Diamond Comics publisher files for bankruptcy protection A seismic bomb went off in the comics world this morning. My DMs were doing great all day; I had to turn off notifications to finish this post. We will publish a more analytical piece tomorrow, but for now we have gathered some facts from court documents and social media posts.
As one FB commenter said, “It feels like the safety fence is gone” and the comics industry is entering a new phase, the post-Diamond era.
progress:
lunar calendar: The distribution announced that they will be taking FOC orders for Diamond at 1/13, but with a caveat or two. Image Comics is already available through Diamond as a sub-publisher, but it seems unlikely that it will continue.
According to Diamond’s announcement today, Lunar will be accepting late orders for 1/13 Image FOC from customers to fulfill their existing orders with Diamond. Orders placed solely through Diamond will not be fulfilled. All 1/13 orders must be placed through Lunar. Images will be printed against all order numbers received yesterday from all dealers. You must place an updated 1/13 Image order through Lunar before 5:00 pm EST on January 15, 2025 for your order to be protected.
To place an Image 1/13 FOC order, please go to the New Order page. Scroll down on the FOC Deadline filter to find past dates listed. Select 1/13 and type “image” in the publisher search box. Any rate variations above 1/13 FOC will need to be added for you through customer service. Please email your scale change request (including product code and quantity) and any questions to xxxxxxxxx
Filing: Diamond’s bankruptcy filing has been made public and is hundreds of pages long. Of most immediate interest is the list of the top 30 unsecured creditors, led by Penguin Random House with over $9 million. The second company on the list, Bandai, owes less than half that amount, $4.4 million.
Seven creditors are owed more than $1 million, but only one of them is publisher PRH. Most of the companies on the list are toy companies, indicating that the shift toward selling other kinds of goods is in full swing. Other top creditors selling books include
Disney Consumer Products ($1,712,447), Simon & Schuster ($600,144), Lunar Distribution ($496,967), Viz Media ($421,204), Titan Publishing ($357,417), Square Enix ($315,295), Dynamic Forces (Dynamite) $217,317 and Udon Entertainment $202,694. Note that most of these companies also sell toys, so the debt may not all be comics.
Below is the top 30 in tabular form.
company | Unsecured claims |
public housing | $9,202,181 |
herd | $4,438,743 |
NECA | $2,682,994 USD |
Jianjian Mold | $1,811,934 USD |
Todd McFarlane Productions International Airport | $1,734,814 USD |
Disney Consumer Products | $1,712,447 USD |
Hasbro | $1,064,378 |
wizards of the coast | $914,601 |
Beyond Partner Solutions | $843,496 |
Friends | $694,628 |
Simon and Schuster | $600,144 |
Bandai Namco | $576,072 USD |
Moon distribution | $496,967 |
ups | $476,398 |
visual media | $421,204 |
Catalyst Games | $401,483 |
army painter | $386,925 |
We buy | $378,827 |
Titan Publishing Company | $357,417 |
Square Enix | $315,295 |
Microsoft | $307,816 |
The Pokémon Company | $280,375 |
transcontinental | $243,541 |
beast kingdom | $237,903 USD |
Finco | $237,631 |
Publisher Services | $223,140 |
dynamic force | $217,317 |
Pai | $211,331 |
Udon Entertainment | $202,694 USD |
Super 7 | $163,686 |
Some other tidbits from the filing: Diamond lists four subsidiaries that are in the process of merging the filing, diamond comics publishing co., ltd..Diamond Select Toys & Collectibles, LLC, Comic Holdings, Inc. and Comic Exporters, Inc. .
Interestingly, the $41 million loan Diamond received from Chase Bank was financed by The debtor Diamond Select Toys & Collectibles, LLC (“DST”) and non-debtor affiliates Rosebud Entertainment, LLC (“Rosebud”), Game Consolidators, LLC (“Consolidators”) and Renegade Games, LLC (“Renegade”), all The companies listed as guarantors and all the various companies owned in some form by Steve Geppi or his company. For example, Rosebud Entertainment previously published Baltimore Magazine.
There’s a long list of companies affected, but to give you an idea of how many comics publishers will be affected, here’s a list of the “major customers” buying from Diamond:
major customers
2428392, Inc. dba fiscal year
amazon.com
animation extreme corp.
Baker & Taylor Books
Barnes & Noble
Booktopia Direct Pty Ltd (Aviation)
Booktopia Ltd.
Prosperity Entertainment Company
BZ Virtual LLC
Chaos Pop Ltd.
Comics N-Stuff
cosmic comics
bank of washington d.c.
Diamond Select Toys & Collectibles Co., Ltd.
Distribution Universe Corporation
Docside Toys Company
Dynamic Entertainment Ltd.
Entertainment Earth, Inc., a Canadian electronic boutique company
Harrison Comics & Collectibles Heathside Trading Ltd.
heou gmbh
CREATIVE & DESIGN WORKS LIMITED.
image comics
Indigo Books and Music Company
indy comics ltd.
Ingram Book Group LLC
Kadokawa World Entertainment Co., Ltd. Kaiba Co., Ltd.
Killen Consultants Ltd.
lone star comics
Malta Comics and Collectibles Company
Marvel Entertainment Ltd.
Replay Toys LLC
Rosebud Entertainment Ltd.
