As we’ve reported for some time, the biggest impact of Diamond’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is likely to be on smaller publishers who specialize in periodical-format comics and have no other distribution options. American Mythology is one such small comics publisher, and was perhaps one of the first to announce that they might not survive this crisis.
The founder of American mythology is Michael Bernstein As a teenager, he published works such as The Three Stooges, Stargate Atlantis, and The Pink Panther, with creators including James Kuhorik, Mark Whitley etc. Their latest offering includes a public domain spin-off of Night of the Living Dead. Not a star player, but part of the ecosystem. They signed a deal with Diamond back in 2016.
In case you missed the news – Diamond Comic Distributors – the store that supplies comic books to retail stores has filed for bankruptcy. They won’t pay publishers for about two months worth of books. They shipped them to stores and now are out of money, awaiting bankruptcy assessment. Best case scenario, some of the money will be repaid at some point in the future. The worst that happens is that it just disappears. Leaving many publishers – including American Mythology – to incur huge printing and creative costs.
The truth is – we don’t know if we’re going to survive this. Not only can it be used for immediate expenses, but it can also be used for future distribution to comic shops after Diamond is completely bankrupt. We have contacted other publishers, but no one is looking for small publishers to add to their distribution roster. We were Diamond Exclusive, and now we’re facing a world where we may not have access to comic stores in the future.
We’re doing everything we can to get through this and keep making your favorite horror comics. But only time will tell. Our first hurdle was that we had to pay our bills immediately with no income.
Some fans asked how they could help. This means a lot to us. We know that everyone has their own problems in life. That you would consider helping us survive means everything. The best way to help is to tell friends and comic book or horror fans about our books and direct them to the online store. Any orders placed directly will be paid directly to the printers and creators we work with.
Thank you for your support and enthusiasm for our comics. We couldn’t do it without you!
As mentioned, this is just the first in a series of smaller comics publishers that may be struggling due to Diamond’s debt. We’ve reached out to others to get a fuller picture. You may not be a fan of American Mythology, but they pay some people’s bills and if they do have to close, that’s a loss.
