DSTLRY hits the pause button

As we’ve been noting over the last few weeks, a year after the Diamond bankruptcy we’re seeing a lot of publishers still adjusting to the year of turmoil. DSTLRY joined the list with an announcement that they are putting their publishing program on pause. This follows over a year of distributor disarray in which DSTLRY went from Lunar to Diamond (one of the last Diamond exclusives) to PRH. They write:

Last year unfortunately brought more hurdles than consistency. Our distributor, Diamond, filed for bankruptcy, derailing our publishing schedule and preventing us from shipping our titles to the direct market (to name a few of the effects). DSTLRY books are now distributed by Penguin Random House to comic shops and the book market, a big step forward, but the transition created release gaps and added complexity to how and when books reach shelves.

All of these obstacles, and our commitment to release these books with the thought and resources they deserve, have led us to this moment where we need to take a short pause in publishing. Not because creators are behind (many issues are done or nearly complete), but because publishing is more than than releasing inspired stories. Good publishing entails the right strategy for timing, marketing, printing, and distribution. And we want to make sure these books land with the impact they deserve.

Books that are on hold for now:

• City Beneath Her Feet #3
• Endeavour #3
• Galactic #2
• Mischief of Magpies #1
• White Boat #3

The statement noes that the titles are paused not cancelled, with the break giving them time to “regroup, reset, and return with a more stable, consistent publishing rhythm.” In addition, DSTLRY hopes to schedule several previously titles as they regroup. 

DSTLRY had a splashy launch in 2023 run by industry veterans David Steinberger and Chip Mosher, with books by industry heavyweights including Jock, Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, Chip Zdarsky, Tula Lotay, Becky Cloonan and many more in an oversized format that spotlighted the art. Cloonan and Lotay’s Somna won the Eisner for Best New Series in 2024. 

While DSTLRY is on hiatus, another Steinberger/Mosher venture, the digital comics platform Neon Ichiban, is very much in business, with the website portal going live recently, and new digital comics on sale every week.