The Birth Of Vertigo Comics: Karen Berger Explains How It Began (Behind The Panel) | SYFY WIRE

[@RogerioPereiradaSilva77]

Miss Berger almost single handedly changed the American comic book market for the better by bringing a much needed diversity, tapping onto that European talent and their sensibilities, expanding the concept of what "comics" are, redefining boundaries and widening their reach to new readers, the kinda reader that wouldn't bother picking up a comic book otherwise. I have many friends whose first comic was either Sandman, Black Orchid or Hellblazer. What this lady has accomplished throughout her career is nothing short of AMAZING and that's why she deserves all the praise and accolades she gets!

[@mossadon]

Indeed ! Well said, Rogerio.

[@markmolino6091]

You said it best bro.

[@Slask7]

Absolutely right. We owe her for some of the finest comic books ever, written and drawn by terrific artists she personally recruited.

[@bluespaceman7937]

I haven't read enough Vertigo myself yet, but I have liked what little I've tried.

[@vollsticks]

Well said mate, would agree with everything you said except with a small caveat: she expanded the concept of what *mainstream* comics are, not "comics", full stop. Respectfully.

[@vincevalentine22]

These interviews are fantastic and I'm super thrilled that there is a channel dedicated to getting the scoop on how things lined up for some of the industries most important figures. They truly had fascinating lives.

[@mossadon]

Excellent interview, SyFy. Much better for being a bit longer than the almost pointless 4 or 5 min bits and much deserved for Karen, a unique talent in the world of Comics. More of these 20 - 30 min ACTUAL interviews PLEASE ! Thanks.

[@vincevalentine22]

Ivadinuff Shudupyabitch Yeah, I hate that the KZbin general audience forces these channels to feel like they have to shorten their content. I really enjoy these longer interview sessions.

[@TheGuyInTheCheapSeats]

Comics needs another Karen Berger right now.

[@Hibbs4Prez]

She ain't lying about the run of Perez on Wonder Woman. Just stellar.

[@MGSBigBoss77]

Agreed!

[@TheAnt2244]

I was never a massive fan of the DC Universe back then, but I loved Vertigo.

[@makcity7850]

A Legend in the field of comics, this is what an Editor does and those at Marvel and DC comics now can learn a few things on how to make great comic books.

[@cosmoissleeping]

Karen Berger is a comic book hall of famer.

[@lucxl.5796]

I devoured the Sandman series as a fifteen year old more than a decade ago, and read every intro, forward, end note, etc (I was obsessed with that world and what went into it) In those places, Neil Gaiman always detailed his interactions with Karen and what she enabled. So nice to see her role highlighted !

[@dsalangsang]

Rest in Peace Vertigo. You will be missed 😔

[@skeezaworkan]

It's back.

[@BillNyeGuy]

Rip Vertigo Comics!

[@miller42]

@@quinnhansen4457 They decided to hire untalented people and each new book was a failure so they had no other choice than to shut it down.

[@alexauclair1]

@@miller42 you need to reevaluate that. They had more talent than many .

[@gevdarg]

EXCELLENT choice for an interview! Looking forward to Jenette Kahn!!

[@DavidGonzalez-tv2lf]

Love that section, you've been interviewing all my heroes on the industry

[@coreymay918]

I was in Jr high when I read issues 1, 2 & 4 of The Sandman and turned my back on traditional super heroes

[@alexauclair1]

She was editor for all of my favorite American comics. Top notch

[@gregwest9493]

I heard from Paul Levitz that she was crucial to the British Invasion of the 80s was because she was young enough to go out and keep up with the Brit's drinking habits.

[@Slask7]

well, she was not crucial, she started the British Invasion!

[@mamoodnoir2507]

Absolute Legend! Big reason I lean more DC.

[@piricsiremus2405]

Vertigo has nothing to do with DC ,they just owned the brand which they quickly anihilated once Jim Lee came in power.

[@mamoodnoir2507]

Saying Vertigo has nothing to do with DC is pretty stupid. It's a mature readers DC imprint. You do realize Karen was an editor at DC right? It's not like Vertigo started as an independent company and then was bought by DC.

