Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, IDW, Image, Marvel Comics, X-Men | Tagged: amazon, australia, comixology, Dark Droids, star wars, x-men

Tomorrow's Marvel Comics On Sale Right Now, If You Can Be Australian

When DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse and IDW left Diamond exclusivity, they scuppered the Mystery Shopper street date enforcement programme.

When DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse and IDW left Diamond Comic Distributors exclusivity, they also scuppered one project that Diamond had been running for years, the Mystery Shopper programme. When they moved to Lunar and Penguin Random House, there was no longer the funding for a system that saw Diamond send people across the country into comic book stores to try and buy comic books before Wednesday release. And, to a large extent, it worked. Street dates were pretty much adhered to.

But now there is no programme and neither Lunar nor PRH seem minded to pursue such a policy. Despite shipping the comic books in question sometimes five days early on a regular basis, leaving comic stores to keep stock for many days without being able to put it on sale. And some of them don't bother, which is how certain stories and coverage make it to Bleeding Cool earlier and earlier.

In recent Marvel e-mails from Penguin Random House, they have given the following statement. "In our efforts to ensure on-time deliveries around holidays and other potential supply chain disruptions, there are instances where product will deliver earlier than expected. Please note that this product cannot be sold until the stated on-sale date. Any accounts found to be in repeated violation of breaking the on-sale date will be at risk of no longer receiving product prior to release. We thank you for your cooperation." However, there doesn't seem to be details of any enforcement.

And then there's digital. Since ComiXology became totally integrated into Amazon, there has been day-and-date creep there as well. Which also varies from country to country but generally means midnight of the day of sale, the comics are available, usually around nine or ten hours before the local comic shops open. But then there are international dates to consider. It is about 4pm on the 1st of August in the UK, it is 11am in New York, it is 8am in Los Angeles. But in Canberra, Australia, it is coming up to 1am on the 2nd of August. And for the last h hour, through Amazon.com.au, you have been able to buy all of this week's Wednesday comic books. And you could do the same with DC Comics at this time yesterday. Here's the listing for X-Men #25, available to buy digitally now.

Anyone can set up an Amazon Australia account as long as they use a different email address. I'm using an IP switcher but i am not sure it's necessary. I told them I lived in Canberra, postcode 2601 and they seemed to be fine with that.. Here's one for Star Wars: Dark Droids #1.

What is the point of trying to maintain a sales date when your digital arm breaks it by a day is someone just tells Amazon that they are from Australia? The same will happen at midnight tonight to Amazon.co.uk, which is still only 4pm the previous day in Los Angeles. Also, in Australia comic shops, titles usually go on sale on Thursday rather than Wednesday anyway.

The publishers can preach all they like about comic book stores breaking street date. But what validity does it have when, at least in Los Angeles, Amazon is breaking that street date at 7am the previous day? Here's the Amazon preview for X-Men #25, it's different to the one that Marvel released…

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