Story This could be a big deal, but I'm not sure on account of I'm dumb.
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Story This could be a big deal, but I'm not sure on account of I'm dumb.
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Pretty good question: is it significant?
I think it is, but I also think that it is a positive change overall while also being an indication of how physical distribution of print comics is both less central and very different than it used to be in the mid-1990s. Probably also of how that distribution has shifted decisively from direct market specialty stores that sold mostly "floppies" and back issues to bookstores that sell comics almost exclusively in the forms of trade paperbacks (including manga tankobon volumes) and hardbacks. And, perhaps, of how Diamond itself apparently has shifted its focus from comics proper to mostly merchandise with some "geek" flavor.
Those are probably nearly unavoidable changes, all things considered. There isn't a whole lot of market for the most traditional forms of comics these days. Publishers, stores and distributors all have good reasons to focus on products that are not expected to be discarded with little ceremony just a few short months after being made available. There aren't too many clear reasons for publishers to avoid publishing their monthly issues mostly in digital form and leaving print mostly for books with more of a shelf life, higher price tags and less distribution challenges. This piece of news is an example of that trend asserting itself.
I'm an old geezer, and I still prefer reading comics the way I have for nearly half a century, but I understand that things change whether we want them to or not. I have to admit that this is something that I did not see coming, however.
Luis Olavo de Moura Dantas said:
IIRC, DC comics are distributed by two companies, one being Diamond and the other being (as has been said) a competing retailer whose name escapes me. Penguin Random House already had Marvel; I believe exclusively. I'm not sure how many titles Dark Horse has, but it's more pain for Diamond.
I hear you, Baron. I still miss the beige paper of the 1980s, its peculiar texture and smell, and letter columns.
I just saw this thread, and I'm sorry I haven't been posting on this subject already. But the upshot is: Yes, it is a big deal, but no, it doesn't really affect readers directly. So far.
What is happening is that distribution is splintering. It's happened before, with terrible consequences.
Back in 1957, Martin Goodman decided to fold his self-distribution (Atlas Comics) and go with American Distribution Inc., to save money. Which worked fine for a few months, until American suddenly went into Chapter 11, and Goodman was forced to go hat in hand to the only remaining national comics distributor: The one owned by DC Comics. We all know how that worked out.
Then in 1978, the direct market came into play (largely because the old magazine distribution system wasn't making money for anybody). For a while there was panic, and serious cost-cutting moves (DC implosion, Marvel's plastic press plates) that in the end weren't necessary.
Then in 1994 Marvel tried to self-distribute as "Heroes World," and threw the distribution world into a freefall, when Marvel, the No. 1 publisher in North America, retracted all its business from every other distributor. The upshot of that was every distribution company in North America, including Heroes World, went out of business -- except for Diamond. And Diamond has had a monopoly ever since.
Then last year, DC went to Lunar Distribution (and two other firms that are no longer part of the conversation), and to Tuesdays. The sky was gonna fall again, all the pundits said: "Big mistake, DC!"
Actually, though, it was Diamond that took it on the chin. Every retailer in America hated them, because they were so unresponsive to complaints, so slow to re-send damaged books, so often under-shipping ... you know, typical monopoly attitude. When Lunar offered publishers an option, and then Penguin Random House followed suit (with much better reach, and after a few shaky months, better protected comics), just about everybody jumped ship.
Right now, Lunar's stable includes DC Comics, Oni Press, Vault Press and Scout Comics, plus some tiny guys like Uncivilized Comics, Merc Publishing, Zeus Comics and Silver Sprocket.
PRH ships Marvel Comics, Dark Horse and IDW Publishing, plus small press like Vertical, Steamship and Quirk.
Most of this isn't exclusive, mind you -- retailers can still order most of this stuff from Diamond if they want to. But it becomes a question of how many ways you want to split your order, how many phone calls you want to make, how many order sheets you want to fill out, and so forth. My own LCS, for example, does the bulk of their ordering through PRH, uses Lunar for DC, and doesn't order from Diamond much at all.
Which may be unique to them, but it's an interesting data point: Sure, they slimmed down as much as they could, using two distributors that gave them the bulk of what their customers wanted, instead of three or four. But they could still get most of it through Diamond, and don't -- because they've spent years getting burned by Diamond, and are happy to part ways. PRH, they tell me, is a much more professional and dependable outfit.
Anyway, the distribution chain is really competitive now, which is probably good for prices and customer service for the retailer. But it's also a pain in the neck for the retailer, who used to make one order a month to exactly one company and deal with that one company until the order was complete. Now they have to deal with several. And there are the endless supply-chain issues.
And it looks good for publishers, from my completely blind perspective. I mean, when was the last time we had all these tiny, grass-roots publishers selling books where you and I could order them? Late '80s? I can't say it's the result of distribution wars, but the coincidence is hard to ignore. I have to think that tiny, two-man studios are finally able to negotiate an affordable deal for their Self-Gratification Comics #1 now, with all those distributors competing for their business. But, I caution, I don't know this for sure.
And how does that shake out for us, the readers? So far, I don't see any difference. Prices haven't changed. Availability of the books hasn't changed. Most of this is, in fact, invisible to us.
Maybe down the road there will be another awful collapse, like in 1957, 1978 or 1994. In fact, some kind of shakeout is probably inevitable. But so far, it's not our problem.
Great overview, Cap! Sadly, Dagwan is no longer with us to provide the retailer perspective. I must disagree that these changes haven't yet affected the reader, though; it does if he pre-orders what he buys (although nowhere near as much as it affects retailers).