Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Diamond Comic Distributors -
It's Not Personal, It's Business(?)
Yesterday, Tom Spurgeon's excellent web site, The Comics Reporter, reported an interesting
controversy involving Claypool Comics and Diamond Comic Distributors. Apparently, last fall Diamond informed Claypool that its comics were no longer meeting minimum sales standards and that Claypool would have to work harder to sell more copies or face no longer being carried by Diamond. The last time a Claypool comic book was on the top 300 list was January, 2005, when Elvira #141 sold 780 copies. On July 31st, Claypool announced that it is discontinuing its print comic books (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Soulsearchers, and Deadbeats) and putting Deadbeats on the web. Spurgeon makes some excellent points about Diamond's virtually total domination of the market. But a very interesting conversation is on Peter David's web site. David wrote and co-owns Soulsearchers, and 
many people joined in denouncing Diamond (although David blames another group as well). Matthew Hawes, owner of COMICS UNLIMITED in Evanston, Indiana, has several informed responses to David and others about the state of the comic book industry, how Diamond is a danger in more ways than one, and how Marvel, D.C., Dark Horse, and Image are complicit in the shenanigans. David Van Domelen writes, "Hardly the first publisher Diamond has killed off, but probably the biggest and longest lived." Craig J. Ries writes, "Some will blame Claypool. I can't do that, because I don't think every comic should have to sell like the big boys to survive."
Speaking of blame, there's an article from the now-defunct British Ninth Art web sitewritten just after Claypool's first warning from Diamond was announced last fall. Author Paul O'Brien looks at the other side of the coin and has some cogent points about how Claypool seemed to have made little effort to reach out to potential new readers.
But my favorite two lines come from Spurgeon, who writes, "One thing I find slightly ridiculous is that despite its position as the market, Diamond seems to still be working some angles as if it were one agent among many in a freewheeling, complex distribution and sales landscape." He finishes up his mini-editorial with, "What should concern us isn't whether or not Claypool deserved to be shown the door but if everyone without a major crossover superhero mini-series is being given the best chance to succeed."
It's Not Personal, It's Business(?)
Yesterday, Tom Spurgeon's excellent web site, The Comics Reporter, reported an interesting
controversy involving Claypool Comics and Diamond Comic Distributors. Apparently, last fall Diamond informed Claypool that its comics were no longer meeting minimum sales standards and that Claypool would have to work harder to sell more copies or face no longer being carried by Diamond. The last time a Claypool comic book was on the top 300 list was January, 2005, when Elvira #141 sold 780 copies. On July 31st, Claypool announced that it is discontinuing its print comic books (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Soulsearchers, and Deadbeats) and putting Deadbeats on the web. Spurgeon makes some excellent points about Diamond's virtually total domination of the market. But a very interesting conversation is on Peter David's web site. David wrote and co-owns Soulsearchers, and 
many people joined in denouncing Diamond (although David blames another group as well). Matthew Hawes, owner of COMICS UNLIMITED in Evanston, Indiana, has several informed responses to David and others about the state of the comic book industry, how Diamond is a danger in more ways than one, and how Marvel, D.C., Dark Horse, and Image are complicit in the shenanigans. David Van Domelen writes, "Hardly the first publisher Diamond has killed off, but probably the biggest and longest lived." Craig J. Ries writes, "Some will blame Claypool. I can't do that, because I don't think every comic should have to sell like the big boys to survive."Speaking of blame, there's an article from the now-defunct British Ninth Art web sitewritten just after Claypool's first warning from Diamond was announced last fall. Author Paul O'Brien looks at the other side of the coin and has some cogent points about how Claypool seemed to have made little effort to reach out to potential new readers.
But my favorite two lines come from Spurgeon, who writes, "One thing I find slightly ridiculous is that despite its position as the market, Diamond seems to still be working some angles as if it were one agent among many in a freewheeling, complex distribution and sales landscape." He finishes up his mini-editorial with, "What should concern us isn't whether or not Claypool deserved to be shown the door but if everyone without a major crossover superhero mini-series is being given the best chance to succeed."
# posted by Test_Pilot @ 1:08 AM 
Comments:
<< Home
A few thoughts:
1. The retail end is probaby hurting pretty bad, too. I'm sure Diamond brings that up every time people ask them why they don't carry smaller series.
2. Aren't there laws in this country about monopolies?
3. Claypool should use the publicity from this to set themselves up as a truly competitive online comics company. Someone's going to do it sooner or later, and it won't be those titans of innovation over at DC and Marvel.
Post a Comment
1. The retail end is probaby hurting pretty bad, too. I'm sure Diamond brings that up every time people ask them why they don't carry smaller series.
2. Aren't there laws in this country about monopolies?
3. Claypool should use the publicity from this to set themselves up as a truly competitive online comics company. Someone's going to do it sooner or later, and it won't be those titans of innovation over at DC and Marvel.
<< Home
