Jim Lee, the superstar performer turned DC publisher, has added the title of president to his growing roster of executive appointments.
Lee, who resumes his deal with DC, has been promoted to now act as president, publisher and CCO of the comic book company that is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The director will continue to report to Pam Lifford, president of global brands, franchises and experiences at Warner Bros Discovery, who announced the promotion Wednesday.
According to the company, Lee will continue his primary duties as a publisher at DC, where he leads the creative teams. He will also continue to lead creative efforts to integrate DC’s publishing portfolio of characters and stories across all media, in support of WBD’s brands and studios.
One of the most recognizable names in comics to cross over into mainstream pop culture, Lee was a reassuring presence in DC as the company navigated very choppy corporate waters that would even send the shivers down to Aquaman. As one of the heads of DC, Lee has seen a succession of owners, from TimeWarner to AT&T and Discovery, with different mandates that have tipped the company in one way or another.
He’s seen DC’s filmed media side explode in importance, but he’s also seen his share of upheavals in recent years. His promotion and re-upping is seen as a through line to the Warner Bros. Discovery era and in the budding start of 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 up the comic book scene at the time. DC eventually acquired its Image Comics imprint Wildstorm, a move that allowed it to slide into the executive ranks. Lee became one of its foremost creative forces and overseers, 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 successfully launched same-day digital comics through DC Universe Infinite, the company’s digital subscription service, and made it a priority to focus on international marketplaces.
The Seoul, South Korea-born, St. Louis, MO-raised comics maven still holds the all-time record for single issue sales with 1991’s X Men no. 1. Lee drew the song, with inker Scott Williams, while Chris Claremont wrote it.
