Edit: No comics for a bit, see the next post…
PreviewsWorld’s expected/tentative list of comics shipping April 1st
This will be updated on Wednesday (7 days before shipping)
and also at Midtown Comics
Comics shipping in April (cancelled…)
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So I had resisted the idea of one thread for shipping, and still made weekly ones when we moved to The Carrier.
Yet I seem to be the one cluttering the comics forum.Aha! I can make these monthly! One thread, no editing posts, new ones will take care of the updates.
Tomorrow (Wed. Mar. 25th) was going to be the day with a confirmed for April 1st, and then an expected for Apr. 8th.
I’ll change the thread title to reflect.
Cleaner, better, yay!But the world has been going to hell, and this will affect your local comics shops.
Diamond ceases distributionProduct distributed by Diamond and slated for an on-sale date of April 1st or later will not be shipped to retailers until further notice.
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Product distributed by Diamond UK and slated for an on-sale date of March 25th or later will not be shipped to retailers until further notice.I brought it up in the LCS thread and feel bad about derailing that thread for what it should be about, yet a couple of wise gentlemen have suggested buying a trade/HC/Game/etc. to support them in their time of need.
well, I did get to change the thread title.
Unknown how long this will be.
I will only ever try to keep you updated and try to help.
___________________________________________Reading the title of this url made my heart drop (esp. after watching last sunny weekends young people just not getting it…)
PlacesToVisitThisWeekend.com/Vancouver -
I wonder what is going to happen with Comixology.
Presumably, all of the April 1 shipping issues (and probably quite a few of the ones shipping after that) are already completed. Will these be put up on Comixology even though the hard copies haven’t entered the distribution channel? Or will Comixology wait until Diamond starts up distribution again?
I could see this situation getting messy, with every forthcoming title now delayed indefinitely. Will they have to cancel everything that hasn’t shipped, then resolicit. I don’t know if they should just print up a new Previews and everything for when the COVID-19 situation is no longer a factor. Would that add another three months to the shutdown, then? We won’t know when this over until it’s over, so there’s no lead time for Diamond to prepare. So when the economy kicks back into gear, comic stores would end up having to wait weeks or months to get new product.
Or can they just pick up in June (or whenever this ends) by shipping out all of the April 1 titles, like someone pressed a pause button on the industry? We’ll probably lose at least a few comic stores by then, and readers will be looking for new sources for their comics, particular issues might be scarce, etc.
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I suspect they are still trying to work this out, the news is barely a day old. If they keep releasing on Comixology and this goes on a couple of months then there’s going to be a massive backlog in print. Especially for the likes of Marvel and DC that put out dozens of books a week.
I think they’ll probably have to hold both but then that hits freelancers.
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On the upside, there should be no excuse for late books.
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Comic Book Retailers Struggle After Diamond Pulls Plug on New Comics
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Good for Dark Horse for doing the right thing for the industry, rather than thinking only of themselves.
If only Marvel and DC would step up and do the right thing as well to protect the comics shops that have served them well for decades. Just remember it was the direct market that saved the comic book industry when comics were being squeezed out of the newsstands and corner stores in the 1970s.
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I think they have to be fair, I saw no new comics on Comixology on Wednesday and now the ‘new releases’ section has been removed entirely from the homepage.
Edit: they did release them on Wednesday even if they are now hidden away but we’ll see what they do next week, it doesn’t look like Comixology is expecting to promote that part of the business with the emphasis on classic graphic novels.
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Ah, I wanted to share what my LCS told me.
They said no new comics, but they can still receive orders of inventory items from the wharehouse.
If a TP or HC you want isn’t on their shelf there is still hope for you to get it.It might mean a little more work on both our parts, but you can help support.
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DC Continuing Some New Releases Through Booktrade Distributor During DIAMOND Stoppage
DC has re-confirmed plans to release its OGN Gotham High to “stores and online retailers everywhere books are sold” on April 7 as planned. The OGN was solicited to be released to the Direct Market on April 1, but due to Diamond Comic Distributors’ announced stoppage that will not occur.
With Diamond’s decision to postpone any product distribution indefinitely, comic book retailers who order DC titles through Diamond – such as Gotham High – will not be receiving this title for the time being.
