Apparently this month is when the effects of the DC Comics bloodbath layoffs take effect, which means DC editor Mark Doyle, along with many others, are now leaving DC Comics. And while it’s never news when DC Comics writer Tom King virtue signals on Twitter, I was amused today when I saw the responses to Tom King’s Twitter hagiography for his former Batman editor.
The transcendent, brilliant, visionary editor, Mark Doyle is leaving DC this week. I would not have a career without Mark. He gave me my first gig, my first ongoing, made me take insane risks on big stages. In every genre, he tirelessly pushed comics to be better. A true legend. pic.twitter.com/UHYpZAerp0
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) November 13, 2020
Then, out of nowhere, executive editor at Marvel Comics editor and current Senior Vice President of Publishing, Tom Brevoort called King out. It was kind of glorious.
Didn’t you force him off the BATMAN titles and then crow about it in an interview? It’s a bit odious to cry over the bodies when you had a hand in killing them.
— Tom Brevoort (@TomBrevoort) November 13, 2020
Brevoort was most likely referring to King’s interview with Slate a few years back, which focused on his controversial Batman run. In that interview, Tom King discussed the Batman marriage proposal to Catwoman, where he had a big disagreement with his editor at the time, Mark Doyle. They clashed over how the story art should be handled and King refused to budge. Doyle wound up leaving the title shortly after this disagreement. Mark Doyle was soon replaced by Jamie Rich as editor of Batman.
Many DC Comics readers feel Tom King has single handedly ruined several legacy DC characters (from Wally West to Adam Strange), so when he offered praise to his former editor on his way out the door, Marvel’s Tom Brevoort apparently thought King was being was shallow and insincere. Maybe Marvel has a gig for Doyle? Batman was a great title when Doyle was there, and Marvel could certainly use new editors with strong hands.
As of this writing, King has not responded to Brevoort’s reply and it’s been about 3 hours, and he’s responded to other unrelated tweets in the meantime. The replies underneath by a few courageous randos are the reason we even bother to look at Twitter…
those aren’t the only bodies he had a hand in killing!
— THE COMICS JOURNAL (@ComicsJournal) November 13, 2020
Your Editor-In-Chief is a white guy that picked up a second paycheck pretending to be Asian and scored a consequence-free promotion to the big chair. Marvel really shouldn’t start throwing integrity stones around.
— The Analog Kid (@project_37) November 13, 2020
