Editor’s note: Jim Lee was the keynote speaker at the 20250 Retailer’s Day at NYCC. Lee spoke with great conviction in front of a demanding and often distracted audience. I felt like he had a lot to say that I needed to hear from industry leaders. Thank you to DC Comics for obtaining a recording of the speech to share with those who were not present in person.
Hello everyone.
I want to start with a warning: this speech is going to be disappointingly upbeat. We live in a world where the louder, the more angry, and the more polarized something is, the more attention it attracts.
Negative emotions drive clicks. Anger causes traffic.
But for this room, for this crowd, I thought I’d try something radically different.
So let’s talk about hope! Let’s talk about resilience!
You know, it’s about comics.
And speaking of comics and resilience, it’s worth noting that this is the first time in 13 years that DC is returning its booth to the main floor of New York Comic Con.
Yes, it’s been 13 years.
The last time we were here, TikTok didn’t exist, “The New 52” was tearing up the sales charts, and Batman was still rocking those awful carbon fiber flip phones.
Returning to New York Comic Con means more than square footage, banners, and where to place your booth on the show floor.
It’s about reconnecting.
It’s about showing up at the backbone of our industry: retailers, for our fans, creators, communities, and especially all of you. And what better time to come back than in a milestone year?
Yes, 2025 marks the 90th anniversary of DC Comics.
Nine decades of heroes, villains, and stories have survived implosion, gimmicks, speculative bubbles, and disruptive new technologies.
To commemorate this, we designed our booth as a walking through time, a living museum of what we’ve all built together. Each year, we spotlight a different decade of DC’s incredible history, changing our booth graphics, color palette, and even fonts and typography to reflect each era.
This year, we celebrate the beginning of the superhero era, 1935-1945. As we all know, that was the year that gave us Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The iconic character not only defined comics, but propelled modern mythology and forever reshaped popular culture. They were not created in vain. They come from a world facing chaos, fear, and uncertainty, a world in search of symbols of courage, truth, and justice. Sound familiar?
And sure enough, 90 years later, they’re still here. Still relevant. It’s still moving to this day. If you do the math, yes, there is math in this speech. This means that in 2035, DC Comics will celebrate its 100th anniversary. And yes, I’m going to be here for that.
I hope you’re still drawing. I hope Hush 2 isn’t working yet. (Too soon!)
So let’s talk about why we’re bullish about the future. 90 years is more than just a milestone, it’s a reminder that you have to win to survive in this business. Each decade in DC’s history showcases our uncanny ability to pivot and create truly compelling stories that reflect that era.
The Golden Age grasped hope from the shadow of war.
The Silver Age reflected the atomic optimism and scientific progress of the 1950s.
The Bronze Age brought relevance, social recognition, and rebellion.
The 80s and 90s ushered in reinvention as creators broke the rules and readers demanded more sophistication.
And what about the 2020s? Well…we’re still writing that story. But I can say that we are definitely on the right track. This is largely due to our hard work and resilience, and the creative genius of Scott Snyder and Josh Williamson.
For future success, it’s essential that comics continue to evolve and change, and so should we as we look to a challenging future with many storm clouds on the horizon.
Challenges include:
AI-generated writing and art.
Shortened attention span.
Characters flowing into the public domain.
And there is a constant tug of war between digital and print.
However, the problem is that “killer bees” exist in every era. Do you all remember?
When I was a kid in the ’70s, I was told that a swarm of killer bees was coming from South America to conquer and ravage the world.
It didn’t happen.
And we were told that Japan’s booming “miracle economy” would overwhelm and defeat all rivals.
It didn’t happen.
And that was in 2000. Next is NFT. And now it’s AI. There are humble predictions in history. The future is rarely exactly as the headlines warn.
But let me make one prediction that I know I can stand by.
DC Comics does not support AI-generated storytelling or artwork.
Not now.
That will never be the case as long as Anne Depis and I are in charge.
Because what we do and why we do it is rooted in our humanity. The fragile and beautiful connection between imagination and emotion is what energizes our medium and brings our universe to life.
