Less than a year after DC Comics' shocked the industry by cutting ties with Diamond Comics Distributors, Marvel Comics is making a similar transition. Marvel announced plans to shift its direct market distribution to Penguin Random House as part of "a multi-year partnership."Starting on October 1, Penguin Random House will begin distributing Marvel's monthly comics and graphic novels to comic shops. Hachette Book Group will continue to handle distribution to the bookstore market.
“Marvel’s entire history is built on telling great stories. And as we’ve seen for decades, those stories go hand in hand with equipping the comic shops who share them. Marvel and Penguin Random House stand by that vision, and we are excited to build and expand those opportunities for our talent, retailers, and fans,” said Marvel Entertainment President Dan Buckley in a press release. “Comics are the core of the Marvel Universe, and we are confident this new partnership will continue to grow and evolve this resilient industry. We look forward to advancing our capabilities with PRHPS to serve our fans and the Direct Market. We thank Diamond for their many years of support and partnership as we continue our relationship with them in other areas.”
IGN reached out to Marvel, and the company confirms there are no immediate changes expected in terms of cover prices or Marvel's digital comics distribution. Marvel is also sticking to the traditional Wednesday release schedule for new comics.
There is one significant difference where retailers are concerned, however. Whereas DC cut ties with Diamond completely in 2020, Marvel is still giving store owners the option to order comics through Diamond. However, in those cases Diamond will now act as a wholesaler rather than a distributor.
That's a potential ray of light for Diamond, a company that held a near-monopoly on direct market distribution until DC's split in 2020. Diamond had been Marvel's exclusive direct market distributor since 1997, following Marvel's failed attempt at self-distribution via Heroes World. Like many companies, Diamond has struggled to deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company was forced to suspend distribution for several weeks in March 2020 and postpone Free Comic Book Day 2020. Marvel's transition toward Penguin Random House may raise new concerns about Diamond's long-term future, echoing those raised by former DC president Diane Nelson in 2020.
In response to a Facebook post from retailer Brian Hibbs, Nelson wrote, "I can say purely as a private individual that Diamond has, for a long time, been unwilling or unable to modernize and support and grow the biz as needed for a healthy direct channel. And may not even be solvent. It would be imprudent for any publisher to not have a distribution contingency plan."The Best Comics of the Decade (2010 – 2019)However, Diamond's chairman, president and CEO Steve Geppi downplayed the potential impact of this change in a statement.
"The change Marvel announced today represents a behind-the-scenes shift in how Diamond interacts with Marvel for certain products, but does not impact our ability to supply our customers with Marvel comics, trades, and graphic novels," Geppi wrote. "I expect the discount terms under which our retail partners order these Marvel products to change, and Diamond will communicate that information to our customers well in advance of any adjustments. While there are still details of this new arrangement to work through, my leadership team and I are committed to making this supply change as operationally seamless as possible for our retail partners and we look forward to our continued distribution of Marvel products."
Whatever long-term impact Marvel's move may have on the industry, one thing is clear. Diamond is far from the only game in town in 2021.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.