DC’s booktrade releases are primarily distributed by Penguin Random House along with Diamond, indicating that other DC booktrade titles and OGNs could still release to bookstores during Diamond’s closure.
Newsarama can confirm some comic book retailers order DC booktrade titles through Diamond as well as Penguin Random House, and could receive Gotham High – and any other DC titles distributed to the booktrade – for their customers despite the Diamond stoppage.
DC has not responded to Newsarama’s request for comment.DC Exploring ‘Multi-Distributor Model’ to Deal with Coronavirus Crisis
Saturday afternoon DC issued a letter to the Direct Market retail community addressing its initial plans to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
Here is the full text of the letter:To Direct Market Retailers:
“First, the entire team here at DC hopes that you, your family and your employees are staying safe and healthy during this very tough and precarious time. We know that you have been waiting for DC to comment on the state-of-affairs and to address any measures we will take to help our community lighten the burden of the disruption to our business, and we’ve been working hard on a long-term, solution-focused plan. Here is how we will help:
“Periodicals and books with in-store dates between March 18, 2020 and June 24, 2020 will be fully returnable. We’ll even provide credit for your separate return shipping of these items only.
“Additionally, because we anticipate that continued disruption to business operations will create regional volatility, DC is exploring a multi-distributor model to provide us with the flexibility needed during this crisis to get new content to our readers on an ongoing basis. In the short-term, we continue to engage in active conversations with Diamond to help us solve the distribution issues that have arisen and hope to get new product to stores that want or need it as soon as possible. We will provide additional information about how we’ll make that happen in the coming days.
“Thanks for your patience with us. DC will continue to monitor the situation, continue to speak with you directly, and continue to support you through the days ahead. You are the lifeblood of this industry.
“All best,
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So over in the DC thread there was talk of ‘ComicHub’
Turns out it’s not going to happen.‘ComicHub’ Temporary Distribution System ‘Isn’t Going Forward’
Despite being positioned by some members of the comic book press less than 48 hours ago as the solution that “saved” the comic book Direct Market, the team behind the proposal involving the ComicHub suite of tools are pulling back their plans for a temporary retail solution to Diamond Comic Distributors’ suspension of service due the coronavirus.
“The ComicHub advance digital reader copy initiative isn’t going to move forward right now,” retailer John Hendrick of Big Bang Comics told Newsarama Thursday afternoon. Hendrick, along with Ryan Higgins of Comics Conspiracy, took lead roles for ComicHub in communicating the proposal to their fellow retailers and the comic book press Wednesday.
“It’s obvious from the concerns voiced by our peers that this isn’t an initiative they can get behind,” Hendrick continued. “This was designed by people who love comics with the best of intentions, to get cash flow back moving in our industry again from the retailer all the way up to distributors and publishers.“But until such a time as we can all agree on a solution that fellow retailers can support there is no point in Stu [Colson] continuing this at this time.”
Colson is the founder/owner of ComicHub.
“Unfortunately publishers who were interested in joining the platform now aren’t and we can 100% understand their decision despite the positive reception by customers and creators,” Hendricks concluded. “This might not have been a long-term solution but we didn’t need it to be one. We just needed it to tide us over until the industry returns to normal. Whenever that is but hopefully soon.”In case you’re heard the name bandied about over the last three days, ComicHub is a pre-existing suite of tools (including POS and front-end ordering) used by comic book retailers, publishers, and creators, and seemingly very well regarded by its retailer customers. It quickly gained more widespread notoriety earlier this week when Colson began pitching a plan for ComicHub to, within weeks, begin serving as a mass-adopted temporary tourniquet for the Direct Market rocked both by Diamond’s shutdown along with city and state social distancing guidelines forcing businesses to close their doors.
While largely emphasizing how retailers and publishers could start using the system rather than why they should use the system, Colson proposed ComicHub be used as a means for brick-and-mortar (or mail-order) comic book retailers and publishers to generate revenue during Diamond’s shut-down. The basic pitch was this: comic book stores and comic book publishers working in tandem via the service, pre-selling eventual print comics to readers with the customer receiving a digital copy instantly along with a receipt for the eventual printed version weeks or months down the road.The pitch strongly emphasized what would be sold were printed comic books with the digital copy being an add-on, to differentiate it from existing digital services like comiXology. The reader would purchase the printed version at full cover price in indefinite advance, with the instant digital version serving as a free incentive for readers who’d have something to tide them over until publishing resumed.
