DC Cuts Ties with Diamond

[skyvolt2000]

And that's not even counting the basic viability of such a store. If it were Marvel, benefiting from the hype of the MCU, then maybe I could see it. But does DC have the public profile right now to make a DC-centric retail chain profitable?

In a technical sense Marvel does have a store-the Disney Store. The issue with that store-is no place for comics and number of stores. We have one in Dallas in Northpark Mall.

Also Wal-Mart is not everywhere. Some places they are not welcomed and folks took legal action to keep them out.

For all intent purpose DC would have to get multiple contracts with various stores to ensure those books reach everybody. Aside from CVS or Walgreens-who is in every community?

[Stingo]

In a technical sense Marvel does have a store-the Disney Store. The issue with that store-is no place for comics and number of stores. We have one in Dallas in Northpark Mall.

Also Wal-Mart is not everywhere. Some places they are not welcomed and folks took legal action to keep them out.

For all intent purpose DC would have to get multiple contracts with various stores to ensure those books reach everybody. Aside from CVS or Walgreens-who is in every community?

Most communities have Dollar Generals and Dollar Trees. Also, Target and almost any grocery store or gas station; these latter two were always big proponents of comic books before Diamond took over.

[kingaliencracker]

It'll be interesting to see play out.

The problems with the direct market have been well known for a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if the people who oversaw the shift to hobby shops knew from the start that this wasn't a model that could be sustained indefinitely and was tied to the pre-established consumer base. The problem has always been what to do about it and how to move back into growth markets (or make the direct market a growing one), and we've seen a lot of different attempts to solve the set of problems the direct market causes.

Well, to hear some old timers tell it (*coughJohnByrnecough*), they saw this coming 40 years ago.

But the reality is the direct market model actually saved the industry, and it allowed comic books to see unprecedented financial and mainstream success throughout the 80's/early 90's. The problem was Capital City, Diamond, and Marvel got really, REALLY greedy and made some really, REALLY bad decisions that led to the direct market collapsing in the mid-90's. And it never recovered.

[Ascended]

There just seems so many opportunities to fight where there wasnt before:

Eh, competition is good. It engenders innovation and growth.

Everyones done so well to stabilise after the cataclysmic crash, the rise of digital, the rise of piracy, the collapse of the newsstand - they kept it all together by stopping the fighting. And then to start corporate power games now at the very worst time... so disappointing to see.

It is cold blooded as hell to do all this now, absolutely. That's high level business for ya; that's why I try to only work with small business. But yeah, the industry has survived a lot, and outlived a lot of other industries when nobody thought comics would, or could. But where has it gotten us? The market is shrinking, in an age where the IP's are bigger than ever in every market but the one where it all started, the fanbase is shrinking, and even the guys at the publishers know the direct market leads to the industry's grave.

I'm glad Diamond is losing their monopoly. In over twenty years of reading comics, I've never seen anyone have a good thing to say about them. I don't like the idea of DC dealing with the discount guys for distribution, but I'm glad Diamond is losing their grip. Maybe now something worthwhile can be done to get the content and the fans into a better place.

Personally i hope im wrong and everyone can laugh at me as some hysterical buffoon.

Time will tell. I'm sure DC will make plenty of mistakes (and they already have), and I'm sure some of what happens will work out well. These are trying times, and things are going to change when the dust settles. Not just for comics but for a lot of things. The stores and companies that can adapt will survive and thrive, the rest won't. And that's as it should be; business is Darwinean.

But the reality is the direct market model actually saved the industry, and it allowed comic books to see unprecedented financial and mainstream success throughout the 80's/early 90's. The problem was Capital City, Diamond, and Marvel got really, REALLY greedy and made some really, REALLY bad decisions that led to the direct market collapsing in the mid-90's. And it never recovered.

Oh, the direct market was a good thing at the time. Absolutely. But just because it was good then doesn't mean it still is. Or, more to the point, it doesn't mean that we should still be putting all our eggs in that one basket.

