Name:

Vertigo Comics

Executive Editor:

Karen Berger

Parent Company:

DC Comics

Started by:

The Vertigo line was launched primarily by Karen Berger, an editor at DC comics.

Characters:

Sandman
John Constantine (Hellblazer)
Swamp Thing
V (V For Vendetta)
Jesse Custer (Preacher)
Agent Graves (100 Bullets)

Famous For:

Vertigo comics if famous for putting out comic books that are off the beaten path and very different from their parent company, DC Comics.

They are one of the few places that creator owned material can be done through DC. They have published some comic book greats such as 100 Bullets, Hellblazer, Y: The Last Man, and the hugely successful series Sandman and Preacher.

Public Company (Can you own a piece of it?):

Not directly, but by owning some of Warner Bros stock, you will own a part of DC Comics, which owns Vertigo.

Creator Owned Projects:

Vertigo has a number of Creator Owned projects, as well as many that are owned directly by DC comics.

Location:

Vertigo is housed in DC Comics: DC Comics
1700 Broadway, 7th Fl.
New York, NY 10019-5905

Website:

www.dccomics/vertigo

Send Projects to:

Vertigo does not accept unsolicited projects. They state at their website that the best way to get something submitted to DC Comics is to go to a convention and submit your work there. They also have their Talent Search program which runs through conventions. More information about the Talent Search program can be found at their website.

In Other Media:

Many of Vertigo’s titles have been made into films, with others being optioned to be adapted as well.

The primary ones to make it to the screen have been Constantine, based on the Hellblazer books, and V For Vendetta, based on the graphic novel of the same name.

Get A Job With:

DC Comics, Vertigo’s parent company, posts their job listings via the Warner Bros. website.

History:

Vertigo comic books came about from the efforts of Karen Berger, an editor at DC Comics. Karen had joined the editing staff in 1979 and edited such titles as House of Mystery, Camelot 3000, and Amethyst. She felt drawn to the non-superhero titles and it was in working on some of the fantasy and horror genre comic books that the birth of Vertigo began to form.
In working with the likes of Alan Moore on Swamp Thing, Neil Gaiman on Sandman, and Grant Morrison on Doom Patrol, Karen found joy in editing comic books that, “…all had some basis in reality.” These titles were the pre-cursor to the Vertigo line.

When it was decided that these were the kinds of comic books that Karen had a passion for, she and fellow editors at DC worked together to create the Vertigo line of comic books. They brought in other artists and writer to create a strong comic book lineup.

Vertigo launched in 1993, and has seen an enormous amount of success since then. One of the things they have tried to do and have succeeded with is in pushing the boundaries of the comic book world. Many of their comics are considered to be the best of the best, and have helped launch many comic book writers and artists to superstar status.

They continue to push the boundaries with comic books that are on various topics and have a gritty realism many have come to know and love about the Vertigo line. Some of their comics have included Preacher, DMZ, Y: The Last Man, Fables, Army@Love, The Exterminators, Scalped, The Invisibles, The Books of Magic, and many more.