Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dc, dc comics, entertainment, marvel

DC Says Goodbye To New York And New York Says Goodbye To DC

@DCComics pic.twitter.com/4rFEVNY6QU — Ryan Penagos (@AgentM) April 10, 2015

So DC Comics said goodbye to New York yesterday. Many people had already gone, but the doors closed and the security passes to 1700 Broadway were cancelled. They were done, move on. Marvel didn't just respond to DC's goodbye message, they also gatecrashed the party earlier in the week, to which all manner of DC and Warners bigwigs had been invited. A splendid affair by all accounts, it also saw the current team of Diane Nelson, Jim Lee, Dan DiDio and Geoff Johns with departing folk such as Bob Wayne and those who used to run the publisher, Paul Levitz and before him Jeanette Kahn all in the same room for the first time in ages – and probably the least time until the big reunion. I'm in New York this week for unrelated reasons, but I met a number of comic book folks, and it feels for them a palpable loss.

But things change… they always will. Doesn't mean we have to like it.
Stuart Moore: DC Comics in New York: One time, when we were still at 666 Fifth Avenue, I walked past an editorial accounting office a few times and noticed the same staffer on the phone, repeating "Uh-huh." "Uh-huh." "Uh-huh." "Yeah. "Uh-huh." "Uh-huh."

The third time I passed by, he held up a handwritten sign reading: KANIGHER.

Patrick Brosseau: The last official day of the DC Comics office at 1700 Broadway, New York, NY…I was there for 8 years (2004-2012), met a lot of great people, enjoyed lettering a lot of comics, (well, most of them…) and overall had a lot of fun. Good luck to everyone who moved to California and to those that decided to stay in New York and goodbye DC Comics in NYC!

Scott McRae Although my division of DC has been in CA for years, this is still a weird sad thing. NYC has always been the home of the comics industry.

Paul Levitz: DC is officially closing it's New York offices today, climaxing the progressive move to Burbank over the last few years. They've been kind enough to invite me to a final lunch at the office with so many old friends to commemorate the occasion.

Rather than write about what the DC office in NY has meant to me personally, let me take today to write about what it's meant to NY, and vice versa.

The various DC offices over the past 80 years have been a gateway for New York's young people, originally mostly from immigrant or disadvantaged backgrounds, to bring their gifts to entertain the world. Kids like Shelly Mayer, Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino, Alex Toth, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Irwin Hasen–and in a later generation, Neal Adams, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Howard Chaykin, George Perez, Denys Cowan–and so many, many more, came knocking on the doors and found an outlet for their talents. Based in a city that long opened its doors to the world, DC opened up to people with passion for creating stories and artwork, and to a generation or two of people who came to New York "to get into comics." It wasn't the only comics company that did this, but it was the most consistent presence–the only leader in the field to have stayed in the front of the pack for over 75 years, creating opportunities in the greatest city on our continent.

It's not only writers and artists who came through the DC offices and prospered. A tally of the young New Yorkers who spent an early part of their careers at DC and went on to interesting lives would include publishing pioneer Byron Priess, a host of editors, leading licensing executives, and graphic desgners.

The offices have also been a magnet for business change in the comics field. The idea that comics could be original periodicals was first made real and practical in a DC office, as was the first truly successful graphic novel publishing program in America. And would comics have been that same if NY English teacher Phil Seuling hadn't had easy access to offices to pitch his direct sales idea? The comic shop may have been born in California, but the systems that fed it started here.

Has all this connecting been made obsolete in the era of the Internet and global interdependency? Maybe. There's certainly an argument that today you can run anything, anywhere.

But New York won't be quite the same without a DC Comics, and as a New Yorker whose life was shaped by his city and by the DC offices, I can be sad about that.

Alé Garza: From New York to Califerney from young justice to Jiro and everything in between DC will always be my comics home:) all the best wishes on the big move!

Brian Huberd: Today is the final day at DC Comics' NYC offices at 1700 Broadway, across the street from the Ed Sullivan Theater. In June, 2001 I was in New York on business and on a lark and with some encouragement from Michael Allred, I went to DC and was rebuffed (naturally). But with the encouragement of the security guard on the first floor, I went back up in the elevator and got a quick glimpse of each floor. When we got to this one, I had to get a picture of the mural, so the person I was with held the elevator door open as I got the shot. It took so long the door alarm started to ping and we heard steps approaching. Snapped the picture, let those doors close and we got the hell right out of there after that

Stephen Bissette: I should note, for the record, that for me DC Comics was at 666 Fifth Avenue. Then, there was another address for a time—THEN 1700, I think, yes? Anyhoot, misplaced nostalgia; I've few sweet memories of the DC offices. Psychosis-inducing wallpaper in the hallways is the main memory, along with verbal abuse, contractual hanky-panky (that I bolted from, angry as I've rarely been in my life), etc. Good people there, yes, but also—not.

So, farewell, old DC.

Jeff Zornow I remember on the last day of my internship..seeing if anyone would have pity on me to give me my first gig..an editor now writer ( who will remain nameless) just shook my hand and said "well Jeff…Welcome to Hell"…my first gig came from the Vampirella offices several yrs later hahah

Frank Pittarese: It was 26 years ago this very month when I first arrived at DC Comics. I was a kid. A nerdy kid, excited to be working at such a magical place. I started off answering phones and getting coffee for the late, great Joe Orlando. About a year later, with Terri Cunningham's help, I began working for Robert Greenberger, opening tons of FedEx packages every morning and making Xerox copies for the editors. (In a pre-digital age, almost every piece of art passed through our halls via FedEx or was hand-delivered by the artists themselves). Over time, I became an assistant editor, then an associate, then a full editor in the Superman group. 

