Top US comic brand liquidating after Chapter 7 bankruptcy

3 hours ago 4

Daniel Kline

Sat, December 20, 2025 astatine 5:25 PM CST 5 min read

In a comic book, erstwhile things look bleakest, that's usually erstwhile a leader emerges to prevention the day.

In existent life, however, that does not ever happen. Sometimes, contempt the champion efforts of everyone involved, nary leader emerges, and the time doesn't get saved.

When a institution files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, it risks losing power of its business.

"A cardinal tenet of Chapter 11 is that existent absorption continues to run the institution arsenic the debtor successful possession," wrote Lee Jason Goldberg for Weil Restructuring.

He explained however a institution could suffer power of its business.

"In overseeing the debtor successful possession, the bankruptcy tribunal ensures that the debtor successful possession performs its fiduciary duties. Should the bankruptcy tribunal go convinced that the debtor successful possession is not performing its fiduciary duties, conception 1104(a) of the Bankruptcy Code requires the bankruptcy tribunal to name a section 11 trustee to run the debtor’s concern and negociate its affairs," helium wrote.

The absorption squad astatine Diamond Comics, which filed for bankruptcy backmost successful January, has fundamentally mislaid the religion of the tribunal and its cardinal lender. That has forced the comic publication distributor into a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

<em>Diamond Comics distributed comics to stores.</em>SHutterstock

Largest U.S. comic distributor: Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often Diamond oregon DCD) is the world’s largest distributor of English‑language comics, graphic novels, and related pop‑culture merchandise to specialty retailers.
Founded successful 1982: The institution was founded by Steve Geppi successful Baltimore, Maryland, and grew from a azygous warehouse serving 17 retailers to a large manufacture player.
Wholesale distributor to retail: Diamond does not people comics itself. Instead, it buys from publishers and sells wholesale to retailers specified arsenic comic shops and hobby stores.
Direct marketplace focus: It operates wrong the direct market, a specialty retail strategy chiseled from newsstand oregon bookstore distribution, and supports thousands of retail accounts.
PREVIEWS catalog: Diamond produces the PREVIEWS catalog, a monthly ordering usher retailers usage to bid caller comics, graphic novels, toys, games, and collectibles.
Pop‑culture merchandise: Beyond comics and graphic novels, Diamond besides distributes toys, games, collectibles, and different related merchandise to retail partners.
Global reach: While U.S.‑based, Diamond’s web extends internationally and serves a wide scope of retailers and vendors.
Industry role: For decades, Diamond was the cardinal distributor for astir large publishers, shaping comic availability successful shops (though immoderate publishers person since moved to different distributors).
Source: Diamond Comics