Posted in: Antarctic Press, Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News | Tagged: diamond, lunar

Antarctic Press Look To Massive Press Distribution Through Lunar

Antarctic Press look to Massive Press distribution through Lunar Distribution after the Diamond Comics bankruptcy announcement.

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:57:07 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

Antarctic Press seeks new distribution via Massive Press after Diamond's bankruptcy shakes the comic industry.
Ben Dunn discusses concerns over Lunar Distribution and Massive Press deal for future comic sales.
The rising costs of comic production and reader value impact Antarctic Press's market strategy.
Manga's success highlights the need for comic industry adaptation and stronger reader engagement.

Ben Dunn, co-founder of Antarctic Press forty years ago, has become one of the central voices of the Diamond Comic Distributors decision to enter chapter 11 bankruptcy, over his willingness to report directly from the front lines as to how this is affecting Antarctic Press. From their decision to cancel creator-owned books and anthologies, as well as issues regarding getting even a response from rival distributor Lunar, he has also addressed the decision for Massive Press to act as an intermediary with Lunar Distribution and to sub distribute smaller press publishers, though some have issues with the terms expressed, including the brothers Dunn. But now Ben Dunn has seen a chink of light, writing on social media;

Antarctic Press Look To Massive Press Distribution Through Lunar — Antarctic Press titles

"Over the weekend, I talked with my brother about the LUNAR/MASSIVE distribution deal. While I thought at first it was not possible to do this and make any profit, it turns out that it is not entirely true. After some discussion with Massive about their deal, several things of concern were clarified for me. There are still a few questions that need to be answered, but I believe that there may be a good chance that we can get AP comics into stores through Lunar Distributions by way of Massive. Which begs the question of why Lunar does not do it themselves. There has been some speculation on this, but it is what it is, and at this moment in time, we have to accept the reality that this may be our only option for now to continue to get AP comics into stores. The economics of comics is quite a convoluted business. If the industry was massive and successful, then there would be really no problem. However, we are in an ever-shrinking industry, and unless we as a collective work together to get new readers, then it will continue its slow decline, which will be a fractured system of individual creators vying for customers. The fact is that the expense to produce comics in a physical floppy format is becoming more and more expensive and, quite frankly, the cover prices have not kept up. However, the reading public is very resistant to any increase in cover price, so many will drop the comic, thus shrinking the industry ever further. I don't think that comic prices are not an issue if there is VALUE. People want value for their money, and if the comics that we produce do not provide that, then they cease buying them. Manga has seen success because it provides value. They are entertaining. They are in a format that is easy to follow and get into. They are priced fairly and reasonably for the number of pages you get. Right now, the industry is in the throes of a change that we have not seen since the beginning of the direct market. Whether we survive that change remains to be seen. It all comes down to the number of readers and fans willing to keep supporting us, which will ensure our continued survival."

We'll keep reporting… as long as Ben Dunn keeps being this open and transparent over what is going down. Thank you, Ben.

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