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The Coronavirus Outbreak Has Plunged the Comics World into Existential Chaos
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I feel like the word “comics” isn’t needed in that headline.
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Can Comic Books Survive the Coronavirus Era?
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This is bringing up a lot of insights into the conditions that now appear to entirely threaten the comic book industry.
1. One distributor is the biggest point of failure. Diamond’s monopoly obviously seemed like a bad idea, but the reasons it happened essentially was due to the fact there was so little demand for comics. So, it wasn’t a case that one business was driving out competitors, but that no one else wanted the business.
2. Trade paperbacks wiped out the comic buying habit. Not every comic book series needs to be collected, but it seems like a lot of them are. As soon as these collections came about, it encouraged trade waiting and if you are not getting your fix weekly, it’s easy to drop the habit entirely over time. An alternative to this might be anthology trades that collect single issues of several comics each week. That would also fit with the multiple crossover events Marvel and DC like to do, and, done right, they could be introduction books to get readers into the monthly issues.
3. Comic Shops were crapped on. The best promotion for the comics comes from the comic book shops. They are the best sales force available, but companies treated them like a revenue source.
4. Some comic creators forgot that the comic book reader, not the comic book company or editorial staff, is the source for their paycheck.
5. At the same time, long time older readers are not the best demographic for growing sales and readership. Younger audiences are driving sales of manga/manwha, webcomics/webtoons and YA graphic novels. All comic book companies should be serious about producing work for this audience and delivering it through the means they are familiar with.
6. Comic book superheroes do not need comics. The main IP of comic books has migrated to film, television and video games. Comics needs to either do superheroes better or do more than superheroes
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7. Comic book companies provided too many “jumping off” points. Constantly rebooting titles with new #1s gave readers who may have been on the fence with a book a reason to drop it. A steady stream of new #1s also made it more difficult to remain engaged with a book or even follow it in trades. Crossovers, events, and tie-ins which interrupted regular stories or disrupted a book by forcing an unwanted direction change. Killing characters for a possible sales bump when you know they will be brought back to generate another sales bump. The more jumping off points a company provides, the harder it is to get them to jump back on.
8. Comic book companies not listening to the retailers. They know what is selling and what isn’t and are receiving feedback directly from the customers yet the mindset is “the company knows best”. They don’t want to hear negative or critical comments from the people who are actually selling their books. They dump books on the market with little to no support and expect the LCS to carry that load.
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2. Trade paperbacks wiped out the comic buying habit. Not every comic book series needs to be collected, but it seems like a lot of them are. As soon as these collections came about, it encouraged trade waiting and if you are not getting your fix weekly, it’s easy to drop the habit entirely over time.
Back in 2008 when Marvel started raising their price point to $3.99, I decided to switch to trade on many books, especially miniseries. I would go on Amazon and add them to my wishlist so that when they were available, I would order them. The problem was that when it came time to buy the trade, I had lost interest and desire for it. I realized I would probably just read it once and it would just collect dust like the floppies I had. I had started looking at my buying habits with a far more critical eye. When something is cheaper, I tend to be more lenient but as price increased, so did my standards.
Additionally, it is easier to drop your comic book habit when there is a creative malaise or lack of excitement in the market. At any given time, there will always be some good books out there though they won’t move the needle to spark the masses to the LCS.
I also do wonder if not having a lower price point on digital comics is actually part of the problem. “If you charge less for digital than paper, it will destroy the brick and mortars!” If your shop is depending on new comic sales to support your business, they are already on very thin ice. If there was a lower price for digital, I think there would have been some migration away from floppies but not as big as everyone thinks it would be. Digital books on Amazon are cheaper than the hard copy. When it comes to music, you will pay different prices for digital, CD, and vinyl. Why shouldn’t that be true for comics? Stores with a robust back issue collection along with t-shirts, toys, games, etc. along with new books will draw customers in and keep them coming. I know I probably wouldn’t switch to digital as I’m old and prefer floppies but I think it would help drive an increase in new readers, especially those who may not have access to an LCS. Sorry, but $3.99 is too much for a digital comic book with 20 pages of story. Really, $1.99 should be the most for a standard issue in digital. That lower price point might get more people to get into comics.
