Publishers Weekly:

In a move that will likely transform the distribution of comics periodicals in North America, Penguin Random House Publisher Services has reached an agreement with Marvel to distribute its periodical comics and graphic novels to the comics shop market, also known as the direct market.

The two companies have signed an exclusive, worldwide multi-year sales and distribution agreement for Marvel’s comics—including individual issues, trade collections, and graphic novels both newly published and backlist—to the direct market. PRHPS officially begins its distribution to direct market retailers for Marvel titles on October 1. The move marks a major change in the U.S. comics distribution market, which Diamond Comic Distributors has long dominated.

Unreal! I mean, DC Comics made a similar move last year, moving all distribution in house, but Diamond has had such a monopolistic lock on the comic book industry that I am absolutely stunned such a change has occurred.

Wonder what this means for the longevity of the brick-and-mortar comic store…