I was going to save this until after the #CharacterCreationChallange was over, but in three weeks time I could be lamenting a different part of this saga.
Diamond Comic Distributors, who used to the 800-lb gorilla in the comic book marketplace in the 90's has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Diamond has suffered as the big two comic companies self-distribute, and other companies jump exclusive contracts for de facto self-distribution.
While this affects a lot of independent comic publishers, my main concern is the fate of the subsidiary I mention once a month, Alliance Game Distributors. While they aren't as dominant as the past, the company formed by the merger of Chessex and The Armory in the 90's is just about to celebrate the 300th issue of the monthly game solicitation magazine, Game Trade Magazine. I review the monthly game solicitations from it every month, From Issue #1, when I still worked retail, and beyond, is was and still is, far and away the best solicitation form in the industry,
It appears the Universal distributors out of Canada are making a bid for Alliance. Universal deals with sports and non-sports cards, gaming, hobby, and manga, and manga-related products. I really like the product transparency on their website, but it's also very 2002 internet formatting. If everything goes forward the next few weeks, we'll see what changes are coming down the pike.
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