Green Ronin Publishing launches a GoFundMe to Take on Diamond
On June 25, 2025, Diamond Comic Distributors submitted a motion for the “sale or other disposition of consigned inventory.” After Diamond’s sale of the majority of its assets to Universal Distribution and Ad Populum/Sparkle Pop, (old) Diamond still has a “significant inventory” that was sent on a consignment basis.
(Old) Diamond is claiming the consignors (the sellers) haven’t followed the legal steps to establish a superior claim to their inventory. In short, the publishers (owners of the product) haven’t done what’s require by law to protect their ownership rights. So now, (old) Diamond has to do something with all of that inventory.
So, (old) Diamond submitted a motion to approve their plan to market, sell, or dispose of the inventory to “minimize costs and maximize recoveries” and generate the “best result for the estates.” It is assumed that money raised from the sale would go towards paying off money owed to JPMorgan Chase Bank which has provided loans to the company throughout the Chapter 11 process. So, instead of money going towards publishers, it’d likely go towards a bank. Yes, product publishers paid to print would go to help Diamond and publisher’s would possibly receive nothing.
Those who want to object to the motion have until July 16, 2025 to do so in writing and file it with the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court (Objections to the Motion must be in writing and filed with the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court, 101 West Lombard Street, Suite 8530, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, on or before July 16, 2025; and be served so as to be received on or before the Objection Deadline by the undersigned counsel for the Debtors.). The hearing on the motion is being held on July 21.
So far, TwoMorrows Publishing, Magma Comix, and Graphitti Designs have submitted objections to the plan. But, legal fights require money.
Green Ronin Publishing has launched a GoFundMe to help with their legal fight. From their fundraising page:
This is a dire financial threat to our company, not just today, but well into the future. We must secure legal representation immediately before the deadline to do so passes.
While there is no “good” time for someone to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of your property to sell for the benefit of their biggest creditors, it is especially challenging given that Gen Con is weeks away. Gen Con is not just a convention for us, it’s our most important annual event for connecting with TTRPG enthusiasts, our business partners, and our community, and this year is no exception. We’re launching new products and have already committed significant funds to cover everything from booth space, travel (flights, rooms), and most critically, the production of new books and merchandise specifically for the show floor.
Diamond’s bankruptcy and this legal action also mean that Green Ronin has lost its book trade distributor. We are looking for a new partner, but that will take some time. Book trade sales of literary licenses, currently The Fifth Season and The Expanse, are a key part of our strategies for those games. This is especially bad timing for The Fifth Season RPG because we recently received final approvals from N.K. Jemisin and the game is ready to go to print.
We simply don’t have the cash on hand to do all of this, pay for an attorney, or participate in any collective legal actions with other publishers in our same position.
The banks are stopping at nothing to wring every last dollar out of Diamond – including taking several hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Green Ronin product to sell in order to pay Diamond’s debts – but they can’t do that, and we’ve got a legal agreement that says as much. Now, we just need to secure a law firm to represent us in the courts.
The funds raised through this campaign will be used directly to cover the escalating legal fees associated with fighting Diamond’s claim in bankruptcy court. This includes attorney retainers, court filing fees, and the costs of pursuing every possible avenue to recover our inventory and protect Green Ronin’s assets.
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