DC Cuts Ties with Diamond

[Digifiend]

Anyone who stocks dc now is putting themselves out of business.

Not stocking DC would be putting themselves out of business. Rock, meet Hard Place.

[Dthirds3]

Not stocking DC would be putting themselves out of business. Rock, meet Hard Place.

It's not a rock in a hard place its do I fill out a extre copy of order forms (their matching diamonds discounts so cost is relatively the same)and get the products that accounts for conservatively 40% of their sales or say no and loose half my customer base

[The no face guy]

Ultimately we will just have to look at how it plays out. Diamond appears to have a more traditional stable model of doing things, but Lunar seems more innovative in using social media and the internet to advertise the product and get it out more, and according to this article faster on the delivery.

The thing I can't stand about Diamond Distributors is that under their monopoly they centralized comics to one location the comic shop. In Canada at least, you cannot find a print copy of comic anywhere other than a comic book store with the exception of graphic novels stuffed in the very back corners of Wallmart.

I want to see comics more visibly out there in print and on the internet. I want to be able to download a DC comic directly from their website without logging into my Amazon kindle account. I want downloadable advertisement links next to the show your watching on netflix (Flash, Black Lightning) I want them promoted more on social media sites with download links. I want to see a comic rack at the front of Wallmart cashiers and corner stores. I want to pick up a comic when I'm on the ferry. Comics have to be made more visible, or they will simply die off.

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/the-...s-and-diamond/

[Mider2009]

I’m not surprised, one company shouldn’t be running all the industries distribution anyway

Not only that but Diamond has screwed up multiple times by not paying vendors and making late shipments.

[Holt]

Anyone who stocks dc now is putting themselves out of business.

Being a comic shop that doesn't sell Batman comics sounds like a pretty surefire way to put yourself out of business.

[superduperman]

There's no good option here. Printing is expensive and isn't making a return on their investment. And old school fans won't move to digital. Graphic novels are the only thing making any money in print. What is DC supposed to do? And how much of this is their decision? They are owned by a major multinational corporation that spent a lot of money to get their parent company. Which now needs to recoup some of their losses. They can't make money pandering to 40 year old men forever.

[botolo]

Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics is pretty pissed off!

https://www.milehighcomics.com/newsl...0520email.html

[skyvolt2000]

If I was a comic shop, I would also drop DC from my orders. They are not even putting out quality books right now to justify ordering for my shop, that and the fact that they have little to no direction on where to go as a company. See ya DC!

You would be out of business in less than a year. Unless you are the only comic book store in the city and folks don't do online and no one else sells comics.

What you don't stock OTHERS will. I know a guy who has 4 comic book stores near him-they all refused to sell Supergirl (and the variant cover that he wanted). So he goes to the comic book store by his JOB. And while he'll get that Supergirl issue, he ends up getting OTHER books.

That's money for MY store and less money for those other 4.

And you would better HOPE DC doesn't put those comics in stores like Wal-mart. Allegiance Arts and Entertainment put their books in Wal-Mart. I am SHOCKED to report those books are selling. Especially bass Reed and Red Rooster. And the copies are in mint to decent shape.

Not selling DC will send folks to other places.

Anyone who stocks dc now is putting themselves out of business.

If you treat DC like an INDY and only order what you WILL (not THINK) sell. Do a FOC and have folks prepay for the books. Maybe order 1-2 store copies.

You are still selling DC. And if I think would happen when comic chron lists those numbers-a NASTY reality check for DC and many should happen.

Lets take Flash his last issue order was 29K.

Stores take a stance and do the above. We see books ordered (and prepaid for) is 19K. Can you imagine the backlash to stores would be?

So in the past there was tons of copies of Flash on shelves not selling but all we heard was WHAT about books like Ms marvel? Power Rangers and Buffy average that and still sell out at stores.

It's not like we don't know this by looking at the shelves and seeing what is there in bulk.

NOw if the opposite happens-DC is looking good.

[iron chimp]

Not stocking DC would be putting themselves out of business. Rock, meet Hard Place.

It is.

Stocking dc means making yourself even.more uncompetitive against dcbs to the point you will lose even more customers to them. Everyone will have a price breakpoint where they can longer justify shopping at the store. Once youve moved yr dc pull list over to dcbs you may as well just move everything.