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9. I think all the factors above have come together to create a creative malaise in the industry. There IS good work out there, being done across the various companies but nothing seems to have really caused a fervor that has broken through the dull hum that is the current industry. It’s been that way for some time, too. I thought Hickman’s X-Men might be it but I doubt it has the legs to go the distance and the shoulders to carry some sort of industry revival. The last thing that really and truly shook the industry was the New 52 and that was 2011. Outside of a blip here and there, nothing has really moved the needle.
10. COVID-19 and the ensuing economic recession is going to have a huge impact on the industry. Sadly, this may cause stores to permanently close but how many? If a sufficient number of stores close, this will force companies to re-evaluate their plans. Do they continue with the existing plans or do they scale back/revise them? The world will have a new mindset coming out of this. For the past month, people having been watching a lot of TV and surfing a lot of internet. Was this break sufficient to break habits and start new ones without comics? Is this the time for companies to begin a hard push into digital comics, regardless of the impact to brick and mortar? When you’re selling digital comics, you have many options for distribution. Is this the wake-up call to finally end Diamond’s monopoly? It has the potential to be a true “come to Jesus” moment for the comic book industry.
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Trade paperbacks wiped out the comic buying habit. Not every comic book series needs to be collected, but it seems like a lot of them are. As soon as these collections came about, it encouraged trade waiting and if you are not getting your fix weekly, it’s easy to drop the habit entirely over time. An alternative to this might be anthology trades that collect single issues of several comics each week. That would also fit with the multiple crossover events Marvel and DC like to do, and, done right, they could be introduction books to get readers into the monthly issues.
It’s way too late for that. The Comichron analysis for 2018 show trades are actually the bulk of their revenue.
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Those graphic novel numbers might be deceptive.
I believe those figures include things like catalog titles (Sandman, Watchmen, Walking Dead etc), manga, and non-DM books like those by Raina Telgemeier and Dave Pilkey, who would probably wipe the floor with Marvel and DC if we saw the actual sales .
I do know that Marvel and DC have been liquidating recent and not-recent TPBs by the truckload to the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet chain.
Just because graphic novels outsell comic books by nearly 2:1 doesn’t mean that any given recent Marvel or DC collection sells particularly well.
An example here… the Bookscan figures (from bookstore sales):
Scholastic outperforms both Marvel and DC, combined, in bookstores by a factor of nearly 2: 33% to 19%.
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Those are good points Jason but I still think it’s too large a part of the market to risk in that way, especially (anecdotal as it may be) as everyone here has said they don’t want to buy stuff presented that way and pick up parts of books you aren’t interested in. They recently tried with Hickman’s X-Men that we chatted about and everyone wanted to skip to the individual collections. DC have tried it a couple of times but their lack of follow up suggests it didn’t do that well.
Digging a little deeper into that Chomicron data the majority of those overall sales $510m were still through direct marker comic shops where the split will be pretty much inverted from that graph with Marvel and DC dominant and the Diamond figures show us more biased to new material. Numbers given by Image say too that while we’re measuring revenue the back end of trades is more profitable both because of economies of scale and the fact that the creator page rates have already been absorbed.
So you are right for most specialist publishers the ratio would be nowhere near that high, I would say it’s still too high to mess around with too much in the hope it’ll convert those readers into Wednesday regulars.
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Sadly, this may cause stores to permanently close but how many? If a sufficient number of stores close, this will force companies to re-evaluate their plans. Do they continue with the existing plans or do they scale back/revise them? The world will have a new mindset coming out of this. For the past month, people having been watching a lot of TV and surfing a lot of internet. Was this break sufficient to break habits and start new ones without comics? Is this the time for companies to begin a hard push into digital comics, regardless of the impact to brick and mortar? When you’re selling digital comics, you have many options for distribution. Is this the wake-up call to finally end Diamond’s monopoly? It has the potential to be a true “come to Jesus” moment for the comic book industry.
