Diamond Distributors temporarily closed starting next week

[Col_Fury]

Diamond Distributors are closing for the foreseeable future due to Coronavirus concerns. No new physical comics after this week.

Also, with Canada closing all non-essential businesses tomorrow, DC's printers (based in Canada) will not be operating until the close-down is lifted.

Stay safe, everyone.

[StrayLamb]

I guess we're all gonna be getting into the back issues for a while.

[Bacombs81]

Maybe I'm missing it, but has there been anything stated about digital copies still being sold?

[Col_Fury]

We'll know more by Wednesday I'm assuming, but from what I'm seeing...

DC has said they will continue to release new comics digitally, through Comixology and the like. They're also looking into new printers and distribution channels to get physical comics to stores that are still open.

The problem is, 30 out of 50 states in the US are under stay-at-home orders. Entire countries are under stay-at-home orders. All of that includes comic shops. At best, DC is looking to make 2/5 in sales of what they normally do.

Marvel hasn't announced their plans yet that I've seen.

Marvel's parent company Disney has delayed all theatrical releases of their movies until theaters can re-open, and won't be going digital-first.

Welcome to the MCP, Bacombs81!

[Midnighter]

I noticed that last week the release calendar on the marvel.com website was empty, while in the last few days the comics that should be released on Wednesday have returned to being listed.

[Col_Fury]

Make that 32 states in the US. Also, some major cities in states that haven't "closed" yet are under stay-at-home / non-essential business closing orders. It's basically 75% of the country.

[Somebody]

The other thing about going digital-only or restricted-release, besides what Fury said, is that print comic sales are heavily, unhealthily dependent on selling more comics to comic shops than there are people reading the comics - mostly due to variant covers, including high-ratio and retailer-exclusive covers. That sort of thing just won't get replicated digitally. Similar reasons to why Marvel have never made a sustained OGN push.

There are other points - how would (could?) people in lockdown areas ever catch up in print if digital raced ahead, the likelihood of people getting out the habit of getting comics, people not having money to get comics, the financial stresses comic shops will be under while closed...

...basically, if the Direct Market makes it to 2022 in rude health, I'll be pretty shocked at this point. Everyone in the chain's hurting, DC & Marvel have... unsympathetic... owners; comic shops are on the edge and who knows about the readers.

We'll know more by Wednesday I'm assuming, but from what I'm seeing...

DC has said they will continue to release new comics digitally, through Comixology and the like. They're also looking into new printers and distribution channels to get physical comics to stores that are still open.

The problem is, 30 out of 50 states in the US are under stay-at-home orders. Entire countries are under stay-at-home orders. All of that includes comic shops. At best, DC is looking to make 2/5 in sales of what they normally do.

DC appear to have backed off for now on digitally releasing everything this Wednesday.

[Col_Fury]

Well, thank Kirby for that. ^^^

[Bacombs81]

Welcome to the MCP, Bacombs81!

Thanks! I've used the site for years and years and only JUST realized there was a forum. I custom bind comics and love putting chronological reading orders together. So yeah, this site is gold. I was a part of a different forums for something like 17 years, in good standing and well liked, before they banned me for essentially coming out as a conservative. Other long time members left as a result. It was stupid. I don't miss that site, but I do miss talking comics with people, so I'm eager to get going here.

[StrayLamb]

Thanks! I've used the site for years and years and only JUST realized there was a forum.

Yep, this is where we do all the hard work, have all the fun, occasionally step on each other's toes, and get it all nutted out.

[Russ Chappell]

Marvel's just announced their plans:

https://www.cbr.com/marvel-officially-a ... -1-comics/

[Russ Chappell]

I've used the site for years and years and only JUST realized there was a forum.

If you've only just realized there's a forum, you've got a ton of reading in front of you! Grab some popcorn.

[Somebody]

Meanwhile, Diamond are struggling enough that they're not paying publishers this week.

[Col_Fury]

Make that 34 states and 80% of the US. Also, Illinois extended their shutdown to April 30.

As cruddy as it is to have no new comics for a while, I think it's the only shot we have to still have an industry when this is past us, is to freeze it for now. Most of the creators work from home already; use this as an opportunity to get ahead on deadlines.

I mean, did we learn nothing from JAWS? Close that beach, mayor!

[StrayLamb]

And stop touching your face!

Western Australia has taken the unprecedented step of closing the borders between regions within the state, with roadblocks set up, and cameras installed. WA is pretty massive, a full third of Austalia, and our Aboriginal communities are very vulnerable. We have a large Aboriginal population in my town, and we don't want to see any of them infected if we can help it. To give you some idea, the Central Wheatbelt, where i am, is roughly the size of California, but with a population of 55,000. So we're cut off from the city and can only cross the regional boundary with a letter confirming hospital treatment or the like. Most of the health services have gone to video-conferencing, and treatments are being sent out to local hospitals so that patients don't have to travel. Which they could have been doing all along, and saving people a huge amount of travel expenses. Hopefully some things like this will stick.