Marvel Comics announced today that it will be shifting operations from New York to Los Angeles, following in the footsteps of rival DC Comics, which made the move to the West Coast over a decade ago. But tucked into the story of this major shift in the comics landscape, which the Hollywood Reporter notes will involve relocating 100 employees, is that Marvel Comics is also getting a new editor-in-chief in Stephen Wacker.
Previous EIC C.B. Cebulski was promoted into the job in 2017, but the early days of his long tenure were marred by the revelation that he’d previously used a pseudonym to write for Marvel, getting around Marvel’s policy of not allowing staffers to write for the publisher without preapproval. That would be questionable enough, but the pseudonym that he used was “Akira Yoshida,” meaning that Cebulski, who is white, had invented a Japanese identity for himself.
After the truth came out, Cebulski apologized and owned up to his bad choices. And though he kept his job as EIC, the negativity lingered; in 2021, former Daredevil showrunner Steven S. DeKnight stepped away from contributing to an Old Man Logan spin-off after learning about Cebulski’s deception. As he explained at the time on social media, “I love writing for Marvel comics, but this changes the equation. Drastically. There are so many great editors there. To allow a man who climbed to the top through cultural identity theft to remain in that position is unconscionable.”
Though Cebulski’s time as Marvel EIC is now over, he’ll remain a part of Marvel, according to a company press release annoucing Wacker’s arrival. Cebulski “will be moving to Japan to become editor, Asia Originals, for Marvel.”
As Marvel plans its move to Southern California, Wacker brings plenty of experience to his new role. He’s had a stint at DC, but his career has been very Marvel-heavy; according to the release, “he previously spent more than 15 years at Marvel, seven of them as a senior editor overseeing several beloved and influential modern comic runs—including the best-selling ‘Brand New Day’ and ‘Superior Spider-Man’ eras of Amazing Spider-Man … He also served as the editor behind the Eisner Award-winning comic series Daredevil and Hawkeye, the critically acclaimed relaunch of Captain Marvel, [and] the introduction of Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel.”
He has also worked in Marvel’s animation, TV, and digital media departments, with credits on animated series Rocket & Groot, Avengers Assemble, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy. What do you make of this changing of the guard (and coasts) for Marvel Comics?
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