Category Archives: Business

Oregon Attorney General investigating Paramount over its Warner Bros. Discovery Deal

Posted on by
Warner Bros. logo

Oregon’s Attorney General Dan Rayfield is stepping into the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance. The office had asked for records regarding the deal, in particular its “Project Warrior,” the lobbying of the White House and the Department of Justice, questioning their approval of the merger in June.

The office had asked for records regarding the deal and stated that Paramount Skydance had not been responsive to record requests. The company has responded back that those records are not pertinent to antitrust concerns.

After initially filing multiple motions, the Attorney General’s withdrew the request to delay the closing of the merger as well as the request of records. The $110 billion acquisition could close as early as July 22.

The investigation is not over though, and the office has stated they are considering their next steps. Jenny Hansson, a spokeswoman for the A.G.’s office, said:

Paramount made it clear that they weren’t going to comply with the investigative demand, and that they think they’re above the law. We’re not going to let them waste Oregonians’ resources on these games. We’ve withdrawn the motion to consider our next steps.

Oregon is the first state to step in regarding the deal but more may join as California’s Attorney General has voiced concern over the deal and it is expected a motion will be filed in the next few weeks regarding it.

Paramount Skydance still faces a hurdle in the European Commission and the U.K. The company has attempted to address EU competition concerns such as ending a film distribution venture it has with Universe Pictures. The European Commission has extended its deadline for its decision from July 7 to July 22.

Paramount Skydance wants the deal to close before September 1, 2026 or the cost will increase the longer it drags on. The price increases 25 cents per share per quarter it’s not approved. That would add $627 million to the cost of the overall deal each quarter, or roughly $7 million per day.

Indie Comic Alliance forms offering Distribution and Printing

Posted on by
Indie Comic Alliance

With the implosion of Diamond, smaller publishers have been left scrambling to find new distribution either through new companies offering it or new models. A half dozen (or so) new companies have risen focused on solving the issue and offering new avenues for distribution. The Indie Comic Alliance has launched to not just provide distribution but also printing services with the first set of comics to be released in January 2027 with solicitation in October.

Headed by Christopher Reda at Critical Entertainment and Thomas Cho at STS & Associates the alliance has launched with sixteen publishers. Publishers include: Critical Entertainment, DSTLRY, Red 5 Comics, Wise Acre Comics, Outland Entertainment, BentBox Comics, Forbidden Futures, Patriot Comic Books, Diabolik, 2510 Press, World at War Comics, Monkeygong, Bear Treasure Studios, K-Toon Studios, Phantom Blade Productions, and Narwhal Press.

Like other deals that have been announced, some of the publishers will be distributed under the Critical Entertainment label, not their own publishing label and be distributed through Universal Distribution and Philbo Distribution. Some are already offered through Philbo.

DSTLRY is the highest profile of the publishers and currently have an exclusive with Penguin Random House Comics, which could hint that exclusive will be ending soon.

You can read the full announcement below:

The Indie Comic Alliance has officially been created with the first set of Publishers being announced. The Indie Comic Alliance is a Collective of Independent Comic Book Publishers focused on offering original comics in local retailer stores and making independent publishing thrive in a growing comic book market. Headed by Christopher Reda at Critical Entertainment and Thomas Cho at STS & Associates, the Alliance’s goal is to make independent publishers successful while giving readers a destination to find creative stories.

The first set of Publishers are the following: Critical Entertainment, DSTLRY, Red 5 Comics, Wise Acre Comics, Outland Entertainment, BentBox Comics, Forbidden Futures, Patriot Comic Books, Diabolik, 2510 Press, World at War Comics, Monkeygong, Bear Treasure Studios, K-Toon Studios, Phantom Blade Productions, and Narwhal Press.