Yeah, it’s a headache for a couple of reasons. One thing here is the contrast and comparison with Blockbuster. Comixology is not exactly Netflix and streaming even though a lot of people reading comic books also includes those who read manga and webcomics online. So, there is some similarity there in that the material being consumed by comic book readers is not in comic book shops but online.
However, Blockbuster was a chain and almost a monopoly in that segment at the end. A few Comic Book shops may have many different stores, but they never became a national chain even when they could have back in the 90’s, like video rental, regular book stores and video game stores did. Instead, that sorta describes what Diamond became.
Nevertheless, comic book companies and comic book shops also refused to really change with the times to preserve what parts of the business that they could have. A lot of this is due to the small and independent conditions of each shop. If they were a conglomerate, they could have gone online to compete with Amazon or partnered with Marvel and DC to distribute better digital comics instead of Comixology.
Unfortunately, it looks like it is too late. Comic shops probably wish they had Blockbuster’s problems.
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DC start publishing comics again April 28th
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If they were a conglomerate, they could have gone online to compete with Amazon or partnered with Marvel and DC to distribute better digital comics instead of Comixology.
I think that was shown up with the failure of the Comics Hub solution. Whether it would have actually worked as planned we don’t know but what looked to me like a way to control their distribution to a greater degree and adapt to change was violently rejected for the status quo by a few shops. Not just questions asked but strong petitions to publishers to shut it down it from day one.
With Comixology now so passive since they got absorbed into Amazon it’s not a great situation. On a marketing level you basically have two groups proposing to just keep doing everything the same forever.
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Hopefully books will start shipping again just as the rest of us are getting back to our “normal” lives. I’ve been missing my weekly visits to Midtown Comics, and looking forward to getting back there. The fact that we’re still talking about it here suggests that I’m not the only one who is eager to resume our weekly habit.
A two-month forced moratorium in our hobby is acceptable. I’m going to hope for the best and assume that most of the people who call themselves comics fans still have that craving, and will descend upon their LCS as soon as those doors reopen and the shelves are filled with books we’ve been anticipating since late March.
Fingers crossed; eternally optimistic.
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Inside DC’s New Print Distribution Plan (And The New Distributors Involved)
“To assist with the immediate distribution of DC titles during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, we’ve secured the assistance of two distributors to help facilitate orders of and shipping of our revised publishing schedule,” DC told retailers in an email Friday afternoon. “Lunar Distribution and UCS Comic Distributors have agreed to work with us to distribute these new comics.”
Newsarama has confirmed that Lunar and UCS are in fact newly-created sister companies to long-time mail-order comics giants Discount Comic Book Service (DCBS) and Midtown Comics, respectively. These two retailers are among the biggest Direct Market comic sellers, and Midtown has for years handled DC’s subscription sales.
More in link…
DIAMOND Responds to DC’s Plan to Ship New Comics Before Their Distribution Resumes
“We value our partnership with DC and will continue to support them as a distributor. Our focus is squarely on getting our industries’ entertainment products in the hands of fans as quickly and as safely as possible. As we shared this morning with our vendors and retailers, we are currently building our restart plans and targeting mid- to late-May to being shipping new weekly product. If we see signs that it is safe to resume shipping earlier, we certainly will. However, with the limited number of retailers open and most customers on stay-at-home orders, our focus is on supporting our industry and the health and safety of our stakeholders.”
Initial Retailer Reaction to DC Distribution Plan Is Mixed
Click link…
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I think creating an environment where there are haves (US comic stores) and have nots (rest of world comic stores) is not a sustainable solution to the current problem facing the industry.
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The manager at my LCS is not happy with the DC deal. She posted this on her Facebook page:
Ugh, NO! DC is NOT “helping retailers get April books out.”
DC is forcing small retailers to order from a corporate retail competitor who has now LIED about Diamond and DC parting ways.
Its NOT good news and it’s a move few retailers will probably make.
Please PLEASE stop spreading fucking rumors and falling for the panic hype.
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I used this analogy earlier:
We are all small food trucks, and DC expects us to buy our hamburgers from McDonald’s and then turn around and sell them for a profit but DC is giving McDonald’s a deep discount for their own hamburgers they they will also be allowed to sell.
