Posted in: Comics | Tagged: bill schanes, diamond, Pop King

Pop King Makes Comic Publishers A Consigned Diamond Inventory Offer

Pop King makes comic publishers an offer over their consigned Diamond inventory

Published Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:57:09 -0500

As the fate of the consigned comics and merchandise with Diamond Comic Distributors after the bankruptcy covered at length by Bleeding Cool looked to reach finality, Sparkle Pop, who own the warehouses the millions of dollars of consigned inventory of comics and merchandise in dispute has been stored in, and which sold some of it, has now filed its own objection to the plan proposed by the debtors, trustee and comic book publishers. More on that later. But first, a company called Pop King has sent out an offer to all of the consignment publishers, including Bleeding Cool's own publisher, Avatar Press. It reads;

Pop King Makes Comic Publishers A Consigned Diamond Inventory Offer — pop king

"I'm reaching out regarding your consignment inventory currently being held at the former Diamond Comic Distributors warehouse, located in Olive Branch, MS (currently occupied by Sparkle Pop)."

"As you are likely aware, the Diamond bankruptcy has created a complicated situation for publishers and vendors with inventory remaining in Sparkle Pop's possession. The process of dealing with that inventory—including determining its status, arranging for its release, coordinating removal from the warehouse, transportation, and ultimately finding a way to monetize the product—can require substantial time and resources. Pop King, Inc. would like to offer a simpler solution. Pop King is interested in purchasing your inventory currently being held at Sparkle Pop."

"Pop King has been a wholesaler in the popular-culture merchandise business for more than 25 years. We have extensive experience purchasing comic books, graphic novels, collectibles, and other inventory from leading publishers and suppliers. Our fulfillment center is currently 52,000 square feet. Over the last 25 years, Pop King has purchased over 50 million comic books, trade paperbacks, hard covers, deluxe books, color guides, animation art, toys, games, and all different types of licensed goods

"Our objective is to make the process as straightforward as possible for you.
Subject to confirmation that the inventory is available for sale and can legally be released, Pop King will purchase the inventory and handle the logistics associated with removing it from the Sparkle Pop warehouse. Pop King is prepared to offer the following services:

Coordinating with you regarding the inventory available for purchase;

Reviewing available Sparkle Pop inventory reports and quantities;

Agreeing upon a purchase price for the inventory;

Coordinating the documentation necessary to complete the transaction;

Working with the appropriate parties regarding authorization and release of the inventory;

Arranging the pickup and removal of the inventory from the Sparkle Pop warehouse;

Coordinating freight, trucking, pallets, and transportation;

Assuming responsibility for the inventory following the completed sale and authorized release.

"As part of the potential massive inventory movement, Pop King is securing a warehouse within a few miles of the Sparkle Pop warehouse. We've engaged a operations veteran with decades of experience who lives close by to the Sparkle Pop warehouse, and he will be on site coordinating the inventory transfer to the new regional warehouse, including a full physical inventory count, comparing it to what Sparkle Pop claims they are releasing to Pop King. Our goal is to provide vendors with an opportunity to monetize inventory that is currently tied up at Sparkle Pop without having to independently manage the logistics of removing, transporting, storing, and ultimately selling that inventory. If you have inventory at Sparkle Pop's Olive Branch, MS location and would be interested in receiving an offer from Pop King, please contact me. If available, please provide your most recent Sparkle Pop inventory report or other information showing the titles/products and quantities being held. In order to facilitate potentially working together more efficiently, the more information you provide, our bid will be higher on a per piece basis for printed items. If you have other product categories (games, toys, gift, general merchandise), please fill in those fields which are appropriate to your line of products."

"We can review the inventory with you and discuss a potential purchase. There is no obligation to proceed simply by contacting us. We recognize that every vendor's circumstances are different and that certain inventory may remain subject to the Diamond bankruptcy proceedings or other restrictions. Any transaction would therefore be subject to confirmation that the vendor has the right and authorization necessary to sell and release the applicable inventory. If your looking for a service provider who can assist you on returning select items, or the full consignment inventory items back to your warehouse, Pop King is prepared to provide a quote for this service. All we would need is an itemized inventory list, using the above data request listed above."

The "operations veteran with decades of experience who lives close by to the Sparkle Pop warehouse" they refer to looks to be Bill Schanes. Which is handy as Pop King was founded by his brother Steve Schanes, who together founded Pacific Comics over half a century ago, the comic store that became a chain, a creator-owned publisher and a comic book distributor before it was bought up by Diamond in the eighties. Bill Schanes stepped down from Diamond in 2013, though he continued to visit comic book stores, travelling the world, and consulting for many publishers. He was also involved in Image Comics' attempts to extricate its stock from Diamond Comics Distributors as it moved to Lunar Distribution. Bleeding Cool plans to have words with Schanes tomorrow to get a better idea of what is going on. But for now. you can use this Diamond tag to keep up with the latest on Bleeding Cool. Here's a timeline if you want to catch up…