Dark Horse Comics has introduced that they’ve entered an unique settlement with Penguin Random House to distribute single-issue comics, graphic novels, and manga to the direct market. The multi-year settlement, which expands an current deal that has had PRH distribute Dark Horse graphic novels and manga since 2013, kicks off on June 1st, 2023. Retailers can order new and backlist single-issue titles straight from PRH, or proceed to get them organized via Diamond, who will carry them as a wholesaler.
In an announcement saying the settlement, Dark Horse Comics President Mike Richardson and PRH Publisher Services President Jeff Abraham each expressed their enthusiasm on the transfer:
Dark Horse Founder and CEO Mike Richardson stated, “It’s an exciting time for the industry, and our move to Penguin Random House for Direct Market distribution comes after our successful partnership in bookstore distribution. Random House will help us expand our reach to retailers and fans around the globe.” Richardson added, “Diamond Distribution has been a key partner for Dark Horse for nearly thirty years. As we move on to this next stage in our company’s growth, we want to say thanks to Steve Geppi, Chuck Parker, and the Diamond team, and while we will be moving our comics distribution to Penguin Random House, it is important to note that our products will still be available through Diamond as well.”
Jeff Abraham, President of Penguin Random House Publisher Services, stated, “We are incredibly proud of our long-standing partnership with Dark Horse, and are excited to reach new heights with this expansion. We’ve grown together in an ever-evolving retail landscape for graphic storytelling, and we see this next step as further commitment to supporting Dark Horse, and our retail partners, well into the future.”
Dark Horse Comics turns into the second writer to take their single-issue distribution completely to Penguin Random House, after Marvel Comics did the identical in 2021. It’s one other blow to Diamond Comics Distributors, who after many years being the only real single-issue distributor has been slowly however steadily dropping publishers following a shutdown of operations in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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