The Spinner Rack

DC Entertainment has announced it is ending the WildStorm Productions imprint in December.

In a joint statement, DC Comics co-publishers Jim Lee (who founded WildStorm) and Dan DiDio said that while the imprint will discontinue, the characters will continue to be published.

"In this soft marketplace, these characters need a break to regroup and redefine what made them once unique and cutting edge. While these will be the final issues published under the WildStorm imprint, it will not be the last we will see of many of these heroes. We, along with Geoff Johns, have a lot of exciting plans for these amazing characters, so stay tuned."

WildStorm's editorial team will undergo a restructuring and be folded into the overall DC Comics Digital team, based in Burbank, Calif., which will be led by Lee and John Rood.

DC Entertainment earlier announed it will relocate its business functions related to and supporting multi-media and digital content production to Burbank. DCE's publishing operations will remain in New York. The announcements were made by Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment.

"These organizational changes reinforce the strengths of DC's greatest legacies -- most importantly its people and its creative talent -- and offer greater opportunity for maximum growth, success and efficiency in the future," said Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment. "Our two offices will stretch and build their respective areas of focus, while prioritizing and aggressively striving to connect and cooperate more strongly than ever before between them and with their colleagues at Warner Bros."

"This strategic business realignment allows us to fully integrate and expand the DC brand in feature films as well as across multiple distribution platforms of Warner Bros. and Time Warner," said Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, to whom Nelson reports. "We are creating a seamless, cohesive unit that will bring even more great characters and content to consumers everywhere."

The relocation process is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011, with DCE's businesses related to the development and production of feature films, television, digital media, video games and consumer products as well as the company's administrative functions relocating to a Warner Bros.-managed property in Burbank.

DC's Zuda imprint has also been ended.