A lot of us here talk about how COIE was the "original sin." We'll agree that DC had to do it (or something like it) to survive and we can't deny it was a huge success....but in the long-run it's caused a lot of damage and a lot of trouble. Not unlike the direct market; necessary at the time, good at the time.....and it's caused a ton of problems ever since.

Most communities have Dollar Generals and Dollar Trees. Also, Target and almost any grocery store or gas station; these latter two were always big proponents of comic books before Diamond took over.

Within the first year of me discovering DC comics, my region started to shift over to hobby shops. So for a little while, I could still find comics at grocery stores, corner markets, gas stations...you couldn't turn around in a store without seeing a spinner rack. The selections were always terrible, most of them were always weeks or months behind, but it was great for new and/or casual fans, especially kids, like me.

I don't know if it's really possible anymore to get that kind of high yield saturation, but it'd be great if we could. I want comics everywhere, with product designed for the location; OGN's in bookstores, digital books designed to make use of the format and appeal to those audiences, floppies with the Big Names on spinner racks in mom-n-pop shops, comics of every type in hobby specialty stores.....and maybe we're seeing the start of that here. Or maybe it's another halfassed effort that'll result in a dead end. Time will tell.

[kingaliencracker]

Buddy Saunders, owner of Lone Star Comics:

DC Dumps Diamond

Before launching into "DC Dumps Diamond" in detail, I'll cover a few key points for the majority of our readers who, above all, want to be sure they can still get DC comics from us. The answer to that question is yes, we will continue to offer DC titles, both comics and trades, now and until such time as DC returns to the only comic distributor capable of large scale comic distribution.

(No part of this column may be quoted without first receiving written authorization from me.)

The following are my thoughts on DC's treatment of Steve Geppi and Diamond Comic Distributors.

Our bone of contention isn't with the DC editors, creators, and publishing staff, good people with a demonstrated love for the medium. DC gives us its share of great comics thanks to these folks. Rather, our beef is with those higher up the corporate chain responsible for this move who, like cockroaches, are falling into a stew they don't understand, and in consequence ruining it for everyone.

Let's begin with a bit of history, starting with why this issue matters so much to me.

I began reading comics in 1961, and soon became a comic book retailer, selling out of by bedroom while still in junior high, then growing my business over the years until Buddy Saunders/Lone Star Comics/MyComicShop became the largest comic book retailer in the world. Comics have been a part of my life, my heart and my soul for sixty years. As much as anyone flesh-and-blood, the ink and paper heroes of DC--Green Lantern, Flash, Adam Strange--helped shape my character. So did Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's pre-hero big monster books, and then Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor and all the Marvel pantheon. But closest to my heart have always been the DC comics of those early years.

Decade to decade, DC Comics has been fan and retailer friendly. Paul Levitz, Jenette Kahn, Bob Wayne, they and countless others at DC over the years, were always there for us, loving the comic book medium as we do, and working with us shoulder-to-shoulder to make it easier for new readers to discover what we already know--once comic books get into your blood, you are a fan forever.

A visionary now long departed, Phil Seuling, was the first Direct Market comic book distributor. At first, he enjoyed a monopoly, but the Schuster brothers broke that monopoly with a lawsuit, making their New Media/Irjax the second direct market distributor. More distributors jumped in, all small, among them Steve Geppi's Diamond Comics Distributors.

Some comic book distributors were better at the distribution game than others. As the years passed, one after another closed until none were left but Steve Geppi's Diamond Comics. Diamond became a "monopoly" comic distributor by simple default. That's just what happens when all your competition goes under. I know Steve Geppi. He became the last man standing honorably, doing nothing whatever to push any competitor into the grave.

