However, aside from DC, they all allowed former direct market monopoly Diamond Comic Distributors to sub-distribute from Lunar and PRH to comic book stores who still preferred to deal with Diamond Indeed, I am told that around 15-30% of direct market retailer orders for those publishers were still through Diamond, even though they were cheaper[...]
diamond Archives
In April, Bleeding Cool reported that the US Bankruptcy courts of Baltimore had issued new paperwork for Diamond Comic Distributors to move it from Chapter 11 bankruptcy to Chapter 7 bankruptcy In layman's terms, that means moving from attempting to legally reorganise Diamond Comics to be an ongoing company again to liquidating its assets and[...]
Diamond's ComicSuite is a customised software option that integrates with Retail Hero's Retailer Management Hero to create a point-of-sale system specifically geared toward comic book speciality retailers.
I recently reported on Bleeding Cool that Diamond Comic Distributors was laying off Comicsuite, Pullbox, and their website tech support department after it was agreed that they would be[...]
Diamond Previews is, depending on who you talk to, an unwieldy, impenetrable catalogue of comic books and comic-related ephemera that takes up way too much space, and in a digital age, a fossil of the direct comic book industry Or a vital beating heart of modern comics, exciting, involving, inviting, and sometimes better than the[...]
When I first had comic books published and solicited through Diamond Comic Distributors back in the mid-nineties, I dealt with Mark Herr. He was at Diamond Comics from 1985 until 2005, rising to Director of Purchasing, and then Director of Sales at Diamond International Galleries until 2009 These days, he works in grocery retail, but he[...]
It was only three weeks ago that Emily Botica, Vice President, Publisher Relations & Marketing at Diamond Comics, was declaring that everything was "business as usual" with new "partners", Ad Populum and Universal Distributors, buying Diamond as part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings playing out since the beginning of the year Two weeks ago, Lance[...]
ComicSuite and Pullbox are software services provided by Diamond Comic Distributors for retailers and customers that help them manage orders, subscriptions, received product and the like Yesterday, as I was heading to bed, I got a note telling me "Adpop/Diamond laid off comicsuite/pullbox/website tech support department… Mid Friday afternoon, everyone in the Point of Sale[...]
But after this week's court hearings, Universal Distribution LLC and Ad Populum have officially completed the acquisition of Diamond Comic Distributors and their related assets, such as Alliance Gaming, Diamond Select Toys, Diamond Book Distributors, CGA, and more, after a controversial Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.
So, who gets what? As agreed, Canadian comics and games distributor[...]
Recently, Bleeding Cool reported that a partnership and investment deal from Kodansha had got the boutique comics publisher Dstlry into the direct market listings for Penguin Random House alongside Marvel, Dark Horse, IDW and Boom, after they were a) looking for non Diamond options and b) pissed on their chips over at Lunar as they[...]
Earlier today, Bleeding Cool pointed out that tomorrow the finalising of the sale of Diamond Comic Distributors to Ad Populum, and of Alliance Gaming to Universal Distributors, as part of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, will be finalised And while finalizing that sale on May 14, 2025, is still the plan according to documents filed today,[...]
But tomorrow, the sale of Diamond Comic Distributors to Ad Populum, and Alliance Gaming to Universal Distributors, will be finalised, and the company will begin to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy and stay far, far from Chapter 7 bankruptcy That is, of course, if nothing goes wrong.
Bleeding Cool understands that we are not to expect any[...]
As part of the current Diamond Comic Distributors Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, all lawyers and legal firms have been hired for one part of the proceedings or another Lowenstein Sandler, co-counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, is billing half a million a month, at around $1000 an hour The Berkeley Research Group, authorised[...]
Diamond Comics' accounts leak was the most-read story on Bleeding Cool yesterday again Lying In The Gutters is the daily runaround for the most-read stories the day before, as well as over the past six years Founded sixteen years ago and steeped in a history of comic book industry gossip for a further eighteen years[...]
As part of their filings for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Diamond Comic Distributors has been filing all manner of procedural forms, reports, contracts and legal statements It also seems that all comic book retailers with a Diamond account have also received them, whether by post or e-mail Which also means that this action has to be[...]
Last week, Bleeding Cool reported court filings in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding of Diamond Comic Distributors that detailed the purchase by the now-winning bidders, Universal Distribution and Ad Populum/Sparkle Pop That Universal will pay almost $50 million plus or minus a few other factors, and would own Diamond's Alliance Game Distributors, with a separate[...]
