And now...the end is near..

[Blue Meanie]

Diamond going under would be the best thing for the comic industry. They've been a Monopoly for all these years...I wouldn't be sad if they went under. They dictate to all the comic shop and hold them hostage with some of their policies and alocation BS on certain items. They also "screwed the pooch" when it came to the DC Direct Toys. They've been selling out the "backdoor" for at least the last 2 - 3 years. I was finding DC Direct Toys, which were SUPPOSED to be exclusive to comic stores, at National Wholesale Liquidators for the last 2 - 3 years. Diamonds price on DC direct...anywhere from 10 - 15 bucks each...National Wholesale Liquidators price $5. If I had a comic store or ran a comic store that carried that stuff I would be freakin angry. Good Bye and Good Riddance. Bring back the days of multiple distributors. Little competition never hurt.

[kingdom warrior]

Diamond going under would be the best thing for the comic industry. They've been a Monopoly for all these years...I wouldn't be sad if they went under. They dictate to all the comic shop and hold them hostage with some of their policies and alocation BS on certain items. They also "screwed the pooch" when it came to the DC Direct Toys. They've been selling out the "backdoor" for at least the last 2 - 3 years. I was finding DC Direct Toys, which were SUPPOSED to be exclusive to comic stores, at National Wholesale Liquidators for the last 2 - 3 years. Diamonds price on DC direct...anywhere from 10 - 15 bucks each...National Wholesale Liquidators price $5. If I had a comic store or ran a comic store that carried that stuff I would be freakin angry. Good Bye and Good Riddance. Bring back the days of multiple distributors. Little competition never hurt.

AMEN!!!!!!!

[Captain]

I third the motion!!


Funny you mention the "out the backdoor" thing. I know of a couple of comic publishers who recently had stuff go "missing" from Diamonds all new hi-tech warehouse. In both cases, Diamond tried to blame the publishers for not sending the material in the first place. In one case, they still had the signed way bill proving Diamond had received the shipment. Diamond ended up paying them...albeit late...and the missing books showed up in the stores.
In the second case, one of the owners of the company threw in the towel and decided it was better to not poke the bear. Later,on a trip to his local comic shop he sees books from the "missing" shipment sitting on the racks. after a few quick checks around town, he finds everybody did receive the books...just very late. Dude calls up Diamond, and they proceed to deny they ever received anything, and refuse to pay him for the shipment. He promptly couriers a few copies to his agent at Diamond, including bills of sale from the shops..and photos of the books on the rack, and a few days later gets a call saying "Guess what? We found your books and are shipping them asap!". .....Bunch a crooks!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I discovered Shooting Star Comics through The Hutch here in Rochester. Excellent stuff! What a loss. Remind me, which character(s) did you work on, again? They all were my favorites! I have a special place for Golden Hornet and Nick Landime (nickle and dime, get it?) Great stuff!

Ah, the Hutch! I had many long conversations with him on Chuck Dixon's old board.

I did a few one-shot stories before Scott Hileman and I started up Yankee Doodle. Unfortunately, thanks to Diamond's minimum ordering policy changes, YD only saw publication in two comics, one a convention-only comic.

Chris

[Airdave817]

I started up Yankee Doodle. Unfortunately, thanks to Diamond's minimum ordering policy changes, YD only saw publication in two comics, one a convention-only comic.

Chris

We'll have to hook up at the next con - in Chicago next April? I will be looking for some Yankee Doodle books and sketches!

Yankee Doodle rocks!

[samurainoir]

A question for the old school comic store guys... did stores generally put their orders through multiple distributers carrying different product, or did they mostly stick with one distributer?

Were distributers distinguished by product or region or some combination of both? ie) if you were say an old school Head Shop, would you go with a certain distributer for Counter Culture type underground comix stuff? If you operated your store in a certain part of the country, would you have to go through a specific distributer for your Marvel or DC?

I know some distributers who dabbled with publishing. Were the comics they produced exclusive to their own distribution business? ie) Capital Comics... could you only get Nexus and Badger though Capital distributers?