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I am still a little perplexed why Diamond have just had to shut everything down. Vikram can order his comics from a US vendor but they couldn’t get that last week’s books out to the UK. Freight is still moving, I am under a pretty extreme lockdown, much more than any US state, and have ordered books and t-shirts online which are on their way from as far away as China. 2000ad is being printed and sent to subscribers.
They told a smallish publisher (Alterna) they wouldn’t be accepting new books until August even though no lockdown has been set for a date that late (they could be extended that long, we don’t know, but I don’t know why you’d set one so late).
I can understand DC’s frustration, even if it’s a bum deal for retailers like Todd’s it may end up being helpful if it kicks Diamond into being a bit more proactive and finding solutions. There’s no ideal solution at hand but theirs seemed a bit ‘oh well never mind, nothing we can do’.
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I am still a little perplexed why Diamond have just had to shut everything down. Vikram can order his comics from a US vendor but they couldn’t get that last week’s books out to the UK.
The reports I’ve seen say that week of books is in the UK but in warehouse storage.
As far as freight is concerned, my understanding is that international shipping has been made more difficult and expensive by large-scale flight cancellations, which would maybe explain the reticence to commit to international shipping any time soon.
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I appreciate it’s much more difficult, especially the international element, but they just seem to have disengaged. Did they ask anyone if they’d be willing to carry a bit of extra cost? I may be missing something but their immediate solution seemed to be we’re shutting down for 4 months, even though no government ever set a lockdown beyond 2 or 3 weeks.
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TKO took that approach too, despite some very big names on their roster they never sold through Diamond. You can see the advantages in the control they retain and the extra share of the profits they get.
However I think both what TKO experienced, and what that article mentions about Alterna, is difficulties in finding an international option. Economies of scale mean Diamond distribute overseas quickly and with no real added cost. I have discovered via Kickstarter projects that international mail from the US is often hugely expensive, with the shipping sometimes costing more than the value of the book. For your average mainstream comic around 30% of the copies sold are outside the US and Canada so that’s a big chunk without another cost effective solution.
I think for retailers and customers there’s the issue with the complication multiple paths to getting the comics you want. If every publisher only dealt directly with individual shops I can imagine that being a nightmare of organisation. Equally it’s easy to sell digital comics on your own website but it’s very convenient for the reader to get what they want in one place. Really the publishers should all club together to create a single not for profit digital store, Comixology are making no obvious investment in the technology or promotion.
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It’s such a small aspect economically I doubt anyone would care and it’s only truly anti-trust if they pulled their books from Comixology and all other digital platforms, or gave preferential pricing. If you can still buy the same book for the same price from multiple sources then that isn’t a monopoly or a cartel. Marvel already (briefly) owned their own distributor and those of other publishers which is conceptually much worse.
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Diamond to Resume Comic Book Distribution on May 20
Comic book retailer Ryan Higgins, owner of Comics Conspiracy in Sunnyvale, CA. tweeted Saturday evening a new Diamond Comic Distributors ordering page is online, allowing their retail accounts to order DC titles due to be shipped by Diamond on Wednesday, May 20.
Diamond previously announced they anticipated reestablishing distribution in mid- to late-May after suspending operations at the beginning of this month due to the coronavirus crisis.
According to Higgins the titles available with a FOC (Final Order Cut-off) of Monday are the same titles the publisher has announced will be available through new regional distributors Lunar and UCS and on digital platforms on Tuesdays beginning April 28. Check here and here for those DC lists.1 user thanked author for this post.
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DC release schedule from April 28 through May 12
Official: DC Release Schedule for May 19 & May 26
_______________________________________________________________MARVEL, DC, IMAGE, More Part of DIAMOND’s MAY 20 Shipping List
Diamond has told retailers that “this list may be modified through the week but will be finalized” by May 1 at 12 p.m. ET.
“All DC Comics titles released during our pause in distribution will be included in the first shipment of new, weekly product.”