I have known Steve Geppi since 1980 when--ironically given the current state of affairs--DC Comics flew Steve and me to a DC brainstorming session on the tip of Long Island in the dead of winter. I got to know Steve during our ride to Montauk and the weekend he and I spent answering DC's questions. DC's main question, the question DC is still asking today, is what can we do to beat Marvel?

DC Comics has had--still has--no better friend than Steve Geppi. What is being done to Diamond Comics can't be laid at the foot of DC's comic book-grounded management. Rather, the decision to dump Diamond was forced down the corporate pecking order from higher ups at Time-Warner and AT&T, the latter being Time-Warner's new owner. As Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics points out, AT&T, in acquiring Time-Warner, took on tremendous debt, and then came COVID-19. A lot of people in these and other very big corporations are not happy campers right now.

The people at AT&T and Time-Warner are likely bright people with business degrees to prove it. But they have no understanding of the comic book industry. Given that what DC did to Diamond is so absolutely irrational, and so destructive to industry stability, let alone growth, it follows that DC's new goal runs counter to the best interests of fans, retailers and the other publishers. My take is that DC means the comic world no good except as it serves the interests of a DC out to crush competitors.

In its two newly-hatched distributors, DC imagines it has a viable alternative to Diamond. DC also knows that no other publisher has an alternative should Diamond fail. Seeing Diamond already weakened by the impact of the COVID-19 shutdowns, the temptation may well be to nudge Dimond toward collapse.

But whatever the case--an intentional plan or not--DC has shot itself in the foot with a machine gun.

Here's why:

Diamond will not fail. Diamond has seen this game plan before. In 1995, Marvel left Diamond to become its own distributor, buying one of the smaller distributors, Heroes World. Marvel, always bigger than DC, took with them in 1995 a larger market share than DC is taking from Diamond now. And what happened? Diamond prospered. Heroes World collapsed, and swimming out of a sea of red ink, Marvel returned hat-in-hand to Diamond.
DC's two new distributors--owned by Discount Comic Book Service and Midtown Comics--were created overnight, yet they are now expected to immediately service as many as 1,500 store accounts each. My wife, Judy, runs our personnel and accounting departments. Jokingly, I asked her what she thought about taking financial applications from over a thousand comic stores. After the look of horror passed from her face, she couldn't stop laughing. It won't take long before the managers of these new distributorships recognize their folly.
My fellow retailers, you'll soon see Diamond's service as perfect compared to what you'll get from these new creatures of Time-Warner. Diamond was forgiving of slow pays, working with them to keep their doors open, but will the new guys be as considerate? Will damage replacements be quick to come or come at all? Will shortage replacements come? Will reorders come promptly or come at all? Will DCBS and Midtown get restocking priority, leaving you in the cold and your customers switching to them for short supply hot titles?
Imagine one publisher able to get their comics to readers. And the rest, from Marvel on down to the smallest publisher, with no distributor. That may be an exciting prospect for corporate bean counters, but killing the competition is not what fans, retailers, and publishers want.

In this time of COVID-19, a time when all comicdom should be pulling together, DC has strayed, and strayed badly. When their self-made disaster collapses and they return to Diamond, Steve Geppi, being the gentleman he is, will welcome them back.

But until that happens, no retailer, MyComicShop included, will make much if any profit on DC titles after covering extra shipping charges and added accounting and processing costs.

He's of the belief DC will go crawling back to Diamond, and that Diamond will survive just fine.

[Vordan]

Man a lot of these guys sure do love to write elaborate revenge fan fiction lmao

[Comic-Reader Lad]

I've read the Buddy Saunders editorial above, but in spite of his long time industry experience, he's basically just speculating here -- and he's coming across like a betrayed lover.

He says "Diamond will not fail." Well, DC never said its goal was to make Diamond fail. He doesn't really know why DC made this decision to leave Diamond in spite of how he seems to detail the procedure of how AT&T masterminded it. Again, speculation. Might be true -- probably IS true, but it's speculation. As far as comparing this to Heroes World, I think things are very different now. Marvel did what it did because it was owned by Ron Perelman at the time, and he had lots of bright ideas for Marvel that were all a bust and left the company in bankruptcy. DC isn't trying to conquer the world here. It's just trying to survive and prove to AT&T that publishing is worthwhile to continue (my speculation).

