Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: comic shops, Comics, coronavirus, coronavirus comics, dc comics, diamond, distributor wars, luna, ucs

Alan Gill Boycotts New DC Comics Distributors in Favour of Diamond

Published Thu, 23 Apr 2020 10:45:34 -0500

by Rich Johnston

Last updated Sat, 25 Apr 2020 13:19:00 -0500

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Alan Gill of Ultimate Comics, North Carolina, has placed his flag in the ground regarding the current re-emergence of the Distribution Wars that hasn't been seen in the comic book industry for decades. DC Comics will be distributing new print runs of their delayed comic books via two new distributors UCS and Lunar, created by two old mail-order companies Midtown Comics and DCBS. While Diamond Comic Distributors intends to distribute those very self comics around two weeks later. It could be quite the car crash. Anyway, Alan Gill has made his stores position quite clear, He writes on Facebook.

Ultimate Comics will not be stocking DC comics until the stay at home order is lifted and our Distributor Diamond Comics is back online. The two biggest deep discount mail order companies needed to keep selling comics and DC Comics used this as an Opportunity to deal directly with its two biggest accounts DCBS and Midtown Comics Circumventing Diamond Comics during a Worldwide pandemic and I assume after. DC Comics made a press release announcing two new distributors without Disclosing that those distributors were actually the two large deep discount retailers.

I've been a comic book retailer for 17 years. Diamond Comics has always been a professionally run company ,has always treated me well and whenever their were problems responded to me in A professional timely manner to fix those issues when it could. On the issue of whether or not a monopoly exists with Diamond Comics is a separate issue and one that should not be exploited during this crisis.

Diamond Comics should not be punished for doing the right thing and shutting down their operations to protect their staff and to stop the flow of Comics to retailers all over the world At a time when comic book stores could not open. It would've literally driven all the physical stores out of business I'm standing with Geppi and Diamond Comics. Ultimate Comics will be carrying new comics (including the ones shipping early, you will not miss issues) in May when Diamond is rolling again.

Any other comic stores willing to do similar? Feel free to let Bleeding Cool know at richjohnston@bleedingcool.com. We will continue to cover the effects of the current global situation on the comic book industry at this link.