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Problems With Ad Populum's First Payments To Comics Publishers

The first payments due to comic book stores from Diamond Comics purchaser Ad Populum seem not to have been made. What's going on?


Bleeding Cool has heard from a number of comic publishers, many of whom are seriously out of pocket over the Diamond Comic Distributors Chapter 11 bankruptcy, that they are also waiting on the now-overdue first payments from Ad Populum. Under the name Sparkle Pop, the IP owner and merch distributor Ad Populum bought Diamond Comic Distributors at auction last month, part of Diamond's bankruptcy dealings. This included Diamond Books, CGA, Diamond Select Toys and other bodies, with their joint bidder, Universal Distributors from Canada. Universal, having bought Alliance Gaming, is now set to purchase Diamond UK separately.

Many people I spoke to, who had had problems with Diamond, were willing to treat Ad Populum's acquisition as a fresh start. The ball was in their court. Well, now, to stretch the metaphor further, it has hit the net on the first serve.

I am told that when the due date came to pay publishers, the vendors were told that Ad Populum had told Diamond that the invoices would not be paid, and that Diamond had no information about when or if the invoice would be paid. That Diamond staffers, from top to bottom in the company, have repeatedly said that these are Ad Populum decisions, to approve post-15th of May invoices, and that they have no information on what will happen. If Diamond Exec VP and COO Chuck Parker can't approve sending money out, no one at Diamond can. And there seems to be little flow of information beyond that.

It may, however, take longer to sort out. Ad Populum just acquired a bankrupt company in Diamond Comic Distributors, itself the subject of many complaints over recent years, and they are in the process of getting things settled. I understand that Ad Populum believes that they have made payments to the bankruptcy estate to pay publishers, and it is up to that estate to distribute those payments. But what happens to payments after the sale?

Vendors who have not been paid for weeks and might be owed an additional tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, even beyond the initial bankruptcy amount, might not be in a position to wait much longer. The advice from Ad Populum for comic book publishers and other vendors is to reach out to assigned support teams and Diamond Comics representatives, if they are still there. This would seem to be a cold comfort, given that Diamond personnel are blaming Ad Populum regarding this issue. Beyond that, there is a general contact address for Ad Populum, which is regularly checked throughout the day. And Ad Populum states that they are committed to getting back to those who reach out with problems, and figure out what is going on. The general contact form can be found here. Let Bleeding Cool know how you get on.

Now Ad Populum's First Payments To Comics Publishers Are Delayed
Ad Populum and Diamond Comics logos

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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from The Union Club on Greek Street, shops at Gosh, Piranha and FP. Father of two daughters. Political cartoonist.
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