Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: steve bissette, tony panaccio

Get Ready To Netflix And Joe Chill? Comic Creators React To DC News

Published Sun, 07 Dec 2025 06:57:04 -0600

Article Summary

Comic creators react to Netflix’s massive $72B purchase of Warner Bros. and DC Comics with mixed feelings.
Concerns swirl about DC Comics' future, physical media, and Netflix’s data-driven approach to storytelling.
Optimism appears for potential film crossovers, improved comic bundles, and new franchise possibilities.
Fans debate if Netflix’s takeover spells new opportunities or signals challenges for DC’s creative legacy.

Comic book creators have been reacting to the news that Netflix is buying Warner Bros. for $72 billion, plus pocket change, and including DC Comics in the deal. And yes, they have some thoughts to share with their readers, big and small… get ready to Netflix and Joe Chill…

What Will Netflix Buying Warner Bros. Mean For DC And DC Comics? — Batman, DC Comics and Netflix

‪Stephen R Bissette‬: DC Entertainment's new owners; round & round & round we go (our SWAMP THING royalites/legacy now in Netflix's 'hands')…
‪Marc Laming: I'm very worried about DC Comics being owned by Netflix.
Batt: Is this the best deal that #DC comics & its fans could have hoped for? I'm leaning toward YES, Nflix has hired many #Comic Pros
‪James Hunt: Can't wait for the day the CEO of Netflix emails Alan Moore and ask if he's up for more Watchmen, citing their experience of turning Mark Millar comics into tv shows and movies.
Jimmy Palmiotti: Here is the thing, if Netflix decided to go all in on the comics- pull back licenses already out there, and then DC will soon be publishing Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Godzilla, Evil Dead, Bladerunner, Dune, Mad Max, King Kong, Matrix, Dirty Harry, and so many more comics. Like hundreds. WB itself stayed away from a lot of this stuff, as I did pitch a bunch of their own titles many years ago from their film library and was told they had no interest. Things might change.
Happy Toast: So Netflix now own DC comics? Can't wait for the new Batman film to be split into three parts and then get cancelled after the first.
Owen Likes Comics: As someone who's a big fan of both DC and AEW, I've been following the WBD sale quote closely. Honestly there was no good outcome here. Either Netflix or the Ellisons buying it would be a net negative for the industry.
Augie De Blieck Jr.: Will Joe Quesada now refer to DC as Netflix Comics, though? Two years from now, when the merger is complete, I look forward to seeing Mark Millar, the new Vice President of DC at Netflix, being the new James Gunn, but just for the streaming service. That would light some people up…
Cheryl Lynn Eaton‬: I'm about to drop a very unpopular opinion right now, but if DC Universe Infinite gets bundled with Netflix with a 30-day delayed release date, Ted Sarandos is going to be my best friend. DC Universe Infinite is a service where you can read DC Comics digitally. I wouldn't mind if it was bundled with Netflix for a reduced rate. The 30-day delay would be so that retailers could make money selling print versions and not have to compete with digital issues for a month.
‪Swords | The Webcomic‬: If Netflix absorbs WB, it will be really interesting to see what happens to DC comics. Physical comics might just die?? But only maybe.
Joshua Ortega: Fantastic!
Len O'Grady: Big news- DC and the Tolkien movies are now under Netflix's shadow. We can certainly see their physical media wither away, though I'm slightly hopeful that older movies and properties can come to light again in their own curated equivalent of TCM- it's money left on the ground. EDIT: One thing that's guaranteed to happen is all subscriptions are going to just shoot up that $82.7 billion is going to need to be paid for; the enshitification is just getting started.
Frank A Kadar: I'm not a fan of this. At least it's not the Ellisons or the Saudis. As long as Netflix lets WB and DC do their thing like Disney does with Marvel and Lucasfilm, then it should be fine. I also hope they continue with physical media.
Tony Panaccio: Netflix doesn't just get the keys to Hogwarts and the DC Universe. It now holds an IP mountain built for theaters: Harry Potter, The Matrix, Mad Max, Looney Tunes, classic WB noir, and HBO's crown jewels. All under a company that doesn't rely on gut-feeling moguls but a ruthless lattice of data models and behavioral analytics. Put simply: the company that knows exactly what we watch now also owns a century of what we've already loved… Netflix wants everything. It already rewired viewing habits worldwide. Now it has to justify the cost of its new empire. And that means making the theatrical business matter again. Not just awards-qualifying releases but full-blooded franchise strategy — movies built for shared experience and communal spectacle. Imagine theaters as fan cathedrals: Harry Potter marathons with augmented reality wands. IMAX events for every new DC storyline. Prestige HBO finales debuting on giant screens with screaming superfans. Netflix can use its own theaters (or exclusive partnerships) as marketing engines for streaming subscriptions. It can run theatrical windows that build anticipation, not resentment. It can treat theaters like Apple treats retail stores — a brand statement, not an afterthought. Moreover, Netflix is a data-driven management team, because the company's second life began as the first streaming service. They aren't governed by the madness of 35-year-old Warner executives guiding production on gut feelings and whims. In the hands of Netflix, which has navigated shark-infested waters effortlessly for more than a decade, the studio could become a juggernaut of activity, with each project measured and fitted specifically into a unified strategy driven not by market projections but rather, market realities.