Following on from the recent resignation of Karen Berger from the executive editor role at DC's Vertigo imprint and the announcement that Shelly Bond would be promoted to replace her next year, news comes from DC Entertainment today of promotions for two executives, a move that changes Vertigo's place within the larger DC structure.

DC announced this morning that Bob Harras, previously the Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics, Vertigo and MAD, has been promoted to the position of Senior Vice President - Editor-in-Chief, DC Comics, with Hank Kanalz being named as Senior Vice President of Vertigo and Integrated Publishing. According to the DC announcement, Harras' new position means that he "will continue to oversee editorial for DC Comics," while Kanalz will take on oversight on Vertigo in addition to his current management of DCE's digital publishing arm.

"Hank's strong leadership has resulted in triple digit growth among our digital comics business," DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee - who brought Kanalz to DC as the Vice President and General Manager of WildStorm in 2004 - is quoted as saying, adding "in this new role, he is poised to continue DC Entertainment's digital momentum, while working even more closely with the print publishing teams, specifically Vertigo."

Kanalz will report directly to Lee and his fellow Co-Publisher Dan Didio in the new structure, as will MAD Magazine VP and Executive Editor John Ficarra, according to DC, seemingly separating both imprints from "DC Comics" as an entity and Harras as an editorial figure. What this means as a publishing reality remains to be seen, but the question of whether or not such a move earlier could have prevented the cancellation of Hellblazer is one that will likely vex fans for years to come...