing programs such as The New 52 and Rebirth, initiatives that relaunched entire lines of monthly superhero comic books.
Under Lee’s leadership, DC also successfully launched same-day digital comics through DC Universe Infinite, the company’s digital subscription service, and made it a priority to concentrate on international marketplaces.
The Seoul-born, St. Louis-raised comics maven still holds the all-time record for single-issue sales with 1991’s X-Men No. 1. Lee drew the issue with inker Scott Williams, while Chris Claremont wrote it.
