We’re STILL catching up on the news post-ComicsPRo but here’s a juicy one that hasn’t been widely reported: the highly respected Canadian graphic novel publisher Drawn & Quarterly is moving to Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS), beginning on September 1, 2026.
The multi-year agreement covers both D&Q’s frontlist and backlist and PRH will distribute them exclusively across all sales channels, including via Penguin Random House Canada for Canada.
D&Q was formerly distributed by FSG (Macmillan) in the US and Ampersand in Canada.
PRHPS is one of the biggest book distributors in the US, and, as we learned at ComicsPRO, they also offer increased visibility to direct market comics shops via the comics distribution arm. Supportive statements:
“We know firsthand the stellar, sincere, and passionate service that PRH provides independent retailers from operating our own full-service bookstore, so we look forward to working with PRH as a client publisher to grow our business across North America and beyond in all markets,” said Peggy Burns, Publisher & Co-Owner, Drawn & Quarterly. “PRH understands that our commitment to our cartoonists is our foremost concern.”
“At the end of 2024, D&Q had five distributors in North America with metadata and shipments going in every direction. PRH will streamline our supply chain from beginning to end,” said Julia Pohl-Miranda, Vice President & Co-Owner, Marketing and Sales. “As an employee-owned publisher whose print runs belie our boutique publisher status, we couldn’t be more excited.”
Rachel Goldstein, Executive Vice President of Penguin Random House Publisher Services, said, “Drawn & Quarterly has been a cornerstone of independent comics publishing for decades, championing extraordinary artists and elevating storytelling in profound ways. Their commitment to creators, booksellers, and readers alike aligns seamlessly with our own values. We’re honored to partner with them and support the next phase of their growth.”
D&Q is known for publishing some of the most honored and significant graphic novels of the modern era, with a lineup that includes Adrian Tomine, Lynda Barry, Nick Drnaso, Kate Beaton, Chester Brown, Aminder Dhaliwal, Jillian Tamaki, Ebony Flowers, Chris Ware, and Seth, as well as international authors including Tove Jansson (Finland); Guy Delisle (France); Tom Gauld (UK); Yoshiharu Tsuge (Japan); Shigeru Mizuki (Japan); Shirato Sanpei (Japan); Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (Korea); Zuo Ma (China); and many more cartoonists from across the globe.
D&Q books have been nominated for the Man Booker Prize, Governor General’s Literary Awards, Giller Prize, NAACP Image Award, Lambda Literary Award, the Story Prize, and many Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz Awards.