During the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Skyrush Marketing of New York City and Long Island posted a press release saying that they had been selected as the highest bidder for Collectable Grading Authority (CGA), the Diamond-owned collectables grading business in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction for Diamond Comic Distributors.
"We have avid collectors on staff who understand[...]
When the Diamond Chapter 11 Bankruptcy auction at Raymond James offices was finalised, the winner was announced as Alliance Entertainment/AENT Bruce Ogilvie, AENT chairman, was then invited onto a podcast with comic book retailers Dennis Barger and Jesse James after, apparently, watching my performance on the Beyond Wednesdays podcast the previous week, talking about the Diamond situation[...]
All 45 Free Comic Book Day titles for 2025 from Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror to Post Malone's Big Rig... and the seven that were junked
Almost an hour ago, Bleeding Cool ran the news that Baltimore courts today confirmed the sale of Diamond Comic Distributors to Canadian comics distributor Universal Entertainment and to pop culture IP owner Ad Populum, under the name Sparkle Pop Now, Diamond has confirmed who gets what They state;
"Under the agreement, Universal will acquire the assets[...]
Bleeding Cool told you that a new hearing in the Diamond Comic Distributors Chapter 11/Chapter 7 bankruptcy case was taking place in the Baltimore courts today, even if the main issue they were meant to be hearing had changed significantly since it was filed.
Reports from the court state that, quite simply, the Baltimore Bankruptcy Court[...]
The Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy situation hit the courts again today And while we are waiting to find out what, if anything, happened, here's some reaction from comic book retailers, publishers, creators, collectors, readers, and Diamond employees themselves of events over recent days… You can use these Diamond and bankruptcy tags to keep up with the[...]
Today, Diamond Comic Distributors is back in court, looking at old business with Judge Rice in the Baltimore bankruptcy court, at 10.30am Central time This session was originally meant to look at the Alliance Entertainment (or AENT) purchase of Diamond Comics Of course, since that meeting was arranged, this has changed AENT has pulled out[...]
Yesterday, Bleeding Cool reported on filed paperwork by the Baltimore bankruptcy courts to turn Diamond Comic Distributors' Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings trying to rescue the company, to Chapter 7 bankruptcy, liquidating the company's assets and closing it down The hearing is set for a month's time, and the reasons cited are that Diamond Comic Distributors[...]
Alliance Entertainment, or AENT, is suing Diamond Comic Distributors over the details of how the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process played out In this process, they were named the highest bidder for Diamond, initially rejected by the debtors, confirmed by the courts, and then terminated the purchase agreement themselves. The current lawsuit claims that Diamond "fraudulently[...]
The US Bankruptcy courts of Baltimore have issued new paperwork for Diamond Comic Distributors to move it from Chapter 11 bankruptcy to Chapter 7 bankruptcy In layman's terms, that means moving from attempting to legally reorganise Diamond Comics to be an ongoing company again to liquidating its assets and closing it down for good.
The official[...]
Why did Alliance Entertainment or AENT terminate its agreed and won purchase of Diamond Comic Distributors? Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and based on court documents, there are only a few reasons it would be allowed to And Bleeding Cool is going to go through them all and share some of out thoughts on the matter.
To[...]
Yesterday, Bleeding Cool ran the news that pop culture distributor Alliance Entertainment or AENT were cancelling their high eight-figure planned purchase of Diamond Comic Distributors, despite winning the Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction and having the courts confirm their right to purchase when Diamond's debtors stated they preferred a lower bidder, Universal Distribution/Ad Populum. Emily Boticas, Vice[...]
Alliance Entertainment or AENT has issued an SEC filing as a Notice Of Termination over their agreement won in Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction to buy Diamond Comic Distributors.
SEC filing screencap
The filing states first that"On April 25, 2025, Thomas Finke advised the Board of Directors of Alliance Entertainment Holding Corporation (the "Company") that he is resigning[...]
Diamond Comic Distributors has told comic book stores that price increases due to the US government's recent increase in taxes and tariffs will be coming, and will begin to affect their orders this week As we understand it, they will not apply to comic books, graphic novels or other printed media, but will affect toys,[...]
Yes folks! There will be a Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly Previews catalogue, the last made before Alliance Entertainment bought the company at the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy What happens next month, we have no idea. But this one has Vampirella: Armageddon #1 by Tom Sniegoski and Kweber Baalon set in the future world of Sepulchre City, and Deadpool Finger Guns cartoon resin statues[...]