I worked with some amazing people. Mike Carlin, who hired me for the Super-books, taught me damn near everything I know about editing comics and for that, I'll always be grateful. (I still hear his voice in my head today, when I do balloon placements!) Denny O'Neil, Archie Goodwin, and Dan Raspler were also huge influences during my time here.

For several years, I was away from DC – but in 2010, Steve Korte offered me a "temporary" two-month assignment, helping him with several projects in Licensed Publishing. That two-month stay has lasted five wonderful years. When Licensed Publishing, as a department, went away, Jack Mahan and Scott Wilson were kind enough to keep me afloat here, and this past summer, Brian Cunningham made my dreams come true by hiring me for a second go-round as a DC editor.

I grew up in this place. I was working here when I met Chris Eades, who I eventually married. I was working here when I got my first apartment. I had the best times of my life and made best friends I've ever had at DC. You know who you are.

Today was DC's last official day in New York. I'll be sticking around for a few extra weeks to help out on a deadline-sensitive project, but the golden age is truly over as the company heads to California and I stay behind in NY. I loved working here and will miss it more than I can begin to express, and hopefully, someday, I'll find myself in California, making comics again.

Thank you to everyone I've mentioned (and to a bunch that I didn't). It's been an amazing run.

— at DC Comics.

Frank Pittarese: I stepped off the elevator on the 6th floor to find them taking down the DCU superhero mural and seriously almost cried. This is gonna be a day, people.

Walter Simonson: From the last days of DC Comics in New York City…

Weezie and I stopped by the office about a week ago to have lunch with an old friend before he headed west. Much of the office was in the process of being packed up and made ready to move. That included the library of comics, but we were just in time to get a quick snap of the two of us with Action Comics No. 1, the first Superman story. Pretty cool.

Stuart Moore: I started at DC in the last days of the 666 Fifth Avenue office. I'm sure it had been a very nice space at one time, but DC had long outgrown it. The Vertigo imprint, which I helped found, was still a few years away.

The 666 offices had very narrow hallways with a gigantic, stylized, bright yellow benday-dot pattern running up the walls. It was very cool to see, on a quick visit. After a few days it kind of grated. With a hangover, it felt like you were walking through a narrowing tunnel with bright circles assaulting you from both sides.

The office had a tiny one-person men's room with a lock, right off the main hallway. I think I'd been there about a week when I went to use it and pushed right in on Julie Schwartz, who'd forgotten to lock the door. Embarrassed, I said to Archie Goodwin, "I just walked in on Julie Schwartz." Without missing a beat, Archie replied: "Now you know why they call him a living legend."

Jamal Yaseem Igle

25 years ago I walked into DC Comics old office at 666 Fifth Avenue as a wide eyed High School intern. I remember the big move to 1700 Broadway (after a brief stop at 1325 Broadway) and the many years I spent wandering those halls, so it's a little weird knowing that DC will no longer have an office in New York City. So much of my life is connected to that building, it'll be weird not having that landmark around anymore.
John Trumbull: Today is the last day that DC Comics will be in New York City. While I was only able to visit there periodically, I always enjoyed my time there (even when they turned me down for a job). My very first work in comics came from DC, and it's sad to think that I won't be able to hop on a train or bus to go visit the offices anymore. Best of luck in LA, folks.

Mike Costa: Well that's that for DC Comics in New York. So lucky I got to visit those historic offices as a writer. One the great days of my career.

The end of DC today in New York. And a replacement of the old guard. http://t.co/f0xoWUVIdI — Rich Johnston (@richjohnston) April 10, 2015

Really bummed the new York DC offices are closing today. Before I ever 'broke in' to the US market I was fortunate to visit them a few times — Declan Shalvey (@declanshalvey) April 10, 2015   Isn't trolling, guys. Lot of Marvel & DC staffers have worked at both places. They're just saying they'll miss them in NY. @Marvel @DCComics — Patch Zircher (@PatrickZircher) April 11, 2015

1700 I'll never forget you. Literally. "DC Comics, 1700 West Broadway Ave, New York, NY 10019."…

— Patrick Gleason (@patrick_gleason) April 10, 2015

I've only been in the NY DC offices a few times but it does feel odd that I'll never sit in that lobby again staring nervously at Batman.. — A M Y C H U (@AmyChu) April 10, 2015

I moved to NY from Miami to work at DC Comics. I have a lot of great memories of working at 1700 Broadway. Made many friends, too. (cont) — Alex Segura (@alex_segura) April 10, 2015

It's an especially weird to get the last pages on the day the NY DC offices closed… I wish I'd had the chance to go out there — ollie masters (@olliemasters) April 10, 2015

Peace out DC Comics NY office. See you at the crossroads. pic.twitter.com/so9mVj64S8 — Brent Schoonover (@brentschoonover) April 10, 2015

W/the close of the NY DC office, one last thank you to @ThrillioD – incredible editor, mentor and true friend. — Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) April 9, 2015

Joshua Hale Fialkov:

If the New 52 launch taught us anything it's that people want to read comics. It also taught us that if the content isn't there to back up the medium, it doesn't matter how cool people think folded paper with staples in the middle are.

I want DC Comics to do great things, and maybe, this time, they will.

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