[ctc]

>did stores generally put their orders through multiple distributers carrying different product, or did they mostly stick with one distributer?

I think it dependa on the time period: at the beginning of the 80's a lot of stores dealt with multiple distributors 'cos it was often the only way to get the books the customers wanted. The number (around here, anyhoo) wasn't high; typically one main one, with two or three others. By the late 80's it was all Marvel/DC so it was easy to go by one distributor.

Don C.

[Blue Meanie]

Here are names of a few distributors my comic book shop went through from about 1979 - whenever Diamond became a monopoly:

Seagate
Forman and Wang
Westfield (I think that was their name)

There were 2 others that I can't remember their names. I do remember my comic shop getting stuff like Cerebus and Captain Cannuck...but I don't know if he had to go through the other distributors at the time to get those titles.

[samurainoir]

>did stores generally put their orders through multiple distributers carrying different product, or did they mostly stick with one distributer?

I think it dependa on the time period: at the beginning of the 80's a lot of stores dealt with multiple distributors 'cos it was often the only way to get the books the customers wanted. The number (around here, anyhoo) wasn't high; typically one main one, with two or three others. By the late 80's it was all Marvel/DC so it was easy to go by one distributor.

Don C.

Was that more as a reaction to the Black and White glut following the success of the Turtles? Although I guess Comico's implosion was their own folly in newstand distribution. Eclipse as well were arguably the architects of their own demise.

It was also around that time that Dark Horse carved out their own niche for themselves with their media-tie-in books in addition to their more home-grown indy stuff. Malibu/Adventure/Aircel managed to eek out some SciFi/Fantasy/Noir of varying quality supplemented by Porn of varying quality. Fantagraphics also saved itself and it's highbrow art comics through Porn.

Tundra is it's own can of worms that took down Kitchen Sink.

And Then Came Image! It was the Best of Times and The Worst of Times.

Am I forgetting anyone else between the B&W Glut and the Post-Image Glut that led into the Heroes World debacle? Not sure there were any other Major Minor Players other than Personilty/Rock N Roll Comics, but they had their own distribution for the most part in alternate markets catering to Rock and Music memorabilia.

[thunderbolt]

The Image/3D holofoil polybagged glut of the 90's was the beginning of the end for comics.

[Riffster]

^ I agree, not too mention when Home Shopping network started selling those and all the valiants for outragous prices

[ctc]

>Was that more as a reaction to the Black and White glut following the success of the Turtles?

I think that ws part of it; but I think part of it was Marvel and DC insinuating their tentacles into the comic shops. The shops could take a chance on an unknown book, or go for the sure sales with the mainstream ones. And as the selection of independants dwindled the mainstreams moved in.

It all started BEFORE the glut with them "comic shop only" lines and "baxter paper" series Marvel and DC put out. But the glut ended it.

>It was also around that time that Dark Horse carved out their own niche for themselves with their media-tie-in books in addition to their more home-grown indy stuff.

Yeah. It was the tie-ins that did it 'cos a shop owner would recognize the name. "Aliens" was a no-brainer.

>Fantagraphics also saved itself and it's highbrow art comics through Porn.

Fantagraphics did okay 'cos they took over catering to the pre-bust comic shop crowd; folks who cared more about classic series than the latest Batman/Lobo/X-Men series. I think most of their stuff now is compilations.

>And Then Came Image! It was the Best of Times and The Worst of Times.

HAW! I've always said that Image ruined the comic industry; but not due to themselves. They made a LOT of money in a hurry, and everyone else who wanted to do so ended up producing endless numbers of Image clones. By the late 90's when someone wanted somethign OTHER than Image you had Vertigo, or nothing. Hence the implosion.

>Am I forgetting anyone else between the B&W Glut and the Post-Image Glut that led into the Heroes World debacle?

I don't think so. I think the Heroes World thing was ther nail in the coffin of the Image boom: with dwindling sales Marvel and DC wanted to shore up distirbution; and thus eliminate another middleman and establish a new line of income for themselves.

Don C.