The Indie Comic Alliance will offer Independent Publishers reasonable Distribution into retail comic book stores and affordable Printing, Shipping, and Storage while creating a competitive advantage in the direct market by having a destination for customers to find Indie Titles. Most Indie Comic Alliance books will be scheduled to release in retail stores on the third Wednesday of each month called Indie Comic Book Day. Indie Comic Alliance will service thousands of Local Comic Book Stores and Brick and Mortar Retail Bookstores. We aim to give Retailers a place they will know where to look for fresh indie comics. Solicitations beginning in October, many of the publishers will be distributed in Universal Distribution and Philbo Distribution through the Critical Entertainment label in the United States and Canada. This first lineup of comics are set to release January 20, 2027. Some of these publishers are already featured in Philbo Distribution and DSTLRY is currently exclusive with Penguin Random House Comics.

Indie Fans can follow the latest Indie Comic Alliance updates on Instagram, X, and www.indiecomicalliance.com.

Comix Wellspring Suspends Operation

Posted on by
Comix Wellspring

In a bit of a surprise, Comix Wellspring has posted an announcement that due to “operational challenges” the comic printing company has temporarily suspended accepting new orders and also halted production.

For order that have yet to be completed, they’ll be refunded.

The company has also said that it has worked on removing the non-compete restrictions for Greko Printing who were the original founders of Comix Welsspring, and they’ll be able to provide comic printing services.

Comix Wellspring was founded in 2011 and was a go to for comic printing allowing for small print runs. The company had partnered with numerous digital comic platforms to allow for printing services for their customers.

We’ll of course follow up if more details are released as to the status of the company of what lead to the current situation.

You can read the full announcement below:

To our valued customers,

We sincerely apologize, but due to unforeseen operational challenges, Comix Wellspring, owned and operated by Carta Finishing, must temporarily suspend accepting new orders and halt production at this time.

Any orders that have not been completed will be fully refunded. Our team will be reaching out to affected customers additional information in the near future.

Over the past week, we have been working with the original founders of Comix Wellspring, Greko Printing, to remove the previous non-compete restrictions that prevented them from printing comic books. As a result, they are once again able to provide comic printing services.

If you are looking to print your project with a trusted printer, we encourage you to contact Greko Printing for a quote – email Sales@grekoprinting.com. Their team has decades of experience producing comics and would be happy to discuss your project and available options.

We are truly grateful for the support and trust you have shown Comix Wellspring over the years. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding during this difficult time.

Thank you.

Dark Horse announces New Leadership

Posted on by

Dark Horse Comics recently unveiled a new leadership structure for the company, offering insight into the future of this foundational comics publisher. Dark Horse will now be led by three department heads: Tim Wiesch, Head of Publishing and Business Development, Vanessa Todd-Holmes, Head of Publishing Operations, and Melissa Teeman, Head of Finance and Administration. Each of these three leaders represents a move towards collaborative operation and reliance on the expertise of veteran Dark Horse staff to grow the company. 

In addition to the new leadership, Dark Horse has promoted several employees internally to senior roles including: Mark Bernardi, who has been promoted to Vice President of Publishing Sales, Daniel Chabon, who has been elevated to Executive Editor, and Samantha Garcia who has been promoted to Director of Marketing. 

Dark Horse also welcomes publishing industry veteran Kevin Callahan who has signed on as the new Vice President of Marketing.

Callahan’s role as Vice President of Marketing, in addition to Bernardi’s promotion to Vice President of Publishing Sales, reinforces a move towards better focus in the Marketing, Advertising, and Sales strategies within Dark Horse Media that began with the hiring of Stuart Schreck as Director of Sales in late 2025. The reinforcement of support for direct market business, in addition to large-scale, global retailers and the impact they have on publishing, products, and entertainment, is a key focus for Dark Horse moving forward, reflected in the internal promotions and acquisition of key industry talent.

Tim Wiesch

Tim Wiesch: Head of Publishing & Business Development

As Head of Publishing & Business Development Wiesch will oversee Editorial, Licensing, Entertainment and Games, as well as Product and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) operations. Wiesch has been Vice President of Licensing at Dark Horse for over 5 years, spending the past two decades negotiating deals in the entertainment space across a vast array of mediums and properties. After starting his career at Dark Horse Comics in sales and international licensing, Wiesch also spent time in licensing at Mondo and the Alamo Draft House Cinemas. In addition to the comics creators and industry relationships he’s developed over the years, he’s also been a passionate advocate for creators rights and expanding our footprint to include tabletop gaming, tie-ins with nostalgic brands, musicians and more. His return to Dark Horse and promotion to Head of Publishing demonstrate his passion for the longevity and excitement for everything we do. 

