DC Comics Releases Official Statement on Sexual Harassment Allegations

In the wake of a series of allegations of sexual harassment that have recently been made public, DC Comics has finally issued a formal statement–and expressed the intention of reviewing its policies with those currently employed by the company.

This comes after the recent decision DC Comics made to “restructure” its Vertigo imprint, which as a result eliminated the position of Vertigo Executive Editor Shelly Bond. As the news broke back in April, however, comics Twitter expressed their unhappiness with the choice DC Comics had made to let Bond go from the company while keeping on another editor who was well-known for being an alleged serial harasser. The employee was named by several, including comics publisher and former DC employee Janelle Asselin as well as comics journalist Nick Hanover, as longtime DC editor Eddie Berganza. According to reported instances, Berganza had been shuffled to multiple departments within the company rather than being fired outright for his actions.

Not too long after, artist Katie Jones posted her own account of sexual harassment by “a Senior Art Director from DC Entertainment,” and shared she was later contacted by a Human Resources representative at Warner Bros.–the parent company of DC Comics regarding the incident after the story picked up steam.

While several of these sexual harassment allegations have long been common knowledge within the comics industry, they have only just begun to be circulated via various news outlets–all with one eye towards the DC Comics camp to wait for their official word on the matter. Now, via the site Comic Book Resources, DC Entertainment has posted a statement which is said to come after “an all-staff meeting on Friday afternoon” regarding the matter, conducted by DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson:

DC Entertainment strives to foster a culture of inclusion, fairness and respect. While we cannot comment on specific personnel matters, DC takes allegations of discrimination and harassment very seriously, promptly investigates reports of misconduct and disciplines those who violate our standards and policies.

As part of our ongoing effort to provide an equitable working environment, we are reviewing our policies, expanding employee training on the topic and working with internal and external resources to ensure that these policies and procedures are respected and reinforced across the company.

There are individuals who have been long regarded as “open secrets” within the comics industry for their long histories of alleged sexual harassment; only in recent months have some of them been named publicly in the press. If you believe you have experienced harassment, there are sites willing to listen to your story–including The Mary Sue, and you can reach out to us at [email protected].

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