Posted in: Comics, Oni Press | Tagged: lunar, Penguin Random House, prh

Oni Quits Lunar Distribution, Goes Exclusive With Penguin Random House

Oni Press quits Lunar Distribution and Simon & Schuster to go exclusive for comic shops and bookstires with Penguin Random House

Another day, another shake-up for direct market distribution… Oni Press, publisher of Scott Pilgrim, Rick And Morty, EC Comics, Adventure Time, Murder Drones, Sixth Gun and Gender Queer is quitting both Lunar Distribution for the direct market and Simon & Schuster for bookstores, and putting all its exclusive distribution eggs in one basket, with Penguin Random House, joining Marvel, Dark Horse, Boom, IDW, Dstlry, Ignition, TokyoPop, Kodansha, Webtoon and more. The new exclusive partnership for book market and direct market distribution will begin on the 1st of August, 2026, and includes Oni Press' Magnetic Press graphic novel imprint. Notably, this will leave DC Comics, Image, Mad Cave, Titan and Dynamite as Lunar's remaining major publishers in the direct market. And Oni Press will also be available to stores via Universal Distribution and Diamond UK

Per today's advance PR, the move is being framed as a dose of high-octane for Oni's upcoming summer slate that will include the upcoming launches of New York Times best-selling creator Matt Kindt's Flux House imprint (with new titles including Mind MGMT: New & Improved and Fort Psycho) and its anticipated slate of new Archie Comics titles with creators including W. Maxwell Prince, Fábio Moon, Nick Cagnetti, Corinna Bechko, Kano, Patrick Horvath, and Tyler Crook.

Said Rachel Goldstein, Executive Vice President of Penguin Random House Publisher Services, "Oni Press has long been a standard-bearer for creative excellence and innovation in comics and graphic novels. Their catalog combines cultural impact, commercial success, and a strong commitment to creators. We're proud to welcome Oni Press to the PRHPS family and look forward to supporting their continued growth worldwide."

Added David Steward II, Chairman of the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group "There is simply no better partner than Penguin Random House in maintaining and growing Oni's longstanding relationship with retailers and readers. As the gold standard for both book market and direct market distribution, we're proud to partner with PRHPS to increase the reach for Oni's distinguished, award-winning library and hit the ground running in support of what is sure to be the company's most formidable line-up of new releases across our long history."

And Hunter Gorinson, President & Publisher of Oni Press, "For nearly three decades, it's been the mission of Oni Press to bring distinctly original, visually inspired, and creator-driven comics and graphic novels to readers wherever they can be found. Now, as we prepare to kick off a banner year in 2026 and celebrate Oni's 30th anniversary in 2027, we're proud to cement a new partnership with the world's number-one book distributor of books and comics – one that will ensure our creators' work reaches the largest possible audience and creates even more fans and supporters for the comics medium in comic shops and bookstores around the world for even more decades yet to come."

Oni has notably made leaps and bounds in both its comic shop and book store sales over the past few years, re-entering the Top 10 for the first time in nearly a decade last year. Does this move portend another few upward notches yet to come? And will DC and Image Comics be watching the results…? Retailers will be placing their first FOC orders for Oni Press through PRH at some point in July. Expect more news from the annual ComicsPRO conference, which kicks off in Glendale later this month, and the switchover will be well-timed for San Diego Comic-Con.

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