Chris Roberson, writer of iZombie, the post-JMS "Superman: Grounded" stories and various Fables spinoff titles, stated on Twitter last night that he will no longer work for DC Comics.
"Aside from the Fairest arc I already committed to doing, iZombie will be the last time I'll ever write for DC," he said, following it later with "I decided quite some time ago, but waited until after the cancellation of my book was announced to discuss it. The short version is, I don't agree with the way they treat other creators and their general business practices." The cancellation of iZombie, the Vertigo title Roberson does with Mike Allred, was announced at the Emerald City ComiCon earlier this month.
As for the reason for his decision, Roberson cited a recent post written by David Brothers on ComicsAlliance titled "The Ethical Rot Behind 'Before Watchmen' & 'The Avengers.'" CBR reached out to Roberson for further clarification:
"My reasons for no longer wanting to be associated with DC don't stem from anything to do with my personal experiences there, but from watching the way that the company has treated and continues to treat other creators and their heirs," Roberson told CBR. "The counter-suit against the Siegel estate and the announcement of the Watchmen prequels were the specific incidents that crystallized my feelings on the matter. I'd like to make clear, though, that I have nothing but nice things to say about the editorial staff at Vertigo with whom I've worked for the past few years."
iZombie ends with issue #28, and I don't think the timing of his Fairest arc has been announced yet. Despite not wanting to work with DC anymore, this doesn't spell an end to Roberson's comics career. "I'm not going anywhere! I've got loads of new stuff in the pipeline," he also tweeted last night.
(Hat tip: Bleeding Cool)
Friday update: Roberson said on Twitter that he will no longer be working on Fairest. "Sorry to disappoint anyone, but I won't be writing a Fairest arc after all. It was decided my services were no longer required."