Marvel Comics has a new publisher in the form of John Nee. Nee, a former executive at DC Comics and co-founder and co-CEO of games and cards company Cryptozoic Entertainment, joins the company to oversee its print and digital comics lines.
Nee replaces former publisher Dan Buckley who has recently been promoted to President of Marvel Entertainment. A Buckley now focussed on his new role Nee will join the company to oversee it’s comics line.
Buckley spoke with ComicBook.com on the new appointment:
“As the publisher, John will lead our business strategy for publishing as a whole and focus on growing the comics and prose business,” Buckley told ComicBook.com. “All business aspects of publishing report up to John. Creative and editorial planning will still have oversight from C.B. Cebulski, Joe Quesada, and myself.”
Nee joins Marvel following a tough year in 2017. After a series of public missteps in regards to its own diversity the publisher has found sales have begun to dwindle. Whilst Marvel ended 2017 as the market leader in terms of its share over the past three years the gap between Marvel and its closest rival DC Comics has massively decreased.
Stats from CBR.com show that in 2015, Marvel ended the year with 41.82 percent of the direct market’s unit share, compared to DC’s 27.35 percent; in 2017, that divide narrowed to Marvel’s 38.30 percent versus DC’s 33.93 percent.
Best of luck to John Nee in his new role!
