This is seismic for the comic books industry, and I have to wonder what this could mean for Diamond that it no longer the place to get your floppies printed. Edit: Frick, please change the amp link.
This is seismic for the comic books industry, and I have to wonder what this could mean for Diamond that it no longer the place to get your floppies printed.
I've been following this for almost a year. Long term this is fantastic news. Diamond is dead. Sure, they are solvent thanks to getting loans from investors who will shortly regret it - but...
I've been following this for almost a year. Long term this is fantastic news.
Diamond is dead. Sure, they are solvent thanks to getting loans from investors who will shortly regret it - but they've never, ever been a 'good' partner with anyone. Ask any comics store owner and they'll go into instant rant mode. Diamond loves to force them to eat costs.
Just search youtube and you'll find lots of videos of store owners talking about this. Nerdrotic's channel is a prime example, he has many videos on this stuff and rumor has it he used to own a comic shop. That's how it got onto my radar.
The smart stores are now gearing up for indie comics. Once upon a time, indie was where you went to 'get good' or if you couldn't make it in the regular comics industry. That's changed with the total implosion of Marvel and DC during the woke era.
All the virtue signaling on twitter does not sell comics, it's all hot air. Their sales are dead, the sole distributor is on borrowed time, and so is the old comic monopoly. Now the 'big two' are just tepid players in the newly forming industry, without a clue how to proceed. Once they remember how to write a good story again they can come back to the table.
What's changed is that going forward, indie comics will be where everyone goes to make whatever they want without the bullshit mismanagement and censorship that took place in the old guard's halls. Comic shops are already making this transition. It's going to be rough, but we'll end up with a fresh renaissance in the industry once it's in full swing.
I do love watching institutions fail due to their own mismanagement.
Edit: Tonight's Friday Night Tights is predictably all about this news, so if you fancy watching a rather testosterone-laced live stream about comics, gaming, and cinema there it is. They don't bite, but they say what they think and don't pull punches either. ;)
I read comics but I don't really get why the traditional comics industry is still around. As a reader I would rather buy a graphic novel on Amazon. Individual issues seem too small, expensive for...
I read comics but I don't really get why the traditional comics industry is still around. As a reader I would rather buy a graphic novel on Amazon. Individual issues seem too small, expensive for what they are, and likely to be disappointing to bother with? Or if you want to read a comic in bite-sized pieces then it might as well be a web comic.
Yeah, the web comic thing is really touchy in these circles, a lot of the store owners are wary of that since it smells like the end of their business. It really isn't, though. One might read a...
Yeah, the web comic thing is really touchy in these circles, a lot of the store owners are wary of that since it smells like the end of their business. It really isn't, though.
One might read a comic on the web, but if it's something you really love, you'll buy hard copy to support the creator and because there's something geek-sexy about a well produced book to sit in your den and show off to friends. Physical media can't be taken down or retconned a la star wars special editions, it still has unique value. Some of it even appreciates in price, collectibles are still a thing.
Not that different to dvds, vinyl, blu-ray, etc. They still do well enough despite streaming and rampant piracy. Some people still value physical media, though perhaps the world is becoming more picky about how much/which they buy, since physical media is no longer the only game in town.
I also think these comic shops could crush by expanding a bit into other things - such as tabletop roleplaying games, card games, board games, etc. Help get people in the door. It's morphing more into a 'geek-shop' than a shop dedicated to any one thing.
Instead it's a melting pot of all of the things we can't help geeking out about. I've seen some shops pull this off in the past to great effect, even having rooms for rent for tabletop gaming, lan party areas, etc.
Do you go there because it has comics, or because all your friends are there and the owner blows your mind with new awesome stuff every time you walk in the door? Customer service is still king.
I wonder if now that the distributors are shaking up, if on location, on demand printing could become a thing. Or would that completely devalue everything?
I wonder if now that the distributors are shaking up, if on location, on demand printing could become a thing. Or would that completely devalue everything?
Well, I'd say it'd devalue if you go by the old standards set by the previous gatekeepers. We don't really live in that world anymore. Check out this stream with Peter Semeti from Alterna comics...
Well, I'd say it'd devalue if you go by the old standards set by the previous gatekeepers. We don't really live in that world anymore.
Check out this stream with Peter Semeti from Alterna comics which is one of the new kids on the block set to capitalize on this massive shakeup. You'll notice that not only is Peter not worried, he's quite happy, and he lays out the business model that's already proving itself in this new era.
Self-publishing is indeed the way forward. Now that Diamond is out, and store owners don't have to play by their rules anymore, they are free to tackle distribution and printing themselves. Peter goes over how he's been doing it and how much better it really is than the old Diamond model.
On demand printing for something like comics is harder than it looks. It turns out ink is very finicky and can’t be allowed to sit for long. This is why most small presses will only print in black...
On demand printing for something like comics is harder than it looks. It turns out ink is very finicky and can’t be allowed to sit for long. This is why most small presses will only print in black and white or like 3 colors at very low DPI. The returns the scale for large scale printing are pretty high.