Vanessa Todd-Holmes

Vanessa Todd-Holmes: Head of Publishing Operations

As Head of Publishing Operations, Todd-Holmes will oversee the integrated efforts of the Design, Production, Sales, and Marketing teams. She brings two decades of book publishing experience to the role, including over a decade dedicated as Vice President of Design and Production at Dark Horse Comics, where her direction and love for the industry have touched nearly every item we publish. Her career includes roles at Phaidon Press in both London and New York. By uniting creative vision with strategic commercial execution, Todd-Holmes is uniquely positioned to grow Dark Horse’s publishing operations while maintaining the company’s signature standard of high-quality books and comics.

Melissa Teeman

Melissa Teeman: Head of Finance and Administration

As Head of Finance and Administration, Melissa will lead the company’s financial strategy and oversee accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and administrative operations. Since joining Dark Horse as Vice President of Finance, Teeman has played a key role in strengthening the company’s financial planning processes and guiding budget strategy through a period of significant industry evolution. Bringing over 20 years of experience in the financial industry to the role, Teeman brings extensive expertise in financial management, strategic planning, internal controls, and organizational leadership. In her expanded role, Teeman will continue to build the strong financial foundation, systems, and processes that will support and position Dark Horse for long-term success, while ensuring the company is well prepared to seize new opportunities as we enter the next 40 years of our story.

Kevin Callahan

Kevin Callahan: Vice President of Marketing

Accepting the position of Vice President of Marketing, Kevin Callahan will lead our marketing strategy across its portfolio of books, comics, digital content, collectibles, and consumer products, driving audience growth, fan engagement, and direct-to-consumer initiatives. Callahan brings more than two decades of book publishing experience spanning popular culture, entertainment, comic arts, collectibles, and licensed publishing. Most recently, he served as Senior Director of Marketing and Publicity at Insight Editions. Previously, he was Associate Publisher of Dey Street Books at HarperCollins and held editorial, marketing, and leadership roles at HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Other Press, ABRAMS, and Abrams ComicArts.

Samantha Garcia

Samantha Garcia: Director of Marketing

As Director of Marketing, Garcia will oversee the marketing team in conjunction with the new VP of Marketing, Kevin Callahan. Garcia has been with Dark Horse for just over two years at the helm of Dark Horse Social Media and Digital Advertising. She brings a wealth of expertise to the team from her previous roles at Activision Blizzard and Disney Interactive and recently earned her Master of Communication Management from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Having already helped shape and grow the social presence of the company, Garcia is poised to accelerate the ambitious goals of the company and reach new audiences through creative and research-based campaigns.

Mark Bernardi

Mark Bernardi: Vice President of Publishing Sales

Expanding his previous role as Vice President of Book Trade & Digital Sales, Mark 

Bernardi has been promoted to Vice President of Publishing Sales, overseeing both Book Market and Direct Market sales. Bernardi is a 30-year Dark Horse veteran with extensive experience in executing distribution strategies and cultivating vital sales relationships. Having been a foundational pillar of Dark Horse’s sales operations for three decades, Bernardi brings unparalleled industry insight that ensures that Dark Horse’s diverse catalog will continue to reach and inspire readers worldwide.

Daniel Chabon

Daniel Chabon: Executive Editor

As Executive Editor, Daniel Chabon will work closely with Dark Horse’s Head of Publishing & Business Development and Editor-in-Chief to help shape our comic publishing program, with a continued and strong focus on creator-owned comics and original graphic novels. With nearly two decades of editorial experience at Dark Horse, Chabon has helped bring in some of the company’s most acclaimed creator-owned publishing programs to print while also collaborating with licensing partners including Mattel, CD Projekt Red, and more.

