For those concerned about their local comics shops

[samurainoir]

More than the decline of print and digital downloads, this is probably the biggest threat to the small business owner currently.
Steve Geppi Considered Bankruptcy In 2010 Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors

Diamond's monopoly puts the entire industry at risk given the fact that most comic stores I know rely solely on Diamond as their only supplier of product.

They also handle trade paperback distribution to book stores for many of the comic companies outside of the Big Two. With major book chains going out of business and resulting in mass returns and default payments, this is having a domino effect that is already begun.

All stemming from the Heroes World debacle of the nineties that put all the other distribution companies out of the game and Diamond as the sole distribution channel.

Digital might actually be the saving grace if Diamond does collapse under it's own weight... taking down most of the smaller comic book companies along with it.

[ctc]

>Diamond's monopoly puts the entire industry at risk given the fact that most comic stores I know rely solely on Diamond as their only supplier of product.

The 90's rerally were a weird time for the (then) mainstream comic companes. There seemed to be a prevalence of coccooning; in subject matter, audience and sales. Like they thought the then current boom was gonna last forever, and everybody wanted to be the ones steering the tsunami.

Don C.

[MIB41]

I've been saying for some time now that the days of having a local comic book shop will soon be little more than a nostalgic memory. Companies like DC and Marvel are publicly traded. And with Disney owning Marvel, they will not permit them to bleed under the weight of printing costs, when they can retain a majority of their customers from online transactions. Things like the Kindle are quickly becoming popular. I truly believe if comics are to remain a valid medium, this is where they are headed. It may not happen all at once, but once they start transitioning over, the days of comic book stores will be no more. In order for them to survive they will have to become essentially second hand stores for toys and comic related items from the past. And I doubt that is an exaggerated viewpoint by any stretch. That is just the sign of our times. Very sad too. I would like to to know more about Heroes World debacle. That's a story I am not familiar with.

[ctc]

>I truly believe if comics are to remain a valid medium, this is where they are headed.

To this end, I think you're right. I think one of the up-sides is that digital lets ALL KINDS of folks produce comics; and unlike the 80's B&W glut, they won't choke each other out. It helps keep the medium fresh, and allows for new audiences, and therefore new ideas.

>In order for them to survive they will have to become essentially second hand stores for toys and comic related items from the past.

I don't think this is wrong, but I don't think it's quite right. There's ALWAYS gonna be new toys, tie ins, and overpriced collectibles; and comic shops will cater to those items more than books. A lot of them here in town have been doing that for years; selling comics, rpgs, toys.... (hell; the Silver Snail's been doing that forever!) And those things aren't relics of a bygone era; they're still new and lively. You might not get your comics at a comic shop, but you'll probably get your gegaws there. They'll shift over to all-purpose nerd stores, which I think will ALSO be a good thing, since it'll provide more opportunity for cross polination amongst genres and mediums. And THAT'S a great thing; not just for sales, but because stuff like the superhero books can desperately use an infusion of new ideas, rather than watching the same tropes go around and around and around. "He's dead! He's back! He's dead! He's back!"

Don C.

[samurainoir]

In order for them to survive they will have to become essentially second hand stores for toys and comic related items from the past.

Which, oddly enough, is how most comic stores began in the first place back in the seventies, prior to the direct market giving them access to new product.

I would like to to know more about Heroes World debacle. That's a story I am not familiar with.

Short version: Marvel was being expanded and then gutted for short term shareholder profit by those who controlled the company at the time. Part of this was the purchase of Toy Biz, one of the card companies, Malibu Comics, and one of the major comic distributers to have their own channel for Marvel product. At the time there were perhaps 5(?) distribution companies of consequence.

Heroes World was the distribution company that Marvel bought. Most of the other companies were quick to sign with Diamond, and those that didn't, found themselves in trouble soon after. Marvel declared bankrupcy, and Heroes World went under, which brought Marvel over to Diamond as well.

For the full Marvel story, read Comic Wars.
Amazon.com: Comic Wars: How Two Tycoons Battled Over the Marvel Comics Empire--And Both Lost (9780767908306): Dan Raviv: Books

[Tothiro]

A while back the bank directed that payments go directly to them. I think Geppi and Diamond were already shorting payments. I think Diamond itself will continue, though you might see it bought out at liquidation prices by another company.

It's not just shipments that indie comic shops rely on as much as the credit system as well... If comic shops had to start paying cash up front or COD for shipments, you'd see a lot of them go under.

[samurainoir]

The 90's rerally were a weird time for the (then) mainstream comic companes. There seemed to be a prevalence of coccooning; in subject matter, audience and sales. Like they thought the then current boom was gonna last forever, and everybody wanted to be the ones steering the tsunami.

I agree wholeheartedly on this one Don. There was a real shortsightedness and lack of real diversity even compared to the decade preceding (B&W indie glut) and the decade following (manga glut).

Everyone wanted to be the next Image and Everyone was starting a new Superheroe universe for that million dollar payout.


It's exactly that lack of diversity and shortsightedness that will doom the small business owners of both your local comic book store and small press publisher if they don't take a more pro-active approach to what they sell and their type of customer base they are building.

Even the institution that is The Silver Snail appears to be in a bit of a precarious position if Diamond goes away. Particularly with the skyrocketing rent on Queen Street, new ownership and a proposed move to another part of town. It's one thing when Silver Snail's former sister company Andromeda was one of the former major distributer in Canada, but a quick look at their store shows that their major bread and butter is new Diamond product... especially all those statues and toys that other shops don't have the deep pockets to carry as floor inventory.

The reason why the Beguiling on the other hand does not fear the potential encrouchment by the Snail on their turf up by Bloor St is that they have created a diverse business model of product and customer that means they do not need Diamond to survive. The popularity of TCAF and the Scott Pilgrim launch is testament to that.

