Diamond Comics Distributors has shut down shipping comic books out to stores for the immediate future due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic…
The comic book industry is taking a major hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, Diamond Comics Distributors informed publishers that it would no longer be accepting new books into their warehouse as companies around the globe attempt to slow down the spread of COVID-19. Diamond serves as the exclusive distributor for almost every major comic book publisher in the industry including Marvel, DC, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Boom Studios and Dynamite Publishing.
Diamond will plan to ship books already in their warehouse through April 1 but even that decision may change as the growing pandemic shuts down more and more businesses across the United States. As of now, Diamond will no longer accept any new books into their warehouse from any publisher.
The news comes at a critical time for many comic book stores, who have already been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. With people urged to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel, comic book stores were already seeing a decrease in sales over the past couple of weeks.
Many states have issued lockdowns where non-essential businesses have been ordered to shut down with people not allowed to travel out unless it’s for things like groceries or visiting a doctor.
There’s no word on how soon Diamond may begin distributing comic books again or what the reaction will be from publishers.
Many outlets such as Marvel already sell books digitally through services such as Comixology but the release date always coincides with the physical copies of the books landing in retail stores. Now those books will no longer be shopped, it remains to be seen if Marvel, DC and other publishers decide to move forward with only digital copies of issues or the entire industry comes to a stand still while waiting the coronavirus pandemic to end.