I understand that DC is different internally now than it was when Jeanette, Paul, Bob Wayne and others were there, but my own speculation is that DC DOES care about the fans and the industry because they are going through a lot of effort to ensure that DC Comics will reach stores.

Let's face it, Diamond brought this on themselves. Unilaterally, and with no notice, Diamond not only shut down the entire comics industry for the fans, but then went the extra mile and said they weren't going to pay the publishers but pennies on the dollar in a schedule Diamond decided on, which shuts down the publishers' cash flows super-abruptly. Everyone was a good soldier publicly, but remember that many of the smaller publishers, including number 3 publisher Image, had to layoff staff because of this. Do distributors normally get to decide how they are going to pay their debts to their suppliers? I guess when you have a monopoly, they can, and that's likely what pissed off AT&T to no end. Pissing off DC and Marvel is different than pissing off AT&T and Disney. Right now, Marvel is really quiet about all this, but it'll be interesting to see what Marvel does when their contract with Diamond is up for renewal.

COVID shut down stores, including Midtown Comics, but the truth is that if stores were getting new product in, a lot would have stayed open for curbside service and delivery via phone and Internet ordering. I'm here in NYC, and even though "non-essential" businesses were ordered to shut down, I was able to go to a comic store about a month ago in person to pick up much-needed bags and boards curbside. So, the shut-down order wasn't so hard and fast, quite frankly, and for stores that really did have to shut its doors, it would have been a great opportunity to collect email addresses from their regulars to get merchandise to them via mail. Businesses do have to be nimble enough to adjust to any circumstances in order to survive.

All that having been said, in regard to the idea that competing retailers DCBS and Midtown are fulfilling their orders, I do think the retailers have a valid point, and DC really has to come through and reassure the retail community that there is, as I've said in a post earlier in this thread, a measure of "net neutrality" so that DCBS and Midtown can't get preferential treatment when it comes to reorders and getting special variants -- although Midtown has for years had "Midtown Exclusive" variants on key issues. I was expecting DC to release a statement bright and early Monday morning, so I am a little surprised that Wednesday is coming and still nothing from them.

This is really the thing that DC needs to address. Even if DC is trying to make a bookstore presence their main source of revenue going forward, they should still be more respectful of their relationships with the LCS market. I hope not too much more time passes before DC addresses all their concerns.

[Digifiend]

Man a lot of these guys sure do love to write elaborate revenge fan fiction lmao

Yeah, that's exactly what that is, fiction. Diamond have been through this before? No they bloody well haven't. Coronavirus wasn't a factor in the 90s! And the whole reason DC did this was because Diamond had cashflow problems, they temporarily closed when distribution is an essential business and didn't need to shut down, and then they say they can't pay publishers what they owe? How can he say they won't collapse? It's a very real possibility that they will!

[Username taken]

Man a lot of these guys sure do love to write elaborate revenge fan fiction lmao

Quoted for truth.

[Username taken]

I've read the Buddy Saunders editorial above, but in spite of his long time industry experience, he's basically just speculating here -- and he's coming across like a betrayed lover.

He says "Diamond will not fail." Well, DC never said its goal was to make Diamond fail. He doesn't really know why DC made this decision to leave Diamond in spite of how he seems to detail the procedure of how AT&T masterminded it. Again, speculation. Might be true -- probably IS true, but it's speculation. As far as comparing this to Heroes World, I think things are very different now. Marvel did what it did because it was owned by Ron Perelman at the time, and he had lots of bright ideas for Marvel that were all a bust and left the company in bankruptcy. DC isn't trying to conquer the world here. It's just trying to survive and prove to AT&T that publishing is worthwhile to continue (my speculation).