Stuart Schreck

Stuart Schreck: Director of Sales

Stuart Schreck has recently taken on the Director of Sales role at Dark Horse Comics with a particular focus on Direct Market retailer support and growth. Previously, Stuart worked at Diamond Comics Distributors in Purchasing from 2021 through 2025, where he was the Marvel Comics Brand Manager and led a team to work with Penguin Random House. He worked at DC Comics from 1999 to 2021 in Sales, where he built his relationship with comic shops. He has been reading comics since the early 80s, and after college, he managed Comic Attitudes, a comic book store on Staten Island, NY, in the late 90’s. Stuart is a big supporter of the Direct Market and has a long and positive relationship with the Comic Retailer Community. In his time with Dark Horse so far, he has already proven instrumental in strengthening our relationship with Comic Stores and their customers.

Ignition Press adds Max Marcil and Ian Shaughnessy to its team

Posted on by

Ignition Press has announced it has expanded its team with new key hires ahead of Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC). Max Marcil has joined as Senior Designer and Ian Shaughnessy has joined the company as Editor as of June.

Max Marcil joined Ignition Press as a Senior Designer in May and in his new role will support the Marketing and Editorial teams alongside Art Director Scott Newman. Max started his career in comics as the first creative team hire at Tapas Media. Max has provided series logos, book cover designs, animations, web designs, marketing graphics, and more to partners in comics and beyond. He’s worked with Skybound, StoryGrounds, and Kodama Tales, and has been a consistent backstage collaborator of prominent fantasy author TurtleMe, best known for The Beginning After The End, alongside many former Tapas colleagues. Max is looking forward to using his broad skillset to help push Ignition Press to new heights.

Ian Shaughnessy is beyond excited to join Ignition Press as Editor, reporting to Senior Editor Maggie Howell. He previously worked with Editor-in-Chief Jamie S. Rich during Rich’s tenure as Editor-in-Chief at Oni Press, which makes this a special full-circle moment for him. He’s thrilled to be working with Rich, Howell, Assistant Editor Nora Ornstein, and the rest of the publishing team on many of their upcoming projects. An academically trained expert in narrative particularly those by queer and marginalized storytellers—he cannot wait to further Ignition’s mission of getting quality stories by diverse creators in readers’ hands!

Marcil and Shaughnessy are the latest hires for Ignition Press after the company added Daniel Crary (Director of Sales), Steph Hocutt (Marketing Manager), Nicki Naff (Operations Manager), Nora Ornstein (Assistant Editor), and Taylor Stone (Executive Assistant) last year.

Minions & Monsters takes the Weekend Box Office as Supergirl sees a Sharp Drop

Posted on by
Minions & Monsters

Minions & Monsters was the top of the weekend box office, grossing $36.4 million domestically. The film opened earlier in the week and so far has grossed an estimated $61.4 million in its first half week. Internationally, the movie has grossed $98.4 million for a worldwide total of $159.9 million.

Minions debuted in 2015, spinning out of Despicable Me, and opened with $115.7 million domestically and went on to gross $1.159 billion. Minions: The Rise of Gru was released in 2022 with a $107 million domestic opening and grossing $940.4 million worldwide.

This film’s opening is a sharp drop from both of those and there could be multiple factors to the poor opening. The holiday weekend was the 250th birthday of the US making it an extra special July 4th that might have had families more focused on the holiday, it could be economic issues, or it could be the property having just lost interest. It could also be a combo of all of that.

Toy Story 5 dropped to second place with $31 million lifting its domestic gross to $366.3 million. Internationally, the movie grossed $110.2 million over the week to bring that total to $398 million. Worldwide, the gross is $764.3 million.

Young Washington debuted with $20.8 million domestically and no international return.

Supergirl dropped to fourth place from second the previous week. It grossed an estimated $9.6 million which was a 74.1% drop from the previous week. Blockbusters tend to have large drops but they tend to be 60% to 65% with 70% being the higher end of things, so 74.1% is extreme for this type of film. Domestically, the movie has grossed $58.5 million. Internationally, the movie grossed $12 million over a week to bring that up to $42 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $100.5 million after two weeks.

