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NEWS: Diamond Comic Distributors Halts Shipment of New Products Due to COVID-19




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El Hermano



Joined: 24 Feb 2019
Posts: 450
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 6:54 pm Reply with quote
The industries has been run on a skeleton crew for about a decade now, something this this is definitely going to kill some companies and stores.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4364
Location: New York
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:06 pm Reply with quote
Short term, a lot of small comic stores will go out of business. A lot of people who loved comics passionately will lose their jobs and that will be a shame.

Long term, the direct market is going to be in big trouble. Disney and Warner will have to answer a lot of questions about if they even want to be in the comic business, or if they want to keep the IP’s and license them out.

On the plus side, with the industry downsizing if not dead, we’ll never have to see something like New Warriors again.
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Stampeed Valkyrie



Joined: 10 Aug 2014
Posts: 826
Location: PA
PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:17 am Reply with quote
I'm not sure how this is any different from any other day for Diamond.

They are notorious for not shipping items ordered and randomly canceling preview orders for no reason.

So pretty much par for the course.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5823
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 6:49 pm Reply with quote
I'd be more worried about our local comics book dealers, than Disney or Warner. There is no way they are going to take that 10,000 dollar pandemic loan. They already operate on the margins, My local comic book dealer makes all his profits off all the conventions he goes to. Whether anime or comic convention, he goes to them all.

So they are not going to make any money, and be unable to pay the rent and utilities for their stores. Not to mention any loan payments they will need to make, but will be unable to.
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DavetheUsher



Joined: 19 May 2014
Posts: 505
PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 9:51 pm Reply with quote
TarsTarkas wrote:
I'd be more worried about our local comics book dealers, than Disney or Warner. There is no way they are going to take that 10,000 dollar pandemic loan. They already operate on the margins, My local comic book dealer makes all his profits off all the conventions he goes to. Whether anime or comic convention, he goes to them all.

So they are not going to make any money, and be unable to pay the rent and utilities for their stores. Not to mention any loan payments they will need to make, but will be unable to.


I'd say they're hurting more from the forced shut down and quarantine than the lack of comic shipments. After all, even if Diamond was shipping comics it's not as if you can go to the store to buy them with the shelter in place order. I doubt they can pull a Gamestop and try to say they're 'essential business'. But the lack of Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic, D&D, and other tabletop and card games is definitely going to hurt the shops nearest to me which dedicate most of their retail space to organized play and gatherings every week.

As for the companies: DC and Marvel will be fine. Their comic division is more or less just there to keep the name brand alive while the movies and TV shows are their main draw and profits. Smaller companies like IDW are going to be hurting, though.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4364
Location: New York
PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 10:40 pm Reply with quote
Of course the companies will be fine. If they say “that sucks, no more Marvel and Dc comics, from now on we license the characters out like we do the Looney Tunes or the ducks”, fine.

And then hundreds of small businesses go belly up, and small business owners are out of a job because when they needed help, the comics industry covered their ears and went “LALALALALA!” while Marvel tried to convince you the public wants to read about heroes called Snowflake and Safespace.

My heart bleeds for every small business owner that loses a comic shop they put their lives into because of this. Not so much the millionaires writing New Warriors.
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