I understand that DC is different internally now than it was when Jeanette, Paul, Bob Wayne and others were there, but my own speculation is that DC DOES care about the fans and the industry because they are going through a lot of effort to ensure that DC Comics will reach stores.

Let's face it, Diamond brought this on themselves. Unilaterally, and with no notice, Diamond not only shut down the entire comics industry for the fans, but then went the extra mile and said they weren't going to pay the publishers but pennies on the dollar in a schedule Diamond decided on, which shuts down the publishers' cash flows super-abruptly. Everyone was a good soldier publicly, but remember that many of the smaller publishers, including number 3 publisher Image, had to layoff staff because of this. Do distributors normally get to decide how they are going to pay their debts to their suppliers? I guess when you have a monopoly, they can, and that's likely what pissed off AT&T to no end. Pissing off DC and Marvel is different than pissing off AT&T and Disney. Right now, Marvel is really quiet about all this, but it'll be interesting to see what Marvel does when their contract with Diamond is up for renewal.

COVID shut down stores, including Midtown Comics, but the truth is that if stores were getting new product in, a lot would have stayed open for curbside service and delivery via phone and Internet ordering. I'm here in NYC, and even though "non-essential" businesses were ordered to shut down, I was able to go to a comic store about a month ago in person to pick up much-needed bags and boards curbside. So, the shut-down order wasn't so hard and fast, quite frankly, and for stores that really did have to shut its doors, it would have been a great opportunity to collect email addresses from their regulars to get merchandise to them via mail. Businesses do have to be nimble enough to adjust to any circumstances in order to survive.

All that having been said, in regard to the idea that competing retailers DCBS and Midtown are fulfilling their orders, I do think the retailers have a valid point, and DC really has to come through and reassure the retail community that there is, as I've said in a post earlier in this thread, a measure of "net neutrality" so that DCBS and Midtown can't get preferential treatment when it comes to reorders and getting special variants -- although Midtown has for years had "Midtown Exclusive" variants on key issues. I was expecting DC to release a statement bright and early Monday morning, so I am a little surprised that Wednesday is coming and still nothing from them.

This is really the thing that DC needs to address. Even if DC is trying to make a bookstore presence their main source of revenue going forward, they should still be more respectful of their relationships with the LCS market. I hope not too much more time passes before DC addresses all their concerns.

The bolded part is very key. Diamond made a very colossal decision (which i've gone on the record before was a very,very,very dumb way to do business) because they could. Diamond made a decision based on the fact they are a monopoly because they should have held detailed discussions with the publishers before shutting down completely. Other forms of entertainment didn't stop serving their customers because of the lockdown (yes, cinemas aren't working but since streaming is a thing, stuff was moved to streaming services) and something should have been worked beside a complete shutdown of activity.

Beyond the issues at hand, most retailers don't talk like businessmen, they talk like angry fanboys. This isn't 1995 and Marvel's problems back in the day wasn't just due to them acquiring Heroes World, there were a number of factors that came together at the same time that almost destroyed Marvel Entertainment (and it must be noted that Marvel comics was the only arm of Marvel that was actually doing back in the day). The industry is a lot smaller today and other forms of distribution beyond the DM have increased in prominence, Diamond is going to struggle to survive without DCs sales.

[Gotham citizen]

Because I don't love speculations, I have started to search for some "not speculative" sources and I have found out this from the UCS Comics Distributor site:

UCS: A PREMIER DC COMICS DISTRIBUTOR
Dear Retailers,

We are proud to be a premiere distributor chosen by DC Comics to distribute their periodicals and graphic novels to comic shops in the United States. At UCS, we will continue our premium standards to meet your needs and expectations in this transitional period. We look forward to working with each and every one of you to help grow the industry that we all love.