Plus you gotta count on point of sale people not cheaping out and using inferior inks or paper or simply not being very good at collating or binding.
Surely yet another massive, universe-wide event—whose entire story is obsessed with picking through decades of continuity—will do the trick right? We’ll just make sure you have to spend $15 a week...
Once they remember how to write a good story again they can come back to the table.
Surely yet another massive, universe-wide event—whose entire story is obsessed with picking through decades of continuity—will do the trick right?
We’ll just make sure you have to spend $15 a week in new issues to actually be able to follow the plot. Genius! They’ll be kicking in the doors!
This is seismic for the comic books industry, and I have to wonder what this could mean for Diamond that it no longer the place to get your floppies printed.
Edit: Frick, please change the amp link.
I've been following this for almost a year. Long term this is fantastic news.
Diamond is dead. Sure, they are solvent thanks to getting loans from investors who will shortly regret it - but they've never, ever been a 'good' partner with anyone. Ask any comics store owner and they'll go into instant rant mode. Diamond loves to force them to eat costs.
Just search youtube and you'll find lots of videos of store owners talking about this. Nerdrotic's channel is a prime example, he has many videos on this stuff and rumor has it he used to own a comic shop. That's how it got onto my radar.
The smart stores are now gearing up for indie comics. Once upon a time, indie was where you went to 'get good' or if you couldn't make it in the regular comics industry. That's changed with the total implosion of Marvel and DC during the woke era.
All the virtue signaling on twitter does not sell comics, it's all hot air. Their sales are dead, the sole distributor is on borrowed time, and so is the old comic monopoly. Now the 'big two' are just tepid players in the newly forming industry, without a clue how to proceed. Once they remember how to write a good story again they can come back to the table.
What's changed is that going forward, indie comics will be where everyone goes to make whatever they want without the bullshit mismanagement and censorship that took place in the old guard's halls. Comic shops are already making this transition. It's going to be rough, but we'll end up with a fresh renaissance in the industry once it's in full swing.
I do love watching institutions fail due to their own mismanagement.
Edit: Tonight's Friday Night Tights is predictably all about this news, so if you fancy watching a rather testosterone-laced live stream about comics, gaming, and cinema there it is. They don't bite, but they say what they think and don't pull punches either. ;)
I read comics but I don't really get why the traditional comics industry is still around. As a reader I would rather buy a graphic novel on Amazon. Individual issues seem too small, expensive for what they are, and likely to be disappointing to bother with? Or if you want to read a comic in bite-sized pieces then it might as well be a web comic.
Yeah, the web comic thing is really touchy in these circles, a lot of the store owners are wary of that since it smells like the end of their business. It really isn't, though.
One might read a comic on the web, but if it's something you really love, you'll buy hard copy to support the creator and because there's something geek-sexy about a well produced book to sit in your den and show off to friends. Physical media can't be taken down or retconned a la star wars special editions, it still has unique value. Some of it even appreciates in price, collectibles are still a thing.
Not that different to dvds, vinyl, blu-ray, etc. They still do well enough despite streaming and rampant piracy. Some people still value physical media, though perhaps the world is becoming more picky about how much/which they buy, since physical media is no longer the only game in town.
I also think these comic shops could crush by expanding a bit into other things - such as tabletop roleplaying games, card games, board games, etc. Help get people in the door. It's morphing more into a 'geek-shop' than a shop dedicated to any one thing.
Instead it's a melting pot of all of the things we can't help geeking out about. I've seen some shops pull this off in the past to great effect, even having rooms for rent for tabletop gaming, lan party areas, etc.
Do you go there because it has comics, or because all your friends are there and the owner blows your mind with new awesome stuff every time you walk in the door? Customer service is still king.
I wonder if now that the distributors are shaking up, if on location, on demand printing could become a thing. Or would that completely devalue everything?
Well, I'd say it'd devalue if you go by the old standards set by the previous gatekeepers. We don't really live in that world anymore.
Check out this stream with Peter Semeti from Alterna comics which is one of the new kids on the block set to capitalize on this massive shakeup. You'll notice that not only is Peter not worried, he's quite happy, and he lays out the business model that's already proving itself in this new era.
Self-publishing is indeed the way forward. Now that Diamond is out, and store owners don't have to play by their rules anymore, they are free to tackle distribution and printing themselves. Peter goes over how he's been doing it and how much better it really is than the old Diamond model.
On demand printing for something like comics is harder than it looks. It turns out ink is very finicky and can’t be allowed to sit for long. This is why most small presses will only print in black and white or like 3 colors at very low DPI. The returns the scale for large scale printing are pretty high.
Plus you gotta count on point of sale people not cheaping out and using inferior inks or paper or simply not being very good at collating or binding.
Surely yet another massive, universe-wide event—whose entire story is obsessed with picking through decades of continuity—will do the trick right?
We’ll just make sure you have to spend $15 a week in new issues to actually be able to follow the plot. Genius! They’ll be kicking in the doors!
Amen. I won't be missing that madness even if they will be missing my money. ;)