Schutz left graduate school in Vancouver to work at a succession of comic shops in the late 1970s. After moving to California she became involved in comics newsletters and fan publications, which led her to a career in publishing. She left her first position at Marvel Comics after just four days and a few months later accepted one at the smaller company Comico, where she eventually became the editor-in-chief. In 1990 Schutz moved to Dark Horse Comics, where she stayed until her retirement 25 years later. While at Dark Horse, she served as editor for such Frank Miller comics as 300 and Sin City, along with several Star Wars stories and many other titles. She announced her retirement in March 2015.