To give time for retailers to sign up for an account, DC and UCS have suspended this week’s FOC (originally due on 6/8) and will resume FOC orders the following week (due on 6/15). This will allow additional time for retailers to get approved for an account and they will be able to order product without missing anything. As a result, there will be no new DC periodicals shipping the week of June 30th.

Here is DC's official statement:

«Dear DC Direct Market Retailer,

First and foremost, we hope this finds you safe and well especially during what has been an incredibly challenging year. We are writing today to share with you that DC's long-standing relationship with Diamond Comic Distributors is coming to a close effective following Diamond's distribution of product offered on DC's FOC list of June 1st. We want to thank Steve Geppi and the great people at Diamond for all the years of service.

We recognize that, to many of you, this may seem like a momentous decision. However, we can assure you that this change in DC's distribution plans has not been made lightly and follows a long period of thought and consideration. The change of direction is in line with DC's overall strategic vision intended to improve the health of, and strengthen, the Direct Market as well as grow the number of fans who read comics worldwide.

In the near term, Diamond will only be fulfilling orders placed through June 1 Final Order Cut-Off and will not solicit the sale of new DC titles further. To ensure a smooth transition for retailers, DC will suspend Final Order Cut-Off for June 8, making those books available to order on Final Order Cut-Off on June 15.

Moving forward, we will continue our distribution relationship with Lunar Distribution and UCS Comic Distributors for distribution of periodicals and graphic novels, and Penguin Random House for distribution of graphic novels, worldwide.

We believe this new distribution system will bring you world class service using top of the line and modern systems that will provide you the most efficient operational supply chain. DC will continue to look for ways, together with our new partners, to better serve you and the fans to the best of our ability. We remain committed to the Direct Market and look forward to partnering with you to grow your business and to get the best comic books and graphic novels to the fans in the most efficient and seamless manner.

All the best,

DC»


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is DC doing this now?

DC has been analyzing its Direct Market distribution for some time, long before COVID, specifically in light of sustained stagnant market growth. The timing of the decision to move on from Diamond was ultimately dictated by the fact that DC's contract with Diamond has expired, but incidentally, the disruption by COVID to the market has required DC to forge ahead with its larger growth strategies that will benefit both the Direct Market and DC.

How do I order my books next week?

Retailers will need to contact Lunar Distribution, UCS Comic Distributors, or Penguin Random House to receive books with on sale dates beginning 06/30/20 and forward.

What about the books I've already ordered through Diamond's ordering system? Will I still get those?

Retailers who have already ordered titles with a 5/18, 5/25, or 6/1 FOC date should still expect to receive their books through Diamond. Titles with an FOC date of 6/8 are being moved to 6/15, and all DC titles with FOC dates of 6/15, 6/22, and 6/29 (and beyond) will need to be ordered through one of the three distributors listed above.

I have books to return -- where do I send them?

All DC periodicals and graphic novels that were sold to comic book specialty store customers with in-store dates between 4/28/20 - 6/24/20 are returnable to the distributor from which they were ordered. Each of these titles shall become eligible for return during the 30-day window of time specified here, and such titles must be bundled together in shipments as follows. Titles returned after the applicable 30-day window shall not be accepted.
Return titles with in-store dates of 4/28, 5/5, & 5/12 should be sent in together beginning 6/26 and received no later than 7/26;
Return titles with in-store dates of 5/19 & 5/26 should be sent in together beginning 7/10 and received no later than 8/9;
Return titles with in-store dates of 6/2 & 6/9 should be sent in together beginning 7/24 and received no later than 8/23;
Return titles with in-store dates of 6/16 & 6/23 should be sent in together beginning 7/23 and received no later than 8/22.
Distributors will provide electronic return authorization labels to cover returns shipping costs.

Customers will receive full credit from the applicable distributor for the return of the titles. U.S. customers must return full copies in salable condition to the distributor from which they were ordered. DC will accept affidavit returns from customers located outside the continental United States. All returns must be accompanied by a Return Authorization Form from your applicable distributor. DC shall have the right to audit such returns as DC deems necessary.

