In this week’s episode of Off Panel, the founder and CEO of ICv2, Milton Griepp, joins the show for a look at the state of the comic industry. Griepp discusses his time in comic book distribution, what it used to be like, the positives and negatives of Diamond being the sole distributor, whether he considered leaving comics after selling Capital City, the growth of geek culture, where the Direct Market is today, the biggest problem facing the Direct Market, reader diversification, Marvel and DC’s latest moves, where the book market fits, whether periodicals are dying, why digital has plateaued, the overall health of comics, and more.

You can find Griepp on ICv2, his site about the business of geek culture.

You can download the show directly here on Libsyn.

Off Panel now has a Patreon! Support the show and earn some rewards by backing the podcast on there.

Thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Radio vs. the Martians! Mike Gillis and Casey Doran host the Radio vs. the Martians! podcast, a show that gathers their funniest, smartest friends once a month for a deep dive into science fiction, video games, horror, comics, movies, and everything in-between. So far, they’ve dissected topics like Superman, Steven Spielberg, Akira, George Lucas, Zombies, Twin Peaks, Hayao Miyazaki, James Bond, Watchmen, and whether drivers are required to pull over for the Ghostbusters. Find this podcast and its spin-off show, Podcasta la Vista, Baby! a celebration of the films of thespian and statesman Arnold Schwarzenegger, on iTunes, Stitcher and their website.

And thanks to this episode’s other sponsor, Impact Theory Comics. Impact Theory Comics is a new, independent publisher, and they’re releasing their first comic…Neon Future. Neon Future is a collaboration with world famous DJ/Producer Steve Aoki, and it’s written by the Eisner award winning writer of Justice, Jim Krueger, with artists Neil Edwards of Fantastic Four fame and Jheremy Raapack delivering the visuals and building the world. Want a first look at the book and Neil and Jheremy’s art? Give Impact Theory a follow on Instagram at @ITcomics.

Thanks to my patrons, including – but not limited to – Julio Anta, Greg Peterson, Gus, Andrew Scott, Brett A. Schmidt, Jason Goodmanson, Johan Barrander, Paul Reinwand, Connor Farner, Vita Ayala, Jay D’Ici and Matt G. Gagnon, Aditya Bidikar, Tara Ferguson, Dave Slusher, Ciaran Marcantonio, WMQ Comics, Akylle, Greg Lockard, Kokaachi, Phil White, Ben Becker, Shaun Pinello, Kent Heidelman, Phillip Sevy, Al Ewing, Ryan Alcock, Nick Michelin, David Kelley, Robert Wilson IV, Nick Poleto, Dylan Campbell, Eoin McCready, Brenden Fletcher, Gary Moloney, Matthew Groom, Jason Nassi, Adam Bogert, Xavier Files, Maria Schweitzer, Matthew Taylor, Tyler Turner, Nick Pitarra, Jacob Sareli, Ford Gilmore, David Baroldy, Evan Blasor, Brian McCray, Ira James Udaskin, Modern Magic Stories, Nick Hall, Bruno Batista, Bobby Angus, Bjorn Basen, John Hendrick, Steve Anderson, Phil Knall, Ian Maxfield, Cliff Chiang, Benjamin Schipper, Colin McMahon, Chris Palmer, Maxwell Schmidt, Scott McGovern, Nathan Fairbairn, Cat McKenzie, Lou Iovino, Nicholas Keslake, Greg Rucka, Adam Highfill, Nicholas Gardner, Andrew Corrigan, Fiona Staples, Chris Morris, Chris O’Hollaran, Mark Abnett, Mike Murphy, Michael Shirley, Tom Barnett, Jim Demonakos, Norbert, Nick Lowe, James Kaplan, and Mission: Comics and Art in San Francisco. You’re all the best.

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Header image is from the former comic book shop, Rising Sun Comics. Intro music is Vulfpeck’s Outro from their album Vollmilch. Thanks to the band for letting me use the track.