It was a rough weekend for the comics industry, as news spread of many layoffs at Diamond Comics, Diamond Book Distributors and Diamond Select Toys. And the new week dawns with a lot of uncertainty on the docket yet again.
To be clear, Not everyone has been let go from Diamond. Allyn Gibson, one of the head writers for Diamond Previews, posted, “I continue to be employed, and we are deep into the production of July’s issue of PREVIEWS.” Later adding when asked if he was safe, “As I keep telling my mom when she asks, “I don’t know.” (I said “at the moment” one time, and she freaked out.) Also, “I don’t know if I can see light at the end of the tunnel, but I do know I’m closer to the end than I was.” I’m taking it day-by-day. All I can do.”
A Diamond employee who posts as Jill had the termination letter and her own thoughts in a comment here.
And some employees already left. Ashton Greenwood, marketing manager at Diamond left a few weeks ago to join Dover Publications. And Director Of Purchasing at DCD Caitlin McCabe left earlier last week.
Confirmed departures based on mostly Linkedin posting, include Assistant Manager Steve Leaf, who wrote “After 30+ years at Diamond Comic Distributors I am seeking a new role and would appreciate your support. If you hear of any opportunities or just want to catch up, please send me a message or comment below. I’d love to reconnect.”
Rich Johnson, VP of sales and business development at Diamond Books confirmed he was let go along with sales manager Stuart Carter and associate director Terry Helman.
The sale of Diamond Comics was finalized today and few minutes after the press release went out my sales team and I (Stuart Carter and Terry Helman) were let go. Several others at Diamond were let go and my heart goes out to everyone affected. I am open to work and consulting.
Later a statement from vp of client services at DBD Emily Botica -who just a few weeks ago posted on LinkedIn that she was open to work – confirmed that she and two other employees remain at DBD, marketing manager Ashley Kronsberg, and Thomas Sadowski.
The shutdown of Diamond Select Toys seems to be even more sweeping – Gentle Giant, a separate toy brand at Diamond, was much smaller and hasn’t been mentioned, but one would assume it is also done. A now private posting by a former Diamond employee reported that all staff was let go. A post at Toy News International confirms this with a bit more information:
UPDATE: I have been able to confirm through several retailers that they have been informed DST is being shut down. It’s still not clear what will happen with open pre-orders but the general consensus from folks I have talked to is that they will be canceled.
Zach Oat, the marketing supervisor at DST confirmed his own departure:
I’m sure by now everyone has heard about the layoffs at Diamond Comics/Diamond Select Toys. Well, I was one of them. 14 years as Marketing Supervisor for DST, on the nose. I’m now open to work, and while I’d love to stay in the toy industry, preferably in a marketing role, I am also an experienced web editor (TV Without Pity), magazine editor (ToyFare) and copy editor (since I was 16). I also dabble in photography. More on that later…
It may be surprising to some that DST has been shut down since the buyer, Ad Populum, owns several toy companies already including NECA and WizKids, and the business would seem to be a natural fit. However, Ad Populum could just be taking over the licenses and transferring them to NECA, at least the ones that can be transferred.
Another matter of some concern is Diamond Comics Suite, their POS system, and Pullbox, a system to take preorders from customers. Reportedly, all the tech people for Pullbox are gone, and words of warning have gone out on social media:
Mavericks Comics wrote: “Diamond recently announced that they have laid off all their technical support staff for Pullbox. It is possible that it will stop functioning in the near future. Rest assured your file will continue with us, but we may need to find alternate ways of tracking orders.”
A longer post on FB from Route 66 Comics & Collectibles gives a larger view how doing business with Diamond is not feasible for them any more, given six months of delayed shipping:
Very Important Announcement for Pre-order and Pullbox Customers. Read all the way through.
Diamond Comic Distributors issues continue. Diamond has been officially sold. Some places are reporting large layoffs as the new owners restructure. We have still not received an on time Diamond shipment since late last year. The majority of our shipments, when they arrive, have 50% or higher damages. Due to the situation and the reported layoffs that may make operations even more difficult, we will no longer be offering any Diamond exclusive publishers and products. We are not ordering from Diamond anymore, starting with the current FOC. The only publishers that seem to be affected are Dynamite and American Mythology. Maybe some much smaller publishers as well.
How will this work? If you order via our FOC collections on the website, Diamond based publishers will no longer appear. If you have subscriptions or preorders on Pullbox, they will be canceled, starting with issues on this weeks FOC. Those publishers will then be hidden, so you will be unable to start new subscriptions or place new preorders for those publishers and products.
We are also looking for a new Pullbox service to replace Previews World Pullbox. Diamond has decided not to list Mad Cave on Previews World or on Pullbox. If you had a subscription for any Mad Cave title, please contact us so we can verify order quantities since it has likely been removed from the pullbox system.
If you have any questions, dont hesitate to call, message, email, or stop into the store.
Thank you for all the support! We hope better times in distribution are ahead so we can get the books you want into your hands.
Paul Levitz, writer of many touching obituaries on his own FB page, added one for the Diamond Era:
Sad to see the end of Diamond Comics as we knew it, and the disruption to the lives of good people and old colleagues like Rich Johnson, Chris Powell and I’m sure many folks whose work made my life possible without my ever knowing them. When we set up the now-ended model of comic shop distribution 30 years ago, the goals of my team were based on stakeholder theory: that companies have obligations to all their stakeholders, not only their shareholders. We changed a lot to benefit DC Comics, but also to try to build the comics ecosystem better for retailers and readers. Some of it worked, some didn’t, and our vision of the field’s future was at best, incomplete. But we made choices to keep the channel open for a wide range of content, for new entries, and to work towards a healthy world filled with comics and graphic novels. Many people’s lives were disrupted then too, with distributors closing and warehouses shuttered. But for all the imperfections and frustrations, the result allowed our field to grow for many years.
I hope the new folks at the table approach the future with concern and respect for our ecosystem and the comics themselves, and that the people whose lives are being impacted find new roles that satisfy them and keep them in our community.
And what will that future be? I’ve said this several times over the last few months but the only reason why Diamond going out of business hasn’t brought the comics industry down in flames along with it is that….people saw the handwriting on the wall last fall. Most publishers and retailers had moved away already, or had contingency plans. This has been a slow moving train wreck. But so many questions remain, and businesses continue to be affected.
We’ve sent out some emails and at some point new forward looking statements will be coming. And our tip line is always open: heidi at comicsbeat.com.
A, “Slow moving trainwreck,” indeed. Thanks for the update!