After nearly 90 years, Marvel Comics is officially leaving New York City, the long-standing heart of the American comics industry, and relocating its comics and brand divisions to Burbank, California. According to an exclusive report from The Hollywood Reporter, the decision was announced at a town hall for employees at Marvel's Midtown Manhattan office. The publishing operations will now be based at the same headquarters as Marvel Studios and its parent company, Disney.
Notably, the move is accompanied by a major executive shake-up. Stephen Wacker, a Marvel veteran of over 15 years who worked on titles like "Spider-Man" and "Superior Spider-Man," will take over as the new Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. He replaces C.B. Cebulski, who has held the top job since 2017. Cebulski will be relocating to Japan to oversee original graphic novel and manga content for the Asia-Pacific region.
In an internal memo, Brad Winderbaum, Head of Marvel Television, Animation, Comics, and Brand, and David Abdo, General Manager of Comics and Brand, stated that the move will allow the comics team to work alongside the broader creative organization with the goal to "continue making the best comic books in the business."
New York has long been considered the birthplace of the American comics industry. Marvel's predecessors, Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, were once located on 42nd Street, and legendary creators like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko are inextricably linked to the city. Characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers have also made New York an iconic backdrop for Marvel's stories.
Marvel is expected to require its more than 100 employees in the New York comics and brand divisions to relocate to California by July 2027. With DC having already moved to Burbank back in 2015, New York will no longer be home to a major comic book publisher's headquarters.
via： THR