Disclosure Day remained in fifth place with $6 million to bring its domestic gross to $105.3 million. Over the week, it grossed $10.9 million internationally which is now $111.2 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $216.6 million.

In comic related movies…

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu grossed an estimated $600,000 over the weekend to bring its domestic gross to $176.8 million. Internationally, the movie gained about $2.2 million to bring that to $152.2 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $329 million after five weeks. The film will wind up slight short of Solo: A Star Wars Story was when it ended its run.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity added $177,073 to its domestic gross which is $4.3 million. Internationally, the movie has grossed $555,707 which makes $4.8 million worldwide.

Masters of the Universe grossed $1.3 million domestically which is now $63.2 million and has also grossed $47.4 million internationally for $110.5 million worldwide.

Numbers have 56 movies grossing $117,685,327 from 30,197 theaters for an average of $3,897.25. That is compared to last week’s 61 movies grossing $156,243,872 from 33,042 theaters for an average of $4,728.65.

Ink Alliance brings together 10 Black-Owned Comic Shops for a Shared Vision

Posted on by

Comic shops coming together, working to benefit each other isn’t a new concept. There’s organizations, there’s just general friendliness, we’ve see shops work together for exclusive variants. Ink Alliance is the newest entry in that concept, bringing together ten black-owned comic shops with a shared vision.

The shops have come together to show what collaboration can do over competition. Their goal is to expand their opportunities and strengthen their communities.

Initial Ink Alliance Retailers include:

It’s a spread out group of retailers across the US.

As part of their launch, Ink Alliance have revealed a retailer-exclusive variant cover for New Titans #38 which will be limited to 1,000 copies. It celebrates Virgil Hawkins/Static’s return to the DC Universe and joining the Titans. The variant is by Eisner-winning artist Sanford Greene and features Static and Cyborg.

The variant cover will be exclusively available at participating shops starting August 19.

New Titans #38 Sanford Greene variant cover

British Government Likely to Challenge Paramount Skydance’s Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery

Posted on by
Warner Bros.

At least one government is stepping up and doing their job as the British government said it will likely challenge Paramount Skydance‘s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. In early June, Trump’s Department of Justice approved the merger saying it would “not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.” The British government might be coming to a different conclusion.

British culture minister Lisa Nandy said she was “minded to intervene.” In the full statement, Nandy said:

Following engagement with the parties and independent research, my Department has today written to the current and proposed owners of Warner Bros Discovery on my behalf to inform them that I am minded to intervene.

“Minded to” means the government will make a move before legal steps are done. The companies can now respond.

Nandy’s concerns are the consolidation of news media as well as consolidation of control of media enterprises.

If the deal goes through, Paramount Skydance would take over Warner Bros. Studios, CNN, DC Comics, and more. They already control CBS, CBS News, and the Ellisons (who control Paramount Skydance) have a large investment in TikTok which is a popular platform for news.

While the United States federal government has abdicated its role in protecting consumers and competition, a coalition of state attorneys general have stated they believe the Trump administration is failing to enforce antitrust laws and may take action themselves. There are also regulatory concerns over the amount of foreign investment in the deal.

Paramount Skydance wants the deal to close before September 1, 2026 or the cost will increase the longer it drags on. The price increases 25 cents per share per quarter it’s not approved. That would add $627 million to the cost of the overall deal each quarter, or roughly $7 million per day.

The British investigation, and others, could add months before the deal is finally approved, if it is.

Ad Populum purchases Toys ‘R’ Us Canada

Posted on by

A court has approved a sale of Toys ‘R’ Us Canada which would split up the business across three transactions. The move is part of the company’s restructuring, a similar process to Chapter 11.

The IP and trademark will be sold to Ad Populum, the company that was part of the purchase of Diamond Comic Distributors, and owns NECA, Diamond Select Toys, Gentle Giant, Party City, KidRobot, WizKids, and Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Joel Weinshanker and Ad Populum seem to focus on these sort of purchases in their corporate expansion. Diamond and all of its assets, as an example, as purchased as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The purchase of Diamond by Ad Populum, with a new entity dubbed Sparkle Pop, has been a mess spinning off into dozens of lawsuits that has gone on for over a year.

