In early January, Diamond Comic Distributors declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has until April 1 before drastic actions might take place. The announcement created shockwaves throughout the industry as Diamond, who was once the dominating distribution force, is also the one major distributor who will handle the smaller publishers. The announcement has lifted the curtain that Diamond has not been paying publishers money owed leaving many in precarious positions.

Black Panel Press has launched a crowdfunding effort to fill the gap and has paused releases. American Mythology has announced their situation is tenuous and they have been rebuffed by other distributors. Massive Publishing has ended its exclusive partnership with Diamond.

There’s now more announcements from various publishers who have either paused their relationship with Diamond and/or going brand new routes for distribution.

Brian Pulido‘s Coffin Comics was already heavily involved with direct to consumer distribution with wildly successful crowdfunding and existing efforts selling directly consumers has announced they’re pulling orders from Diamond. They will now be going completely direct to consumer and selling wholesale.

Following Diamond Comic Distributors’ recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Coffin Comics is adapting to ensure fans and retailers can still enjoy our titles without interruption. Effective immediately, Coffin Comics will no longer fulfill purchase orders for Lady Gunfighter through Diamond. Instead, we are excited to launch a direct-to-consumer and wholesale solution to make Lady Gunfighter books previously purchased at local comic book shops accessible to our loyal supporters and retail partners.

Fans who previously placed an order for Lady Gunfighter with their local comic shop and wish to secure their books can now choose between two options. First, encourage your local comic book shop to set up a wholesale account with Coffin Comics. Comic shops can set up a wholesale account directly with Coffin Comics, allowing them to receive their orders in time for the anticipated in-store date of February 19. To qualify, wholesale orders must be placed by February 6, with shipping to begin on February 10. 

The second option is to order Lady Gunfighter: Desolation #1 directly through Coffin Comics, and we will ship your order directly to your door. 

As a courtesy, Coffin Comics is offering free shipping on wholesale orders to ease this transition. Coffin Comics is fiercely dedicated to our loyal fans and local comic book shops and wants to do everything we can to support them through this process. For more information or assistance in setting up a wholesale account, visit our information page.

Antarctic Press‘ publisher/owner Joeming Dunn posted online that they are taking steps to shut down creator-owned and anthology titles while the comics owned by them will continue.

I wish I had better news to report but apparently based on a recent news article, unless Diamond can find a buyer by APRIL 1 it will cease operations. Therefore AP has to make the hard choice to put a freeze on all anthologies and creator owned titles as of February 1. This will effect any comics not already solicited. Those that are solicited may come out depending on the Diamond situation as AP will continue to ship comics to them that already in the pipeline (i.e. already printed and/or shipping). It is a heavy heart to write this as AP has the best creators but the reality is that we cannot sustain our current business model due to unforeseen circumstances. Rest assure that any royalty payments owed will be paid in a timely fashion. The only exception to this freeze rule are any projects that are controlled by AP. This includes any projects that involve NINJA HIGH SCHOOL, TOMORROW GIRL, PENGUINA, TIGER-X, HEAVEN SENT, SILVER CROSS, MIGHT TINY etc. or owned by ANTARCTIC PRESS. If you want to present projects concerning these properties please contact me at ——. We have plans to assure the continued existence of AP with a major announcement after San Diego Comic Con. I know things are in major flux right now. If things change I will certainly let everyone know. If you have any questions feel free to DM me and I will try to answer them as best I can. Thanks to all our readers and fans as we go through this trying time. Your support means the world to us.

This week Mad Cave Studios announced an exclusive distribution partnership with Lunar Distribution in which they took some shots at Diamond.

Mad Cave Studios, a leading publisher of graphic novels and comics, is proud to announce an exclusive partnership with Lunar Distribution for the direct market. This strategic move aims to enhance service reliability and support for retailers while ensuring seamless delivery of our titles to fans worldwide. It will apply to all Mad Cave Studios imprints, including Papercutz, Maverick, and Nakama Press.

Lunar Distribution’s proven track record of on-time deliveries, exceptional retailer support, and commitment to excellence make them the ideal partner for Mad Cave Studios.

BOOM Studios which was already planning on moving to Penguin Random House, their new owner, for distribution has accelerated that move and it will take place April 1 instead of the previously announced July 1. BOOM! Vice President of Sales Josh Hayes announced:

I’m writing to you today about some very important developments on the distribution landscape and how they impact BOOM! Studios.  While we had previously announced the departure by BOOM! Studios from Diamond Comic Distributors effective July 1st, in light of recent industry developments, we have made the decision to accelerate the timeline for the transition of our Direct Market distribution to Penguin Random House to be effective April 1st, 2025.  This will ensure that we can best support our retail partners and help you weather these market changes.  We appreciate the many years of support from Diamond, and we greatly appreciate all that they’ve done for us over the years.

As with any change, there may be challenges, but we feel this change is necessary and vital, so we urge patience along the way as we work toward this solution.  In order to minimize the disruption, we will continue to offer our products in Diamond Previews, and will be available via Diamond in the same manner other PRH-distributed publishers are.  We are currently working very closely with the PRH Comics team to align our schedules, and will have an update for you very soon about what those changes entail. 

There’s still numerous publishers who have yet to speak out including Dynamite, DSTLRY, Titan, Archie, Ablaze, Zenescope, Alien/Valiant, and more. Remaining major distributors have shown little interest in smaller publishers leaving their future up in the air and an unknown future landscape to navigate.