The North American comic book industry’s biggest distributor, Diamond, is launching a Back The Comeback campaign building up to its planned May 20 resumption of new comics delivery to Direct Market retailers.
“I do believe our comeback will be bigger than our setback,” Diamond founder/CEO Steve Geppi told Newsarama. “Setbacks are always negative, but driving us now is the knowledge that our comeback will be awesome.”
Geppi is also hoping that Back the Comeback will be a unified front on the cover of as many comic books as possible in the next few months. The goal is for these branded comic books to be seen as “pandemic era” collectibles, and he plans on publishing a checklist for collectors.
The longtime comics distributor tells Newsarama he already has commitments from BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment, with a “tentative” approval for Image from its company president, Todd McFarlane. As for Marvel and DC, well… he hasn’t asked yet – but hopes the announcement will push them to join.
Steve Geppi
Credit: Geppi Family Enterprises
“Well, technically I haven’t asked them yet,” Geppi said. “I’m trying to use a little peer pressure here.”
Diamond’s first shipment of books since the COVID-19-influenced hiatus will also carry Back the Comeback branding, as well as a letter from Geppi to retailers.
“When the boxes arrive for the May 20 books, I don’t want it to be ‘just another’ box. I want it to be an event,” Geppi said. “The boxes will have a big label for Back the Comeback, and inside there will be a letter from me to excite them. I’m going to be encouraging them to take pictures of the box, the unpacking, and the re-opening.”
As part of Back the Comeback, Geppi and Diamond will be raising funds for the Book Industry Charitable Fund (BINC), the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), and the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund (a charity for gaming stores) with shirt sales and a collectibles auction. The auction will be handed by Diamond’s sister company, Diamond International Galleries – and seeded by over $50,000 in items donated from Geppi’s personal collection. The auction is scheduled for July / August, with each auction winner choosing which charity the funds will go towards.
Although his business and virtually all businesses in comics were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Geppi told Newsarama it’s a “level playing field” – as every business sector has been affected.
“It’s almost a contest now – how does our industry recover versus another? Let’s show them who we are. Let’s show our passion,” Geppi said. You watched us shrink and shutdown, but now’s our chance – all things being equal – for us to muster up.”
“So many people have predicted the death of comics, but we’re about to show them who we are.”