Here’s the list of titles from publishers (including DC) Diamond plans to be released on Wednesday, May 20: (click the link)
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MARVEL To Resume New Comics Releases May 27, Announce Schedule Through July 8
Marvel will begin releasing new titles starting May 27, with what it calls a “balanced release schedule” aimed at publishing comic books “in the most thoughtful way we can for fans, creators, and the industry during these unpredictable times”
yeah, there’s full weekly listings. clicky on the linky…
X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, More NOT On MARVEL’s Revised Release Slate
Whoa! Maybe should be in the Marvel thread, but I was here, so…
Inside MARVEL’s Reasoning for Measured Release Schedule, Their Plans Afterward
Okay, lotsa words, someone should go over it…
___________________________________________________DC-Diamond Exclusive Era Appears to End … 25 Years to the Day It Began
So, DC is going to play both sides of the fence?
One way is they have every right, and if this goes bad there’s too many companies anyways and this will weed them out.
But the other way is the small publishers lose in all this. They need the unity and growing the pie is better for everyone big and small (at a time when some customers might be forced into stopping all together).Or am I jumping to conclusions (mountain out of a molehill)?
I’m led to believe the industry couldn’t survive without the current ‘don’t rock the boat system’.
But it seems like there are way too many publishers and pulling the pin on a grenade might just clean house a little (is an idea someone is positioning themselves into).1 user thanked author for this post.
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Who would have thought that Marvel would come out of this mess looking like the more caring, retail friendly, company. The world has gone crazy!
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DC Approves TUESDAY On-Sale Dates for All Titles (Including Those Through DIAMOND)
DC has informed retailers it is approving Tuesday on-sale dates for all of its comic book titles – including comic books retailers order from Diamond Comic Distributors, who have traditionally mandated a Wednesday on-sale date.
“We have approved all retailers to sell DC product on Tuesdays, but the choice to participate in Tuesday on-sale is up to you,” DC told retailers in a statement over the weekend. “You should base that decision on what makes the most sense for your business. You may continue to release DC product on Wednesdays if that is your preference.”
DC Eliminating Early Releases for Comic Shops Ahead of Bookstores
DC is eliminating the six-day exclusivity window Direct Market comic book shops had on original graphic novels and collections over stores in the book trade market. This will create day-and-date concurrent release windows for DC product across its three primarily distribution channels – the Direct Market, book trade, and digital.
The publisher explained in an email to Direct Market retailers that the policy was changed to “eliminate costumer confusion about when titles are on sale and to sync up our marketing efforts across all channels.”
Diamond’s May 20 Return Now Official
Friday Diamond Comic Distributors made their resumption of operations official. May 20 has been moved from a target date to a the first on-sale date for their resumed distribution of comics.
Here is the full text of a notice sent to Direct Market retailers Friday.“Diamond Comic Distributors, Alliance Game Distributors, and all Geppi Family Enterprises brands thank you for your continued support and patience. As mentioned in our most recent update, our work with you and our other partners allowed us to chart a path to resumed distribution of new, weekly products with a target May 20 on-sale date.
“We are thrilled to tell you today that May 20 is no longer a target but is now the OFFICIAL first on-sale date for our resumed distribution of comics. Game product will also begin to ship that week. We are very excited to have reached this important point in our industry’s recovery and could not have done it without the tremendous support of our partners.
“As we move through the next steps, we will keep you informed via email and updates on our websites. Here are some key dates for you to keep in mind:
“Diamond Comic Distributors replenishment orders may be placed prior to the order cut-off on May 13. Orders will begin to ship directly via subsidized UPS shipments as outlined in our earlier update. Stores will receive the new comics ordered through the May 4 Final Order Cut-off, including DC Comics released during our pause in distribution, beginning the week of May 18 for the on-sale date of Wednesday, May 20. DC Comics may be sold on their new on-sale date of May 19.
“Alliance Game Distributors will similarly resume distribution the week of May 18. As we are nearer that date, we will have further information on which distribution centers will be open in accordance with local laws.
“It’s important to note that, much like our retailers, the COVID-19 outbreak has caused us to make numerous changes to our operations. We are operating at reduced team sizes in our distribution centers to maintain adequate social distancing, improved sanitation measures have been adopted, and most of our office-based employees are working remotely. Some of our distribution centers may not reopen on the same schedule as others due to local government reopening guidance.”
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