Source Point Publishing Co., Ltd.
Course Sales LLC
Terminal Distribution Co., Ltd.
Marmaxx Group Ltd.
westfield co.
THG On Demand Ltd.
Things from Another World Company
Torpedo Comics Vintage & Trading Company
Valiant Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Walgreens.
There’s also a list of “consignors,” which includes publishers that have been out of business for some time—Diamond is still selling inventory.
consignor
No. 12 Comics Ltd.
801 Media Company
Ablaze Blue World Co., Ltd. Ablaze Publishing
abstract studio inc.
action lab entertainment inc.
Aftershock Comics Co., Ltd.
Ahoy Comics Co., Ltd.
Aite/Planet Publishing Co., Ltd.
Albatross Funny Book
Alien Books LLC
Alley Cat Games Co., Ltd.
American Myth Productions Ltd.
Antarctic Press
Ape Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Apex Publishing Co., Ltd.
Arcane Miracles Ltd.
Archaia Studio Publishers LLC
Archie Comics Publishing Company
Ares Games Co., Ltd.
Company of Artists, Writers and Craftsmen
Aspen MLT Corporation
Avatar Press
Badass LLC
bandai entertainment co., ltd.
Combat Mission Comics Ltd.
Bedside compression
Behemoth Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Benitez Productions
black mask comics
blackboard press
Blind Sable Entertainment
Prosperity Entertainment Company
Bundoran Press
Burning Wheel Company
Capstone Games Ltd.
Catalyst Gaming Labs LLC
Chaos Corporation
Magazines
Shamrock Press Ltd.
Compass Games Ltd.
Cryptozoology Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Dan Wesson Games
Dark Horse Comics Co., Ltd.
Dave Taylor Miniatures
Da Vinci Editing Company
DC Comics
Desperado Publishing Company
Dex Protection Ltd
Dietz Foundation
Difference Engine Pte Ltd
Digital comic publishing company
Dire Wolf Digital Ltd.
Draco’s Studio
Sweepstakes and Quarterly Magazine
Drinking Exploration/Jason Wiseman
Dstlry Media Company
Dynamic Strength Corporation
Elf Greek Game
cupid comics
Eureka Productions
Fair Square Graphics LLC
vanroer gmbh
Fantagraphics Books
Fiery Studio Ltd.
Folding space food
Frank Miller Gifts Ltd.
GT laboratory
Gamelyn Games Ltd.
Gen Comics Entertainment
Genius Games Ltd.
Golden Key Entertainment
Good Game Publishing Co., Ltd.
Good Trouble Productions Ltd.
Goodman Games Ltd.
Penn State University Press (Graphic Mundi)
graphite design
Green Ronin Press
Gunnier Entertainment
Gut Bustin Games Ltd.
Hammerdog Games LLC
Happy Campers LLC
heavy metal magazine
Hermès Press
Hit Point Publishing Co., Ltd.
humanoid robot company
Hush Project/Dara Studio
IDW Press
Top Productions (IDW Publishing)
image comics
Incredible Dream Studio Ltd.
Independent Cards Ltd.
Fortress Games Ltd.
Joe Books Ltd.
jordan games
Left Aligned Ltd.
Pix’N Love version
Lev Gleason Publications
Lion Forge LLC
Lion Wing Publishing Co., Ltd.
life on the line
Locust Moon Press
Loren Coleman
lucky duck game
Lulu is Rhino LLC
glow game
Crazy Cave Studio
magma comics
Magnetic Printing Machine Company
comic classics inc.
Mantic Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Marvel Entertainment Ltd.
Mass publishing
mayday games
Mount Cook Games
Moonstone Publishing Mr. B Games
NBM publishes web comics
night books
norma editorial
Polaris Gaming Co., Ltd.
nawu games
oni publishing house
Works Comics Ltd.
Passo
Panini UK Ltd.
papekaz co.
Pergamus Press
Penguin Random House, Inc.
original horizon
Quality Books Ltd.
Quest Kids LLC (DBA Treasure Falls Games)
Rabbit Press
radical publishing
Reaper Miniatures
Red Star Entertainment
Renaissance Press
Renegade Game Studios LLC
RENIM LIMITED.
Rolling Combat LLC
S7 games
Scout Comics
sea lion books
seven seas ghost ship
Skyscraper Studios Inc. (DBA Battle Roster)
slave labor graphics
Smirk and Dagger game
Soaring Penguin Press
source games
Source point publishing house
Staborns Industrial Press
Storm King Productions
Sumerian Comics
Twisted Comics (formerly TPub)
Delicious bard game
Teeturtle LLC
third world cinema
army painter
Little Plastic Train Company
tricky game
Titan Comics
tokyo pop music co., ltd.
Cartoon Hound Studio Ltd.
Published tomorrow
Ubisoft Workshop
udon entertainment co., ltd.
college games
Valiant Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Van Ryder Game
Shelter Comics
atlantic wargames
Warlord Games Ltd.
Evil Cow Studios Ltd.
Wearside Press Ltd.
William M Gaines, Inc. (via Gems)
William M. Gaines, Agency
World Forge Pte Ltd
dragon publishing house
Yaoi Press Co., Ltd.
Z2 comics
Zenescope Entertainment
zombie love studio
In short, this change will affect almost no aspect of the comics industry.
A new era begins.
There’s more to come….