In this photo illustration, vintage Spider Man and X-Men Marvel comic books are seen at St. Mark’s Comics August 31, 2009 in New York City.
Marvel and DC Comics have made announcements they would not be releasing any new comics for the beginning of April. For Marvel this also affects digital releases, though DC Comics will only be limiting some of their digital releases. President of Entertainment at Marvel, Dan Buckley, released a statement explaining their situation to retailers. As industries across the globe deal with the COVID-19 Pandemic, Diamond Comic Distributors announced they would stop shipping comics to retailers. Diamond Comic holds exclusive distribution rights for most of the biggest comic book publishers in the market.
Print media is such a major facet of the industry and the current pandemic is taking it's toll economically on all sides of business. Local comic book shops were already suffering and this will only go to further degrade their ability to survive. It's unlikely that distributors will elect to release their comics digitally due to how integral print sales are.
Dan Buckley had this to say in his statement to retailers and the community,
"To all our partners in the retailer community,
Thank you for all your notes, discussions, and the absolute resolve we have heard and seen from you over the past weeks. This situation has been challenging for everyone, and the safety and well-being of you, your families, and your communities continue to be at the front of our minds.
As you know, unfortunately there will not be any new print titles available at your shops this week. Marvel will also not be releasing any new comic book titles digitally on April 1. This is a fluid situation with details changing every day, so we appreciate your patience and understanding as we all navigate our way through this. As soon as more information is available, we will outline our longer-term plans and opportunities to support you and the industry.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please continue to reach out and share your feedback. Revised release dates for our April 1 titles will be shared in the coming weeks."
Dan Buckley
In the meantime, you can help your local comic book shop by pre-ordering comics via phone. Stay home and stay safe. When the COVID-19 crisis is under control, you'll have a whole library of comics waiting for you to pick up.
