Vertigo is an imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. It was originally created to do stories that could not meet the stringent guidelines of the Comics Code Authority and this allowed their comics to have more graphic content than their main imprint of titles. This also meant that their age-restricted titles were free to contain explicit contents of violence, substance abuse, sexuality, nudity, profanity, and other controversial subjects similar to that of an R-rated film. Although many of its releases are in the horror and fantasy genres, it also publishes works dealing with crime, social satire, speculative fiction, and biography. In early 2013, Karen Berger left her role as the executive editor of the imprint, having overseen it since its inception in 1993. She has been succeeded in that role by Shelly Bond.