Which distributor should I use?

Retailers may choose from these three distributors as they like, but we suggest that U.S. and Canadian retailers on the west coast choose Lunar Distribution and those on the east coast choose UCS Comic Distributors to maximize shipping timelines. For retailers outside North America, please choose any of the three distributors.

How does this impact my discount structure?

Your current discount plateau will remain the same with Lunar and UCS. This discount structure is based on the volume of your purchases.

What about my credit terms?

Credit terms are set with your distributor.

Why is DC committed to having books on sale on Tuesdays, instead of Wednesday?

DC is committed to Tuesday on sale dates so that all our product is offered on the same day in all retail channels.

In short it seems DC doesn't want abandon the direct market and the periodical books, instead this is "only" a change of distributor and this change seems to be related to the geographical collocation of the comic shop: Lunar Distribution is the suggested choice for the west coast shops, while the UCS is the suggested choice for the east coast ones. Also the discount structure will not change, because it depends by the numbers of comics books ordered, so it seems a lot of people are panicked without any good reason; at least on the short term.

[Gaastra]

Beyond the issues at hand, most retailers don't talk like businessmen, they talk like angry fanboys. This isn't 1995 and Marvel's problems back in the day wasn't just due to them acquiring Heroes World, there were a number of factors that came together at the same time that almost destroyed Marvel Entertainment (and it must be noted that Marvel comics was the only arm of Marvel that was actually doing back in the day). The industry is a lot smaller today and other forms of distribution beyond the DM have increased in prominence, Diamond is going to struggle to survive without DCs sales.

Marvel also just bought toy biz, that trading card company and ultraverse malibu also. People keep forgeting they went on a buying spree right before this.

AMC did the same thing last year also and are in really bad shape due to it.

Also why on earth are all comics in america with one group? It's putting all your eggs in one basket and all of american comics shut down if something goes wrong. (and it did) Japan and other overseas comics are spread out and done by many publishers and as a result you could pick up case closed and one piece while marvel and dc was shut down!

The young adult comics also not done by diamond was still going also in fact books a million has a huge display for the new dogman book! By the way how many marvel and dc comics get huge front store displays like that? They are giving away dogman hats, having a dogman reading club and others things! They are making a event out of the kids graphic novel!

Right in the next hall is a huge manga display as well and on the other side is a young adult display with manga and books like guts and sunny side up!

When's the last time marvel or dc has done this and it wasn't to promote a movie?


There is a huge set of mags and newspapers when i go into wal-mart or the family dollar right there at the check out. They even have kids mags. You know what else they sometimes has? Guts, archie, and dogman trades! No marvel or dc trades. Also why not send some floppies to these stores along with the mags? Then again the $4 price tag for a two min story may scare some new readers away!

[Cyberstrike]

When's the last time marvel or dc has done this and it wasn't to promote a movie?

Good question.

Here is another one: when was the last time you saw a TV commercial for a comic book that was on a major network that wasn't also promoting a video game, toy, movie, or a TV show? The last time I can think of is the 90s when Malibu Comics made 3 TV commercials for their Ultraverse line and two of the commercials also helped to promote local comic book stores to certain degree.

[Digifiend]

https://www.comicsbeat.com/the-coron...t-destruction/

[Astroman]

Not only has Diamond been a monopoly but, and perhaps from a more purely practical POV, it has also been a horrible Single Point of Failure waiting to happen. No industry should willingly ignore any SPOF when it is identified and redundancies should be in place. In the case of distribution or publishing this means multiple printers, multiple distributors, shipping options, etc.

The fact that it took a catastrophe like the COVID-19 lockdowns to force someone to address this shows just how poorly this industry has been run (from all parties). The fact that everyone is making DC out to be the bad guy here instead of wondering why this wasn't done earlier is flabbergasting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_point_of_failure