I live in Baltimore and we've been dealing with Diamond longer than everyone else. Back in the 80s, when Geppi had stores, local stores would get shorted on orders, but his stores got their orders and more. When Superman #75 came out, I was in his store as they got almost 300 copies of that issue. Only good thing was that people drove out to the warehouse to pick up their books. Diamond took advantage of their monopoly by not evolving and innovating with the times.
@maxmazzotti665112 сағат бұрын
Is that issue the one where he dies at Doomsday’s hands
@billybarnett28469 сағат бұрын
@@maxmazzotti6651 Yes
@LeoScott8152 сағат бұрын
I really hated Geppi's World. I never got a good feeling being in there. But yes, I agree with you.
@reze0n13 сағат бұрын
The sad part is that this is a completely self-inflicted problem for the industry. The core reason the industry is in its current state is that everyone in decision making positions has been so complacent and resistant to even humoring the idea of improving and modernizing any part of the industry. This is a top to bottom problem, from publishers all the way down to the shop owners, everyone involved seems to be completely allergic to doing anything but the bare minimum and then act shocked when their negligence comes back to bite them. If they had been adapting and evolving with the times in small incremental steps it would have been relatively easy and affordable, but now we are at the point where nearly everything is going to need to be overhauled at great cost for them to survive.
@SparrowAaron6 сағат бұрын
If you try to make things better, you’re going to upset Brian Hibbs. And the industry can’t have THAT!
@O_G_HELLBOY13 сағат бұрын
The issues with Diamond goes as far back as the 1980s. In the 80s I managed one of the largest stores in Florida. At the time there were 2 distributors, Diamond and Capital City. We were having so many problems with damaged and unfulfilled orders with Diamond that we switched to Capital City. It was night and day! Our Capital City rep called us twice a week to make sure our needs were being met, damages dropped to almost none, and we received books on time or early. Unfortunately, Capital City ended up being bought out by Diamond and here we are.
@SparrowAaron6 сағат бұрын
I worked in a store in the easily 90’s and Capital City was FAR superior.
@oldschooltommyim3 сағат бұрын
Yep
@PlaugeDoctor-do1vg13 сағат бұрын
Love that a video comes out exactly when it’s break time
@Wes_From_TC13 сағат бұрын
I try to release my videos at the same time every day. Not always successful.
@GeekpinEnt8 сағат бұрын
Need to hear from Dennis Berger. He was Diamond's biggest hater. Every year at the Diamond Summit he makes a scene & complains about Diamond's service. I forgot what year it was but the best one was at the dinner where he throws a diamond box full of comics on top of the stage. The Diamond rep was like whats this? It was a damaged comics he received that year. He declared he was done selling new comics.
@MrEdWeirdoShow10 сағат бұрын
During the '60s and '70s, the big two bought their own paper and ink supplies in secret, then later claimed they had to raise prices due to the "rising price of raw materials." So why didn't they likewise buy and run two major distribution companies? Goodness knows they both had millions to invest.
@john-zi9su10 сағат бұрын
Great business observation from Jim Lee. I wonder if he can apply that same common sense business acumen to his leadership of DC Comics.
@MichaelHennen-p4v7 сағат бұрын
This
@OldManXanditz13 сағат бұрын
I'm FREAKING 100% with you guys! I would go even further: The state of comics nowadays is also greatly because of this stupid Diamond's monopoly!
@danalvin11842 сағат бұрын
How many stores that tanked in recent years spent crazy amounts of money on inflated shipping rates for damaged unsellable product???
@InfamyOrDeath-__-13 сағат бұрын
Wes can you do a video where Aaron just plays with his toys? I want to see him doing sound effects and making up little stories and he makes the characters fight. “Take this Starscream”, “Nooo Megatron!! I’m your loyal servant!!” “Pew pew….pew pew”.
@AL-ws5yi8 сағат бұрын
I’d watch that. Lol
@SparrowAaron6 сағат бұрын
This made my day. 😂
@inadisguise982413 сағат бұрын
I knew Diamond was done when they has to shutdown during pandemic. It showed they had no capital or credit and were running on fumes, even though they basicly had a monopoly on distribution, they had no plan if there was even a small disruption.
@lk818111 сағат бұрын
I hope that AC Comics did not have alot of money owed to them from Diamond. I don't want to see them to go under because of Diamond's idiocy.
@Tom-l5c8f11 сағат бұрын
Let’s not forget Diamond admitted to overcharging retailers on shipping for decades. Diamond said they used the overcharged fees to offset “ other expenses like rent “.
@comicslinger11 сағат бұрын
They used some of that overcharged revenue to buy an office building!
