Dan DiDio (/dɪˈdiːoʊ/; born October 13, 1959) is an American writer, editor, and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. From February 2010 until February 2020, he was the co-publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee. Wizard magazine recognized him as its first ever "Man of the Year" in 2003 for his work in the DC Universe line of comics.
Prior to joining DC Comics, DiDio worked in television, beginning in 1981. DiDio was a freelance writer and story editor for Mainframe Entertainment, specifically working on ReBoot and War Planets.[1][2]
DiDio joined DC Comics in January 2002, as vice president–editorial, as well as writer for Superboy (issues #94 to 100). He was promoted to vice president–executive editor, DC Universe in October 2004.[3] In 2006, DiDio began writing a weekly column called "DC Nation" which appeared on the end page of most of DC Comics' main superhero titles. Originally, the column was tied to 52, a project he was overseeing. On February 18, 2010, DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson named DiDio as co-publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee.[4][5]
Dan DiDio returned to writing comics with short stories for the 2008 and 2009 DC Halloween specials and the 2009 Holiday special. In 2009, he returned to regular writing duties with the weekly Metal Men feature in Wednesday Comics.[6] In January 2010, DiDio wrote the Weird Western Tales tie-in issue of the Blackest Night crossover and took over regular monthly scripting of The Outsiders. As Co-Publisher, he oversaw the reboot of all current DC titles and was the co-writer of the OMAC series with artist Keith Giffen.[7] DiDio wrote a Challengers of the Unknown storyline for DC Universe Presents which was drawn by Jerry Ordway.[8]
In July 2012, as part of the San Diego Comic-Con, DiDio and DC co-publisher Jim Lee participated in the production of "Heroic Proportions", an episode of the Syfy reality television competition series Face Off, in which special effects makeup artists compete to create the best makeup according to each episode's theme. Lee and DiDio presented the contestants with that episode's challenge, to create a new superhero, with six DC Comics artists on hand to help them develop their ideas. The winning entry's character, Infernal Core by Anthony Kosar, was featured in Justice League Dark #16 (March 2013),[9][10] which was published January 30, 2013.[11] The episode premiered on January 22, 2013, as the second episode of the fourth season.[12]
On February 21, 2020, DiDio stepped down as Co-Publisher of DC Comics after ten years at that position. The company did not give a reason for the move, nor did it indicate whether it was his decision or the company's, though it was the latest event in a restructuring that began the previous month, as several top executives were laid off from the company.[18][19] However, Bleeding Cool reported that he was fired.[20]
On April 28, 2022, it was officially announced that Dan DiDio would serve as publisher for Frank Miller's newly-announced comic book company Frank Miller Presents (FMP).[21]
^Cowsill, Alan (2010). "2000s". DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 340. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. Publisher Paul Levitz stepped down, and co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, along with DC Entertainment chief creative officer Geoff Johns, teamed up to helm DC Comics.
^Rogers, Vaneta (June 8, 2012). "DC Adds Four to New 52, Including DiDio's Phantom Stranger". Newsarama. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2012. Written by [Dan] DiDio with art by Brent Anderson, The Phantom Stranger will spin out of the character's recent appearances in Justice League and DC's Free Comic Book Day story.
^Holub, Christian (April 20, 2017). "DC Comics superstars unite for new Dark Matter line". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. A teleporting teenager changed by the events of that book [Dark Nights: Metal] will go on to star in Sideways, which debuts in September. That book will be co-written by DC Publisher Dan DiDio and Justin Jordan and illustrated by Kenneth Rocafort.
