Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: diamond, joel meadows, lunar

Is Joel Meadows The Luckiest Person In Comics?

Is Joel Meadows of Tripwire Magazine the luckiest person in comics publishing right now? It seems so, the spawny get...

Published Tue, 18 Mar 2025 07:58:08 -0500

Last updated Tue, 18 Mar 2025 08:31:17 -0500

Article Summary

Joel Meadows, editor of Tripwire Magazine, strikes gold with distribution deals amidst Diamond's bankruptcy.
Securing Lunar Distribution before Diamond's fall gave Tripwire a huge distribution advantage over others.
Despite Diamond's financial struggles, Tripwire continues to receive payments and thrive in US and UK markets.
Meadows' new novel faces fundraising challenges, highlighting varied luck across his ventures.

There's a Viz Comics character called Spawny Get, which roughly translated from the local Geordie dialect to lucky git or an annoyingly lucky person. He even looks a bit like Joel Meadows too… here's a mugshot of Joel Meadows and a mug shot of Spawny Get.

Is Joel Meadows The Luckiest Person In Comics? — Mugshot of Joel Meadows and a mug shot of Spawny Get.

Why are we describing Joel Meadows in this fashion? Well, Joel Meadows has been running the Tripwire Comics magazine for over thirty years, almost as long as I have been reporting on comic books. Indeed, one of my very first Bleeding Cool stories was a plug for it. So why is he such a spawny get right now?

Because last year, before the Diamond Comic Distributors chapter 11 bankruptcy news, Tripwire signed a distribution deal with Lunar Distribution, even though it cost them more than continuing with just Diamond, as Diamond UK was cheaper to send copies to from the UK where it was printed. at that time, Lunar was desperate for any publisher to come on board. Then Diamond did what they did and everyone made a rush for Lunar, who basically closed their shutters on the information service desk. Now, no new distributor could get in. But Tripwire already had. But what about Diamond and the money owed to so many comic book publishers?

Well, as we said, Tripwire was getting Diamond US distribution through Diamond UK. This has, and remains, a going concern, even if they are owed a couple of million dollars themselves by Diamond US and will go on the chopping block tomorrow. Diamond UK have had no problem paying everyone. Including Tripwire. So Joel Meadows has been fully paid by Diamond, is still getting paid by Diamond and has direct distribution through Lunar as well, two things far larger publishers, such as Antarctic Press, are denied right now. He didn't see any of this coming; he was just lucky. There's only one phrase for it: Joel Meadows. Spawny get.

Maybe he is not quite so lucky with his new Sherlock Holmes & The Empire Builders novel, Down and Out in London. Currently, only $5,814 has been pledged to the $6,486 goal from 88 backers with 7 days to go on Kickstarter with a mere £23 of a £2000 goal from two people on IndieGoGo. Can I suggest that you back the former as it is more likely to succeed in the week ahead…