Diamond Comic Distributors used to be the only game in town when distributing graphic novels and comics to physical bookstores and comic book shops. Due to increased competition and many of the world’s largest publishers going with the competition, Diamond has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Diamond distributes content from Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Dynamite Entertainment, Viz and BOOM! Entertainment. A couple of years ago, DC stopped using Diamond exclusively and formed a distribution relationship with Lunar Distribution and Diamond UK to distribute periodicals and graphic novels and Penguin Random House to distribute graphic novels and collect editions worldwide. Marvel Comics stopped dealing with Diamond and went with Penguin Random House. Several smaller publishers also went with Simon and Schuster.
“Diamond has been a linchpin of the comic book industry for over four decades. Our priority has always been to provide quality service to publishers, retailers, and, ultimately, comic fans, and we remain committed to finding additional buyers for our businesses,” said President Chuck Parker.
This decision was not made lightly, and I understand that this news may be as challenging to hear as it is for me to share,” Parker explained. “The Diamond leadership team and I have worked tirelessly to avoid this outcome, but our financial challenges have left us no other viable option.”
News about Diamond’s bankruptcy comes weeks after the company suddenly shuttered its flagship fulfillment center in Plattsburgh, NY, which the company’s VP of retailer services Chris Powell described as a necessary step to address longstanding operational issues that made its distribution process unsustainable.
“Ideally, changes would have been planned and tested while we continued to operate as we had been at Plattsburgh,” Powell said. “With that no longer an option, we must make changes and test them with live data and shipments while trying to minimize the impact on retailers.”
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