@corriedebeer79911 сағат бұрын
@@Tom-l5c8f now PRH has shipping included in the price.
@aqdrobert13 сағат бұрын
M: No, Agent 007. Diamond is not forever.
@Exar_Kun5 сағат бұрын
Dude this guest is fucking awesome! Absolutely love Thinking Critical good sir! It’s such a shame there aren’t that many great comic channels that talk about the things you do Wes.
@natemachado911313 сағат бұрын
Oh boy, so Jim made one right call in his tenure. Never mind the dozens of other bad calls for the DC Comics line he has made. I'll call this a wash for him. WTF20.
@Halfrican-Jones13 сағат бұрын
Boys are back in town🎉
@gevdarg10 сағат бұрын
Leaders recognize the moments they are in. Apparently, Geppi didn't recognize any of the moments he was in. This was a LONG time coming. LONG time.
@arthurtripp69227 сағат бұрын
When Dimond moved.its warehouse. Out of New York it became hard to get credit or reorders. Was a dealer from 1969 to 2005 it was at one time.
@toomieornot2me43611 сағат бұрын
Stephenson should talk. That guy...waiting for his Gaiman moment any day now.
@MandatoryReporter201512 сағат бұрын
10:00 “Diamond could not compete” was the reason the court sided with Geppi decades ago.
@lk818111 сағат бұрын
Geippi made the cardinal mistake when you have a monopoly. He pissed off one of his two biggest suppliers and gave them a reason to look elsewhere. Good riddance to this blight on the comics industry and all the suck ups like Hibbs and Heidi MacDonald and the rest.
@ZUGTFO2 сағат бұрын
As an Independent publisher, i once DREAMED of working with Diamond. But post Covid, never wanted to touch it.
@corriedebeer79912 сағат бұрын
You are getting a standard 50% discount with PRH and free shipping. The discount is way better than it has ever been.
@comicslinger11 сағат бұрын
This alone should have made it a no brainer for every comic retailer! We couldn't switch fast enough!
@corriedebeer79911 сағат бұрын
@@comicslinger dont think that free shipping on items with such tight margins is not a big deal either.
@SparrowAaron6 сағат бұрын
Is that so? My ships stopped carrying new comics just prior to PRH, so I never did business with them.
@maxmazzotti665112 сағат бұрын
I guess it’s an unfettered rule that companies are their own worst enemies in whatever industry area they are in. Also Wes, are you going to review Ultimate Wolverine number 1? I found it to be a surprisingly unique and violent take on established Wolverine and X-Men Lore with good writing and art. This basically shows us what wolverine would look like if he stayed with Weapon X and was acquired by a super villain.
@corriedebeer79912 сағат бұрын
There really has never been a better time to be a comic seller. Lunar does a box inside a box shipping. Incredible. They even bag and board my 1-25 incentives. Lunar so far has been great. On time and with no write offs. I cannot say that the discounts have effected my business much but the dependancy is way better.
@SparrowAaron6 сағат бұрын
I loved dealing with Lunar.
@allieversaid10 сағат бұрын
Recently reorganizing the collection. Freakish how many covers and keys on my pull list missing. That Covid period. Star Wars 20 for instance. I have every comic before or after but i have these weird critical gaps. My LCS just never received or shipment was too damaged. So i plugged the holes on my own. Good riddance 💎
@piyoweb13 сағат бұрын
It's funny how the pandemic destroyed the terrible monopoly 😂😅😊
@sidneyrivera357811 сағат бұрын
May the age of KZbin expose the filth of bad business.
@patrickmel87288 сағат бұрын
The dont-give-a-fuck-titude has existed for over a decade
@chrissawyer14847 сағат бұрын
I wish Brian Hibbs had as much concern for the 100s of stores that went out of business thanks to the Diamond monopoly and lack of service as he does for Steve Jeppi.
@EvandroACruz7 сағат бұрын
Jim Lee was right? Wow this is a miracle.
@bigtomboye9 сағат бұрын
Wow the hubris 🎭
@matthewseeburger689110 сағат бұрын
talk about issues with diamond, I remember when I got my store set up in 2017. Started working with them the first thing the sales rep tells me is because I am not a preferred client yet, that I was not allowed to use any of their online services. this include placing new and back order, using pullbox, and was not going to be on their comic store locator. This a normal practice with them until July of 2020. couldn't even pay using a credit card until then it always had to be COD.
@AL-ws5yi8 сағат бұрын
Aaron’s stories about Diamond are crazy. Sounds like it’s well deserved, however.
