New York, United States. Marvel Comics will relocate its publishing division from New York City to Burbank, California, ending a nearly 90-year presence in the city where the publisher was founded, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Employees were informed at a town hall meeting at Marvel’s Midtown Manhattan office, according to the report.
Publishing relocation
The publishing unit will move to Burbank, where Marvel Studios and parent company Walt Disney’s entertainment operations are based.
Marvel is seeking to relocate all New York-based employees in its comics and franchise group, totaling just over 100 people, to California by July next year, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Disney did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Leadership changes
The move coincides with a leadership change in Marvel’s comics division. Stephen Wacker, a longtime Marvel editor and producer, has been named editor-in-chief, replacing CB Cebulski, who has led the division since 2017.
New York legacy and business alignment
New York was home to influential Marvel creators including Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. The city also served as the setting for characters and teams including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.
The relocation reflects Marvel’s effort to more closely align its comics division, which provides many of its characters and storylines, with its film, television and animation businesses.
The changes come as Marvel is betting on the year-end release of Avengers: Doomsday to revive momentum in its film franchise after several recent releases did not match the box-office performance of the studio’s earlier blockbuster run.