Not stocking DC means yr gambling everyone else can take up the slack. Theres opportunities for other publishers to gain shelf space but yr going to need new customers to replace the ones you lose and of course those lost customers could just take their entire pull list to dcbs just like they could do if you stock dc.

10 years ago dc wouldnt even let dcbs advertise their prices in their comics. Now theyve jumped into bed with them....

[iron chimp]

You would be out of business in less than a year. Unless you are the only comic book store in the city and folks don't do online and no one else sells comics.

What you don't stock OTHERS will. I know a guy who has 4 comic book stores near him-they all refused to sell Supergirl (and the variant cover that he wanted). So he goes to the comic book store by his JOB. And while he'll get that Supergirl issue, he ends up getting OTHER books.

That's money for MY store and less money for those other 4.

And you would better HOPE DC doesn't put those comics in stores like Wal-mart. Allegiance Arts and Entertainment put their books in Wal-Mart. I am SHOCKED to report those books are selling. Especially bass Reed and Red Rooster. And the copies are in mint to decent shape.

Not selling DC will send folks to other places.




If you treat DC like an INDY and only order what you WILL (not THINK) sell. Do a FOC and have folks prepay for the books. Maybe order 1-2 store copies.

You are still selling DC. And if I think would happen when comic chron lists those numbers-a NASTY reality check for DC and many should happen.

Lets take Flash his last issue order was 29K.

Stores take a stance and do the above. We see books ordered (and prepaid for) is 19K. Can you imagine the backlash to stores would be?

So in the past there was tons of copies of Flash on shelves not selling but all we heard was WHAT about books like Ms marvel? Power Rangers and Buffy average that and still sell out at stores.

It's not like we don't know this by looking at the shelves and seeing what is there in bulk.

NOw if the opposite happens-DC is looking good.

Yes thats the sensible middle ground. Non on shelves but ordering for pull lists only.

[Holt]

Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics is pretty pissed off!

https://www.milehighcomics.com/newsl...0520email.html

I actually saw this coming a couple of weeks ago, but was hoping against my own common sense that the new owners of DC (AT&T) would come to the realization that keeping Diamond alive was critical to the revival of the 2,000+ Direct Market comic book retailers who serve the core of their most dedicated readers.

That's his problem right there. AT&T (like Time Warner before them) doesn't give a rat's ass about the direct market or even comics themselves. DC's value to them is as an IP farm, stuff that can be used to generate movies, TV shows, video games and merchandise, not as a seller of periodicals.

[The no face guy]

Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics is pretty pissed off!

https://www.milehighcomics.com/newsl...0520email.html

Most comic stores will be p'oed because they currently have a monopoly on where you can buy print comics, they don't want any outside competition, the more centralized distribution is, the profit they pull in, the easier their life is with co=ordinating shipments, and with comic stores dying off like flies in the last 10 years the more of an increase in profit the remaining stores will have.

I'm all for helping out the little comic shop guy, but they shouldn't have a monopoly on where you can find the product. Again comics have to be made as visible and accessible to the general public in as many digital and print outlets as possible. otherwise they will continue to die off.

It could be a historic disaster for DC, or it could be an era of new innovation, and rejuvenation depending on why they are doing it. If it's to expand the market that's a good thing, if it's to simply save AT&T money without any innovation, well...than bad idea.

[iron chimp]

That's his problem right there. AT&T (like Time Warner before them) doesn't give a rat's ass about the direct market or even comics themselves. DC's value to them is as an IP farm, stuff that can be used to generate movies, TV shows, video games and merchandise, not as a seller of periodicals.

From that post, it actually sounds like they are desparate for money just to.pay their 6 billion dollar a year debtbservice charge and every division has to find as much cash as possible regardless of consequences.

On a normal day - ip farm. But this isnt a normal day.

[superduperman]

Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics is pretty pissed off!

https://www.milehighcomics.com/newsl...0520email.html

Nice to see they're taking this so well.

[iron chimp]

It's not a rock in a hard place its do I fill out a extre copy of order forms (their matching diamonds discounts so cost is relatively the same)and get the products that accounts for conservatively 40% of their sales or say no and loose half my customer base

It really isnt that.

Its do i make my retail competitor, who i cant compete against now, even more competitive against me, whilst seeing my own costs rise for the privilege of doing so.

And DC has nowhere near 40% of the market - its closer to 25 than 40. Marvel has utterly destroyed them over last few years.