Marvel's New Deal Could Change the Future of the Comic Book Industry

Marvel Studios has been a pretty hot topic lately with its shows on Disney+ including Wandavision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, along with anticipated releases later this year like Black Widow and Loki.

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Now, however, Marvel Comics is in the spotlight now as they made a big move that could shake up the comic industry as a whole.

For more than 24 years, Marvel Comics were distributed through a partnership with Diamond Comic Distributors. However, that partnership came to an end in March with the announcement that Marvel had signed an exclusive deal with a new distributor, as shared by the Hollywood Reporter.

On March 25th, Marvel announced “a multi-year sales and distribution agreement” with Penguin Random House Publisher Services. The move was made with the intention to grow the comics market, but it’s possible the new deal could do just the opposite.

Individual comic book shops and retailers stand to be affected by this shift in business. Some notable changes include a difference in the actual price retailers are paying for their books — the previous deal with Diamond included a retailer discount of up to 59% off of the cover price, while the standard price across the board with Penguin Random House is 50% off (Marvel issues range between $3.99-$6.99 a book).

Penguin Random House offers free shipping on all orders, which can help to make up the difference in the discount, though since it’s their first time as a single-issue publisher, some retailers are still skeptical of how the new deal will pan out.

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Even though Marvel has an online platform available to buy and read comics, paper comics are still the original, and a huge and necessary part of keeping the Marvel Comics name alive. Breaking away from Diamond will have a huge impact on the company, as Marvel represented 62% of its comic shipments.

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If the impact on Diamond Comic Distributors is especially significant, those effects could ripple out into the rest of the comic industry. Penguin Random House becomes the sole distributor for Marvel in October, so we’ll be on the lookout for updates then. Check back with us for more Marvel updates.