A prominent DC Comics editor, Eddie Berganza, who guided several of the company’s most successful series, was fired Monday after former co-workers said he had forcibly kissed or groped them in the 2000s.
Berganza, who recently oversaw the best-selling “Dark Knights: Metal” series and had previously led the “Superman” series, was fired three days after BuzzFeed News published an article with the women’s accusations.
“Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have terminated the employment of DC Comics Group Editor Eddie Berganza,” DC Entertainment said in a statement. “We are committed to eradicating harassment and ensuring that all employees, as well as our freelance community, are aware of our policies, are comfortable reporting any concerns and feel supported by our company.”
Berganza joins a growing list of men to experience professional repercussions after accusations against Harvey Weinstein vaulted sexual harassment and assault to the top of public attention. He did not immediately respond to a message on Facebook seeking comment.
Berganza, who had worked at DC Comics for 25 years, had been trailed by accusations of sexual misconduct. Several women said they had complained to the company’s human resources department in 2010, BuzzFeed News reported, and he had been accused of trying to forcibly kiss a woman in a hotel lobby during a conference in 2012.
He was demoted from executive editor to group editor after the 2012 incident.
Since Friday, several women who work in comics have said his continued employment had prevented them from working with DC.
“I’ve been telling people my story for years,” wrote Molly McIsaac, a publicist and writer, who tweeted that Berganza had groped her.
Marjorie Liu, the Hugo Award-winning writer of “Monstress,” posted on Twitter that Berganza’s presence at the company kept her from writing for them.
“I loved my job at DC,” tweeted Janelle Asselin, whose accusations were detailed in BuzzFeed’s article. “I never would’ve left if it hadn’t been for DC’s lack of respect for the women who came forward.”
On Twitter, several fans and people who work in the industry faulted DC for not dismissing Berganza earlier. -- NYT