It’s the imperfect lines, creative risks, and hand-drawn gestures that no algorithm can reproduce.
When drawing, I make mistakes, there are a lot of them.
But that’s the point. The dirt, the rough lines, the confusion, that’s who I am in my work. That’s my journey. That’s what makes it come alive. It’s the result of true hard work. Of inspiration and sweat.
Fans are feeling it. They can feel when something is carefully crafted – when an artist has put time, energy, heart and effort into it. People instinctively respond to things that feel authentic. We rebel against what we perceive to be fake.
That’s why human creativity is so important. AI doesn’t dream. It’s not felt. And it doesn’t make art, it aggregates it. Our job as creators, storytellers and publishers is to make people feel something real. That’s why we create. That’s why we’re here.
And yes, the characters are classified as public domain. It’s already happening. We’ve all seen the disturbing copies of Mickey Mouse lurking online.
But the truth is, characters aren’t magic.
Storytelling is.
What is world building?
“Owning” Superman is not the same as understanding him, knowing how he moves, how he speaks, and what he stands for.
Anyone can draw a cloak.
Anyone can write a hero.
It’s been around since the days of comics, and it’s called fan fiction.
And there’s nothing wrong with fan fiction! It shows how deeply these characters live within us. But Superman only feels right when he’s in the DC Universe.
Our universe, our mythology, that’s what perpetuates.
That will carry us into the next century.
I’m also particularly bullish about the future of direct markets and the magic you all bring.
Retailers. Shop. Community hub.
You are the beating heart of this industry. And when we talk about “core fans,” we’re talking about customers.
When we talk about community, we’re talking about the conversations that happen behind the counter.
pull list.
Recommendations.
Wednesdays are crowded.
Released at midnight.
That’s the magic of the manga business. And it will happen thanks to you.
I’ve been to comic shops all over the world and no two are the same. Some smell like freshly bagged newspaper, while others have a more distinct “Eau du Vintage” scent. I mean, it’s a nice smell of wet newspaper.
But they all have the same heartbeat – passion. And we share your sense of passion. And as we continue to expand into digital comics, vertical scrolling comics, and children’s books, we’re not doing it to replace you, but to nurture the next generation of fans for both you (and us).
Because when someone reads the first comic on a tablet, we want that second comic to be in the store as well.
Digital brings discovery, but it also brings a sense of belonging. You can turn casual readers into lifelong fans.
When fans walk into a store, they’re not just buying comics, they’re stepping into a part of the culture, a place that feels like home. You are the real-world Batcave, Fortress of Solitude, and Watchtower, where the next generation of heroes will discover themselves.
Turn stories into shared experiences. This is something that no algorithm, app, or platform can replicate.
Yes, this speech is unapologetically optimistic. Because you don’t build 90 years of storytelling by being cynical.
Build on the belief that the next story, the next hero, the next generation will surprise you and remind you why you fell in love with comics in the first place.
That’s why I keep doing this.
That’s why all of us at DC keep doing this. We are stewards of something bigger than ourselves: this incredible shared universe that continues to evolve thanks to your dedication and connection with all of our fans.
And that’s where our story centers. Now more than ever, the world needs stories about hope, compassion, and justice, the pillars of DC storytelling.
We’ve been through reboots, restarts, crises, literally crisis after crisis, and somehow each time we’ve come out stronger.
In fact, every challenge and disruption is an opportunity to rethink what we do and how we are connected.
By 2035, I don’t just want to celebrate DC’s 100th anniversary, I want to be able to look back and say that this decade was the one that laid the foundation for the next 100 years.
Because the foundations of direct sales, fans, stories, etc. are still healthy and strong.
Now, towards the next 10 years.
This is DC at 100 o’clock. The comic book shop is the first home of the killer bees who never arrived and you, all the heroes.
Thank you for keeping comics alive.
Thank you for being honest with us.
And thank you for giving us the opportunity to imagine the next 90 years and beyond.
Something like this:
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