Under the court-approved sale, trademarks including Toys “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, and Geoffrey the Giraffe will be controlled by Ad Populum, but only in Canada. WHP Global owns and manages the Toys ‘R’ Us brand and the IP in the U.S. and worldwide.

The second part of the sale features Fox Group Jumbo Canada Inc. and it acquiring the lease for a store at Vaughan Mills near Toronto. That’ll turn into a Jumbo store.

The third part of the transaction features 10 locations and operating assets going to 2625229 Ontario Inc. That company is headed by Doug Putman who heads Putman Investments which currently owns Toys ‘R’ Us Canada which they acquired in 2021. They’ll have the license to operate Toys ‘R’ Us Canada until January, at which point they’d need to get a new licensing agreement from Ad Populum or rebrand the stores.

Loading Viewer…

Toy Story 5 Holds on to First while Supergirl Struggles to Take Flight

Posted on by
Toy Story 5

Toy Story 5 held on to first at the weekend box office with an estimated $70 million, a 56.20% drop from the previous weekend. That percentage drop is pretty solid as blockbusters can often see drops well over 60%. Domestically, the film has grossed $297.2 million. Internationally, the movie added $137.8 million over the week to bring that to $287.8 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed a little over $585 million after two weeks.

Supergirl had a rough debut with $38 million domestically and $30 million internationally for $68 million worldwide. The movie had estimates believing it’d open around $50 million domestically. It’s a rough second outing for the new DC Studios whose debut reboot film Superman opened with $125 million in 2025. Supergirl’s domestic opening is even below the much maligned comic based film Morbius which grossed $39 million in 2022.

The movie has taken a beating from rightwing clickbait reactionaries online which began well before the film’s debut. DC Studios likely knew there might be issues as it held early screenings for general audiences in hopes it’d build word of mouth. The film has a 55% critic review and 76% from audiences on Rottentomatoes so it’s not one audiences are overwhelmingly behind that potentially gives it legs. It’s hard to say what will happen to the film and if it’ll cause an adjustment to DC Studios’ plans or if it might cause potential new owners Paramount Skydance to rethink the strategy and leadership. Most likely, the film will be rushed through theaters and moved to streaming in an accelerated time frame. As a whole, there may be some shine that has rubbed off of comic based films, or blockbusters in general, with the “must see” attitude finally ending. With a new Spider-Man film and Avengers still coming, we’ll see how they fare to really determine if the gravy train has ended.

In third place was Obsession which added $9.8 million to its domestic gross which is $233.9 million. Internationally, it grossed $18.8 million over the week and stands at $136.2 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $370.1 million.

Jackass: Best and Last debuted in fourth place with $8.4 domestically and $1.9 internationally for $10.3 million worldwide. That’s rough for the property which last saw a film released in 2022. The first movie debuted in 2002 with $22.8 million which was the lowest domestic debut for the franchise. Based on that opening, this will likely really be the last for the franchise.

Disclosure Day rounded out the top five dropping from second place last week. The movie grossed $8.1 million to bring its domestic gross to $94.4 million. Internationally, it grossed $6 million and overall it has grossed $99.3 million there after two weeks. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $193.7 million.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity opened in eighth with $3 million domestically and no international gross reported.

In comic related movies…

Masters of the Universe grossed $2.2 million domestically where it now stands at $61.9 million domestically and has also grossed $47.4 million internationally for $109.3 million worldwide.

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu grossed an estimated $1.6 million over the weekend to bring its domestic gross to $175.3 million. Internationally, the movie remained at $150 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $325.3 million after five weeks. The film will wind up slight short of Solo: A Star Wars Story was when it ended its run.

Numbers have 61 movies grossing $156,243,872 from 33,042 theaters for an average of $4,728.65. That is compared to last week’s 59 movies grossing $231,676,415 from 31,200 theaters for an average of $7,425.53.

« Older Entries Recent Entries »