This was just the worst week of news, which is really saying something. So, without further ado, let’s get into the ten things I liked or didn’t like from the week of comics in the latest edition of Comics Disassembled, and it starts in the only place it could.

1. Diamond Comic Distributors, Facing a Setback

Let’s get the big one out of way: Diamond Comic Distributors — the long-time, and for a long time only, comic distributor for the direct market — has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is both a big deal and not much of a surprise, as they’ve been suffering loss after loss in terms of exclusive publishers for a few years now and the business as a whole has been…let’s call it…inconsistent. That was especially true after Diamond had to close its second warehouse a bit quicker than it expected, but it was true of them before.

As noted in this week’s retailer feature I wrote on SKTCHD, this type of bankruptcy is the reorganization variety. That means the distributor is protected from creditors as it tries to save its business by selling off slices of its enterprise, with UK comic distributor Diamond UK likely going to the Canadian comic distributor Universal Distribution as part of all that, amongst other moves. As for what will happen with the actual distribution work Diamond is meant to do, the plan is for shipments to continue as per usual and for Free Comic Book Day to happen as planned, so the immediate impact should be limited. Should.

That doesn’t mean everyone is waiting to find out, of course. It seems that Image Comics is interested in moving on in a hurry, as its distributor Lunar Distribution told retailers that orders will solely go through them, effective(ly) immediately. Diamond apparently is not thrilled about that, so TBD. But that’s a thing. Also a thing is Vault Comics quickly announcing a direct-to-retailer option for those who do not want to deal with a distributor at all (although they’ll still have those regular channels as an option), something that is both very Vault and I believe long in the works. Those aren’t the only things happening, just the ones we know about for now.

I could write a whole lot here about my thoughts on this, but because this is such a big deal and because it’s something that’s worth digging into, consider this a holding story that says, “Hey, I’m going to come back to this.” There will be a larger story on SKTCHD soon, one where I explore this to the degree it deserves, and with hopefully more insight gathered into what’s happening and what this all means. It’s likely to be either next week or the one that follows, but I’ll do my best to point you in that direction when it hits. That said, if you’d like a further explainer about what’s happening and Diamond’s history, I thought this piece at the School Library Journal by Brigid Alverson was a great walkthrough.

Let me close this abbreviated write-up with this. I know a lot of people have celebrated the downfall of Diamond, and that’s perhaps understandable to some degree. I also know the focus has mostly been on what this means for everyone else. But what’s worth remembering during all this is that even if you don’t like the idea of Diamond, there are still people there who depend on them for a job, people who do do the best job they can every day. As imperfect as they are as a company, they’re still comprised of people, many of whom are at risk now because of decisions and actions they had no part in. That’s a bummer, and I hope they all find solutions sooner rather than later.

2. Tariffs, Being Explored

Speaking of nightmarish things for the comic industry, Gina Gagliano wrote a fantastic feature this week for The Comics Journal about what impact possible tariffs on goods imported into America could have on comic publishers. If you’ve missed it so far, the incoming administration for the country has decided tariffs are the way to solving all the country’s economic problems, and those would be on all imported goods with some extra special layers of fun on those that come from China. Unfortunately, a great many comics are printed outside of America, and a whole lot of paper comes from outside of America as well. So, uh, that’s not great for the comic industry!

Gagliano drills into exactly how not great it is, with publishers ranging from Vault and Fantagraphics to Silver Sprocket and Bulgilhan Press chiming in with their perspective. There’s a lot of players involved, and it’s a dense piece. But if you have any interest in what the impact of these tariffs could be on the comic industry, there’s no better place to find out. Gagliano kills it.