Marvel Comics Is Leaving New York City For the First Time in Nearly 90 Years

Marvel Comics will be making some all-new, all-different changes. On Thursday, the publisher announced that Stephen Wacker will be serving as their new Editor-in-Chief.

Wacker has already worked at Marvel for more than fifteen years, including seven years as an editor on some of the publisher’s biggest books of the 2010s, like Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, and Ms. Marvel. He then served as a co-producer on a number of Marvel animated titles, such as Rocket & Groot, Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy. In addition to Marvel, he has also worked for DC, as well as Jonathan Hickman’s 3W3M publishing initiative.

“Picking up Marvel Two-in-One #50 as a kid is what made me a comics fan, so returning to Marvel as Editor-in-Chief is a full-circle moment that I’m still wrapping my head around,” Wacker said in a statement. “I’m proud to join Kevin, Brad, David, and this incredible staff and amazing array of talent to build on the work started by Stan, Jack, Steve, Flo, John, and so many more. I truly believe the best Marvel comics have yet to be written and drawn, and I can’t wait to get to work adding some new floors to the House of Ideas.” 

Wacker will be succeeding current Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski, who was been in the role since November of 2017. Cebulski will remain at the company, moving to Japan to serve as Editor on manga titles and other “Asia Originals” for Marvel. Cebulski has previously been the subject of a decades-long cultural appropriation controversy for using a Japanese pen name, Akira Yoshida, on some of his published comics work.

“I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve accomplished at Marvel Comics during my time as EIC, and I’m excited for this new role the leadership team has created for me,” Cebulski explained. “I’m looking forward to pursuing new opportunities across Asia while staying close to Steve and Marvel’s brilliant publishing team, who are all like family to me.”

That’s Not All!

This news comes after Marvel’s publishing arm already made headlines earlier this year for appointing Marvel Studios veteran Brad Winderbaum to oversee the comics division. Winderbaum will now serve as Head of Marvel Television, Animation, Comics & Franchise for Marvel.

“Few editors have had as long and accomplished a career as C.B. I’m grateful for his partnership over the past decade and thrilled that he’ll be on the ground in Japan, connecting with local artists and overseeing Marvel’s original graphic fiction and manga in the region,” Winderbaum said of the news. “At the same time, I’m excited to welcome Stephen Wacker back to Marvel. He is a tremendous editor, a passionate advocate for creators, and someone who deeply understands that Marvel Comics is the source code of our entire enterprise, with a publishing resume that includes some of our most beloved modern runs.”

Additionally, it was announced that Marvel Comics’ offices will be moving from New York City to Burbank, California, where Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company are already based. Marvel has famously had its offices in Midtown Manhattan for nearly 90 years, continuing to be the lone major comic publisher in the city after DC relocated to Burbank in 2015. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision was made both to combine Marvel’s different departments into a single location, and because the lease on the company’s existing New York offices was going to expire in 2027.

“This move will position the team beside our broader creative organization and create opportunities for collaboration across both Marvel and Disney,” Winderbaum and Marvel General Manager David Adbo said in a letter internally sent to the company (obtained by The Hollywood Reporter). “Bringing our comics, film, television, and other creative teams together will help us learn from one another, collaborate, and build on the strengths that make Marvel the true House of Ideas.”

All of these changes come as Marvel’s comic side has faced some scrutiny from fans in recent years, for issues ranging from allegedly not paying creators in a timely manner, to the controversial content of certain stories themselves, to inconsistencies in their collected editions department, to cancelling and relaunching series after only a handful of issues. The company’s share of the direct market sales has also fluctuated in the post-COVID era of comic buying, with DC gaining momentum over them for multiple quarters in a row.

(featured image: Marvel Comics)

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