Marvel Comics to move publishing operations to California, report says

Marvel Comics will ⁠relocate its publishing division from New York City to Burbank, ​California, ending a nearly ​90-year presence in the city where the comic book publisher was founded, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Employees were informed at a town hall meeting at Marvel's Midtown Manhattan office that the publishing unit would move ⁠to Burbank, home to Marvel Studios and parent Walt ⁠Disney's entertainment operations, the media outlet reported on Thursday.
The move comes alongside a leadership shake-up at the comics division. Stephen Wacker, a longtime ‌Marvel editor and producer, has been ​named editor-in-chief, replacing ⁠C.B. Cebulski, who has led the division ​since 2017, according to The ‌Hollywood Reporter.
Disney did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
New York was ​home to many of Marvel's most influential creators, including Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and served as the setting for several of its best-known characters and teams, including Spider-Man, the ‌Fantastic Four and the Avengers.
Marvel is now seeking to have ​all of the New York-based employees of the comics and ​franchise ‌group, ⁠just over 100 people, relocate to California by next July , according to the report.
The relocation reflects Marvel's push ​to more closely align its comics division, the ⁠source of ​many of its characters and storylines, with its film, television and animation businesses.
The changes come as Marvel is betting on a year-end release of 'Avengers: Doomsday' to revive momentum ​in its film franchise after several recent releases failed ​to match the box-office success of the studio's earlier blockbuster run. -Reuters