The Path of Kahn / Acting natural
Today: Zach Rabiroff, a writer on books, comics, and culture living in Brooklyn, New York; and Jack Pendarvis, an American screenwriter, author, and voice actor.
Issue No. 606
Jenette Kahn of DC Comics: Part II
Zach Rabiroff
Kent Goes to Chelmsford: Episode 8
Jack Pendarvis
Jenette Kahn of DC Comics, Part II
by Zach Rabiroff
When we left our interview with DC Comics President and Publisher Jenette Kahn, it was 1976, and the 28-year-old Kahn had become the youngest (and the first woman) publishing leader of an American comic book company; we heard her reminisce about her plan to rebrand DC as a proud leader in the “American art form” of comics. In this second and final part, we pick up the story, as Kahn attempts to radically modernize the house that Superman built: instituting revenue-sharing agreements and royalty payments for creators, wrestling with the limits of censorship and content warnings, and attempting to win mainstream public acceptance for what had historically been a juvenile industry.
Our conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
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