I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but it’s a strange time in the comics industry. That’s most notably true for the direct market, the comic shop-centric section of the space. These famed purveyors of comics and graphic novels have had a tough time of late, a subject that roared into the conversation recently. Takes were inescapable, whether they were simply hot or absolutely scalding, and the discourse fluctuated wildly between enlightening and infuriating.

To be honest: It’s been a lot.

It’s also a subject I’ve covered quite often, whether that’s from the perspective of retailers, creators, or even readers themselves. While that’s a broad range, it’s necessary because this situation is complex in a way that’s often ignored. It’s much easier to boil the position the direct market finds itself in down to pet problems and soundbites. Unfortunately, it’s considerably more nuanced than that. With so many stakeholders involved, each of whom have different (and often competing) wants and needs, getting varied viewpoints on the subject was necessary.

There’s one major group that’s been left out of the examination so far, 10 though, and we’ll be changing that today. It’s the publishers. These houses that release the comics and graphic novels sold within the direct market are an essential part of all this, acting as the arguable fulcrum point from which the rest of the space rotates around. Some have suggested they’re oblivious to the problems at hand. The truth is, they’re keenly aware that this could prove to be a transformational moment for the direct market.

“I think it’s safe to say that we are currently in the midst of the kind of generational shift that seems to grip the industry every 20 to 30 years,” emphasized Hunter Gorinson, the Publisher and President of Oni Press.

Now, just to be up front, not everyone was eager to talk. But some were, with participants offering perspective on this moment in time for the direct market and the publishing houses themselves. We couldn’t cover everything, of course. This is a huge topic with a staggering list of contributing factors. 11 But I thought it might be valuable to get their view on what’s going on, so today, we’ll be doing just that, as publishers offer insight on the direct market environment, some of the pain points for retailers these days, and, perhaps most importantly, what they’re doing to manage the situation on their end.