Steve Geppi Responds To Dark Horse Penguin Random House Exclusivity

Bleeding Cool just ran the news that Dark Horse Comics was joining Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing, in going exclusive with Penguin Random House Publsihing Services for the direct market of comic book shops and bookstores, to begin in June 2023.

Steve Geppi, founder of Diamond Comic Distributors and CEO of Geppi Family Enterprises, to whom Dark Horse Comics had been exclusive for almost thirty years, and distributed by them for closer to forty years, wanted to remind us that Diamond will still be exclusively distributing Dark Horse merchandise.

“Dark Horse has been our valued partner for close to thirty years and we are pleased that Diamond remains a key source for Dark Horse comics and graphic novels to the Direct Market domestically and internationally.”

“We are also pleased to maintain our role as distributor of Dark Horse merchandise worldwide.  It is important to note that while Dark Horse is an established name in the industry, the expected impact of this change to Diamond’s Dark Horse direct market sales represents only approximately 1% of Diamond’s top line sales inclusive of comics, games, merchandise, and pop culture items. We are so much more than just comic book distribution!”

“Diamond and all the Geppi Family Enterprises companies have worked strategically and successfully to diversify over the years, with our most recent example being the launch of Overstreet Access, an online subscription comic collection management platform and price guide. I remain proud of the role Diamond plays in the industry and steadfast in my commitment to the Direct Market. I look forward to our continued service of the Direct and book markets as well as the continued growth of the GFE portfolio of companies.”

Image Comics is Diamond Comic Distributors’ largest comic book publisher still, is there any chance they will also move? There has been a much stronger exclusive bond between those two publishers, while others such as Dynamite, Boom, Frank Miller Presents, AfterShock, Titan and Ablaze have been solidifying their arrangement, while Ahoy, Oni Press, Scout Comics and others have chosen to be distributed by both Diamond and Lunar.