[@piricsiremus2405]

It's not stupid at all it is owned by DC but that's where the buck stops , nothing that came out of there creatively comes close to the DC universe,those comics have as much in common with DC as Spider man has with Mickey Mouse, that's why your statement was a bit weird to me i was a huge fan of vertigo during the years never would i say that i lean towards DC just because of that, and also i don't buy anything from them aside from the od Batman comic here and there.

[@piricsiremus2405]

And also Vertigo pretty much became Image because most the artists migrated over there after the Didio Lee team came in and started cancelling books left and right ike the Hellblazer series.

[@Hibbs4Prez]

You're a moron. As someone alive during that era DC creating Vertigo was a huge deal which got a lot of publicity. DC created Vertigo after the success of works like Swamp Thing and Watchmen because they could repeat such good results by creating a new mature line that would be free of any stigma and preconceptions. But it was DEFINITELY a DC brand, ran by people who were groomed by DC comics and still working for DC Comics. This was the 80s and early 90s in which virtually every groundbreaking book was being done by DC (Jim Shooter's Marvel during that period lacked any creativity or risk-taking). Ronin. Camelot 3000. The New Teen Titans. The Dark Knight. Batman Year One. Watchmen. Crisis on Infinite Earths which was far superior to Marvel's Secret Wars. DC was winning all the industry awards and breaking new ground and this led them confident enough to create the Vertigo line. The DC imprint was everywhere. Eventually DC fell back into complacency but not before an extended run of comic book excellence.

[@alejandrozerep8667]

KB was the best!. Without her, we couldnt had the Whole Vertido Line.

[@douglasbriel6103]

The 1st Swamp Thing movie was not horrible. And Martin Pasko's early issues should not be ignored.

[@stevevondoom4140]

80's hellblazer titles are awesome even by todays standards. parts of "the Fear Machine" remind me of stranger things etc.... psychics and magical conspiracies etc....vertigos stories aged well.

[@antiquatedinfancy2290]

Can't agree more, it breaks my heart that Jamie Delano never seems to get the love he deserves, being the first Hellblazer writer and the most interesting Animal Man writer between Morrison and Lemire (plus several other gems). Why is no one throwing money at this man? (great interview, by the way)

[@alexmansfield9197]

Imagine being one of the 14 people who hit “dislike” on this wonderful interview with arguably one of the most important people in comics of all time.

[@SampsoniteR]

Great interview

[@nandoginkaku7610]

Vertigo may have ended but some if those books that were on vertigo live on. Thank u for giving us doom patrol

[@TheReviewDesk]

Always great to see comic greats in interviews, but Syfy, your interviewer needs to interrupt your guests less.

[@maris4137]

Wow. Great interview. Can we get an Alan Moore one? 😊

[@thereisnosanctuary6184]

The Nation of Krakoa Can I interview you?

[@vollsticks]

Lmao UKCAC '91 was my first ever comics convention! scored many cool sketches, among them a Mark Bode Raphael, Mark Buckingham Batman and probably one of my most treasured pieces of art, my Dave Gibbons Martha Washington sketch! Cool of Karen to mention Maus, too :)

[@DJJunkfoodJay]

Smart and classy. Karen Berger is a beautiful woman.

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

Bring back Berger and Vertigo!

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

Fire Geoff Johns!

[@middle_pickup]

RIP Vertigo ffffffffffffffff

[@EI-diablo-r9i]

Alan Moore knew exactly how to run things. Lol That's true He was so grand. His stories gee And we have Morrison now.... It just didn't feel like a magical story anymore. Moore could've made DC so great if everyone () just stepped out of his way.

[@vladimirtoss289]

A true legend, Thelma Schoonmaker in her field.

[@Rob_Shoot]

DC messed up by letting her go.