@fighting_nerdy7 сағат бұрын
Kudos to Ben Templesmith. Known him since day 1 and he's great.
@patrickmoreau75928 сағат бұрын
Hey Wes, can you get me tickets for the Steve Geppi museum? 😂😂
@danalvin11842 сағат бұрын
How many stores that tanked in recent years spent crazy amounts of money on inflated shipping rates for damaged unsellable product from Diamond???
@Mclucasrv10 сағат бұрын
For me the west comic market feels so weird Im so acostume to see indepent authors in japan release their stuff in places like DL-site meanwhile for me to get a indie comic I have to search for confusing websites,subscripitions or a I have to find a tier from a kickstarter of number 3 for me to get the previous ones.
@gevdarg10 сағат бұрын
Myopism is real, y'all.
@oophorror22517 сағат бұрын
My LCS was big butt-hurt over DC dropping Diamond. He basically yelled at me for even mentioning it.
@SparrowAaron6 сағат бұрын
lol how was it YOUR fault? 😂
@whiterabbit7512 сағат бұрын
What is that image behind the guy on the right? That looks interesting, and I would like to know more about it. I have to say, that ever since my LCS started ordering manga through Penguin House, not only have they been coming closer to on time, they almost never arrive damaged. The thing I'll miss about Diamond is the catalog. Hard to find a single source for comics, manga, toys, tabletop games, and supplies for all of the above.
@SparrowAaron6 сағат бұрын
Hi! That image is one of the covers for my indie comic, KNEEL BEFORE DOOMFACE, on Kickstarter now!
@SkullyTheHypnoSkull3 сағат бұрын
Hopefully we'll see more indie comics now!
@jlozada2563 сағат бұрын
This a basic class of how not to do business. Arrogance will get you every time.
@danalvin11842 сағат бұрын
Penguin has FREE SHIPPING on all comic AND TRADE orders even if you only order one issue on a reorder -- 'nuff said!!!!
@natemachado911313 сағат бұрын
You don't disolve and go under if you file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 11 is specifically designed so a company can re-structure and emerge from it as a viable entity. Now how they come out of Chapter 11 is the question. They very well could come out much smaller, yet with the ability to do business again. It is really not worth the time to already speculate they are done. It is a wait and see. They haven't even been before the judge showing their plans yet. And with 41 million secured from JP Morgan that means they are definitely not done yet. Now...does that mean the publishers will stay with them? Does it mean retailers that still have accounts will stay? Who knows. IF I was a publisher I would definitely be talking to Lunar, PRH, and any other viable company because its in my vested interests to do so. And yeah creditors will get "cents" on the dollar from what Diamond owes them. But again that is the point of Chapter 11. If they went right to Chapter 7, which is closure and liquidation, then I'd say all hell is gonna break loose. WTF20.
@mikehunt192413 сағат бұрын
Who the hell is going to do business with Diamond after they still people for $30+ million? They'll just be bought up and sold off, and are done as a distributor.
@natemachado91134 сағат бұрын
@@mikehunt1924 There have been many businesses that went into Chapter 11 and emerged from it and kept on doing business. You're comment rings more personal then business related. We have no idea whether they are done or not. They have not even gone before the bankruptcy judge with their plan for restructuring yet. Now whether the publishers stay with them is a major question, and that won't be answered for months more then likely. Again Chapter 11 exists just for this. Regardless of whether or not Diamond fucked up, which they did, they have this legal opportunity to right the ship and emerge as a new entity. They may be smaller. They may have way less sway in the industry. But they will still be a company.
@leiferikson21054 сағат бұрын
Jim Lee is a great businessman
@Onlythezander11 сағат бұрын
I still don't understand what ppl mean "comics went woke" also what definition of woke are people using as people seem to use a shit ton of definitions
@kellyphillips22393 сағат бұрын
If your a writer or artist rest assured I don't care about your pronouns or political opinions
@maciekmysliwczyk554012 сағат бұрын
Hi Wes I'm bringing you some hot news from DC : a new ongoing series called Superman Unlimited is scheduled for release in may 2025. It is written by Dan slott with art by Rafael Albuquerque. We'll see how Dan can handle at DC but maybe jumping ship from Marvel to DC might be a fresh new start for him. I mean hey look at Jason Aaron and Tom Taylor , their transitions from one publisher to another was a huge success so the same can happened with The SLOTT. Also , this series is apperently a part of DC's Summer of Superman event with various limited series and ongoins feat. Superbot , Krypto , Supergirl etc. yet to be announced. With the upcoming Superman movie by James Gunn , this event might create a perfect synergy for DC and Warner Bros.