Of the comic stores I know that do not rely heavily on Diamond product, they are actually more of a Gamer hangout that also happens to sell comics. I'm sure they will survive based on whatever Gamer fad is in vogue or retro vogue at any given time amongst teens. Whether it's heroclicks or pokemon or Magic or D&D or whatever is the latest.

[thunderbolt]

Probably see more independents go to print on demand sites, too.

[MIB41]

Short version: Marvel was being expanded and then gutted for short term shareholder profit by those who controlled the company at the time. Part of this was the purchase of Toy Biz, one of the card companies, Malibu Comics, and one of the major comic distributers to have their own channel for Marvel product. At the time there were perhaps 5(?) distribution companies of consequence.

Heroes World was the distribution company that Marvel bought. Most of the other companies were quick to sign with Diamond, and those that didn't, found themselves in trouble soon after. Marvel declared bankrupcy, and Heroes World went under, which brought Marvel over to Diamond as well.

For the full Marvel story, read Comic Wars.
Amazon.com: Comic Wars: How Two Tycoons Battled Over the Marvel Comics Empire--And Both Lost (9780767908306): Dan Raviv: Books

http://www.awn.com/files/imagepicker..._comicWars.jpg

Fascinating. Thanks for the back story Samurainoir.

[MicromanZone]

Print is dead. And nothing will change that. If Diamond collapses, good riddance. They helped to ruin the strong indie market that made the 1980s and 1990s fun. I don’t even both walking into most comic stores anymore because it’s all the same Diamond distributed stuff OR it’s just a glorified toy store. Far more variety online. Look at this place! Not exactly a comic book store but a community where like minded people gather. Which is a lot more than can be said about modern comic stores.

[Bionic Joe]

Did Diamond kill the comic shops?

Perhaps but Diamond is not only one who put the knife in the back and twisted it
back in the 70 most people got there books at the corner store and comic book shops were few and far between then the 80s hit and comic shops started poping up everywhere and you had Captail and Diamond as the main suppliers and at this time the corner shop pretty much stoped selling comics cause everyone wanted mint copies not sold in metal spining racks and thus the comic store became everyones source for books
but with the corner store no longer carring comics we lost a great deal on new comic fans
Then came the 90s and a new type of buyer unlike the buyers of old people who read the books these new buyers didn't read the books they wanted the next hot ticket item with dreams of buying Turok number one putting it direct in to mylar then after a few years selling it for the price of a new corvette
These are the yahoos who killed the comic shops cause the companies started carting to them putting tons of crap out there who made the true fans running away holding there nose

[The Toyroom]

I'd feel bad if my LCS was forced to close but it's getting to the point that I'm often just going through the motions when I go in there....In the last few months with all of my disgust with the new direction DC is taking I've been buying fewer and fewer new titles and more back issues. And I've been thinking more about trades. I'm quickly running out of space for my comics anyway....so it's either sell off some of what I have or just stop adding to the piles and long boxes and bookshelves.

[VintageMike]

The only saving grace I can see is that Barnes and Noble is now stocking new comics. They are in a stronger position particularly with Borders out of the picture. If Diamond went out whomever is distributing the stuff to BN now could pick up the comics.
I can see also some stores converting to being more gamer oriented as has been mentoioned. I know one store that is successful now using that formula and doesn't stock new comics.

[samurainoir]

The only saving grace I can see is that Barnes and Noble is now stocking new comics. They are in a stronger position particularly with Borders out of the picture. If Diamond went out whomever is distributing the stuff to BN now could pick up the comics.
I can see also some stores converting to being more gamer oriented as has been mentoioned. I know one store that is successful now using that formula and doesn't stock new comics.

My understanding is that it's now Diamond distributing to BN.

[johnmiic]

Short version: Marvel was being expanded and then gutted for short term shareholder profit by those who controlled the company at the time. Part of this was the purchase of Toy Biz, one of the card companies, Malibu Comics, and one of the major comic distributers to have their own channel for Marvel product.

That card co. may have been Panini? They were connected to Marvel and Marvel somehow was connected of Doctor Who Monthly in the `80's in the UK. Today I think Doctor Who Magazine carries the imprint Panini Publishing.

At the time there were perhaps 5(?) distribution companies of consequence.

I seem to recall Marvel titles with a bar-code on the cover also had a CC designation near the cover price for Curtis Co.,(not CC for Comics Code)? Comics without the bar-code, or a blank bar-code box, sometimes with Spidey's face, had a diamond logo up near the cover price, for Diamond. Fanta Co., Pacific Comics and Bud Plant Books may have served other parts of the country other than the East Coast in the early `80's. Bud Plant survives as Bud's Art Books online.

The only saving grace I can see is that Barnes and Noble is now stocking new comics.

Mike, support your local comics shop. I worked for B&N in the early 1990's when their Superstores rose and gobbled up every other smaller book chain. They will gladly do the same to comic shops and that need not be. That chain is run by a family known as the Riggieo Bros. They're a bunch of bastiches! They are evil. If no-one buys comics at B&N it will be better for comics & comic shops. It won't even put a dent in B&N and they'll move on.

B&N had 2 distributors when I last worked there. One was named Book-a-zine. I forget the other. Both were independent entities of B&N. The Death of Superman was out in a squareback spine format at the time. It sold out everywhere. I tried to order copies for our branch using the standard ISBN code. They could not stock us with it. They said the ISBN was valid but the book was not a type they usually carried. Likely at this late date they will be distributing to stores and eventually comic-shops if Diamond goes under.

Also I'm guessing if you at least want a mint copy of any title you read that hasn't been previously read, bent, folded or visited the store bathroom, a comic shop will be a better venue.