[@biker944]

vertigo is awesome

[@Arseface-X80]

She is BRILLIANT

[@swanay1]

it's sad that Vertigo is closing

[@rigsby1454]

Such an important person for comics

[@carlitosspicy]

This is Awesome❗️ Cool to see my Friend mom doing all this❗️ Amazing❗️💥💥🤘🏼🙏🏻

[@TheChuckers123]

R.I.P. DC Vertigo...😭

[@chycho]

Thanks.

[@BGcam]

chycho oh snap, I found Chycho in the comments! No surprise that you appreciate a comics history interview like this :)

[@chycho]

haha.... indeed, brother :)

[@fabianopernil]

What an amazing woman. At the end theres a really beautiful cello music anyone knows what it is or who Is playing?

[@airtec87]

very cool person, much respect to you.

[@Gyork_]

Is it just me or she looks a lot like Helen Mirren?

[@Theomite]

Now we know who to cast to play her in her biopic.

[@gabrieliatarelli]

@@Theomite you mean Karen's biopic right?

[@Theomite]

@@gabrieliatarelli Right.

[@JR-ju3kj]

And an older version of Laura Linney.

[@dawolf4274]

As much as I loved Vertigo, my annoyance with it was always this ---- pretense, that it was (or tried to be) separate from the DC universe. Completely absurd you could have characters with an already established history just suddenly disappear from mainstream. Just felt some writers wanted to just be purposely pretentious. Trust me, Alan Moore & Grant Morrison just wanted to make good stories. Not an "Alternate universe"

[@adamhasser2010]

None of the writes, or Karen I'm guessing, wanted to be weighed down by decades of continuity. It should have been separate from the DC Universe. That was kind of the point...

[@alejandrozerep8667]

Alan Moore was and is a wind-flowind fresh and pointer DireCtly air to the state of art's comicbook. Thanks we've haven him. Dc has so muchos different without him. And his friendship with Neil Graiman. Dont de forget Miracleman.

[@GiPelagio]

Anybody knows where I can find the illustration at 10:25? Looked over at sandman covers but didn't find anything that resembles it :c

[@KonSimpl72]

She would weep bitter tears of disappointment at the state 'Vertigo' (i.e.: only in name) is currently in.

[@kaineshigaraki5253]

Young Animal? (+)

[@EI-diablo-r9i]

Exactly

[@johnpaladin1533]

And later on the DEATH of Vertigo comics w/ Zoe Quinn....RIP sweet prince

[@whyloechoedome8122]

Legendary

[@slurmcarey3069]

She's cool

[@onomatopoeia5540]

vertigo>marvel

[@v-trigger6137]

She should explain how it died as well

[@marcosmoura138]

I think She wasn't there anymore

[@pandawolf5990]

bruh this guy stops her and legit just talked over her

[@LiloRolland]

Goddam she looks like Nikki Glaser 26 years from now,beautiful.

[@joncarroll2040]

The only time Neil Gaiman has been lumped in with "several others"

[@CVargas202]

DC>than MARVEL

[@89five3five]

Cesar A Vargas lol. DC spent most of its history trying to BE Marvel in terms of content.

[@luibond9418]

Vertigo>Marvel

[@Clay3613]

Fuck no.

[@TheVetoSkreeemer]

The classic Vertigo ,maybe

[@spiderjerusalem4009]

Vertigo > Marvel Wildstorm > Marvel Helix > Marvel

[@EI-diablo-r9i]

Gloria berger

[@Melvinshermen]

Goodbye vertigo why

[@Dale_V]

The classic Karen 😬

[@alexpaleale]

14 dislikes must be from Marvel and DC

[@zarrarzeez]

You do realize that Vertigo is a part of DC, right?

[@DechantMusic]

We need her back... Vertigo is in ruins,with all new titles filled with identity politics and propaganda. with a crazy lady running the show. :(

[@adamhasser2010]

She has her own line at Dark Horse called Berger Books.

[@geinikan1kan]

What an important editor. Must admit, I never liked Gaiman's "Sandman." So bloody pretentious with all those metaphorical characters. Death. Give me a break. Always felt like a writer slumming in four colors. Moore is something else. Milligan's "Shade" was excellent too. And of course Constantine.