DC and Diamond Are Now Trying to at Least be Amicable

Most folk who read comics are aware that DC announced somewhat abruptly last week they were going to quit offering their comic-books through Diamond Comic Distributors and instead utilize two shipping companies of their own for individual comics and Penguin for trade paperbacks to bookstores and such. It was quite abrupt, with Diamond basically saying at the end of June they were done with Diamond. Well, DC and Diamond have managed to come to an agreement that is a little less, "I'm taking my shit and leaving NOW," and a little more, "Let's agree to break-up slowly over the year so things aren't quite as insane," or as Image called DC, "Sociopathic."

Basically, Diamond will be able to still distribute new product to UK retailers through the rest of 2020, and in the United States Diamond can sell DC trade paperbacks with a FOC/final order cutoff of June 1st through December 22nd as well as any individual comics that are reordered and are still in stock until July 31st. This gives everyone just a little more breathing room, which is good. DC chose to spring this on us all in the middle of a mother-loving pandemic where some comic stores are not even open yet, after all; even if many people were fed-up with Diamond it is debatable if DC should have made these moves now. At least they are taking things a bit more methodically than it at first appeared, which should help make things less stressful for...basically everyone, really. Diamond, retailers, and DC itself all benefit from DC slowing its roll.