Diamond Comic Distributors

No new Marvel for now.

The Wall Street Journal published Diamond Comic Distributors' list of the top-selling comics publishers for 2014 Friday morning, and for the most part, it's all the usual suspects. Marvel was No. 1 with more than a third of the market share, in both dollars and units. DC was reasonably close behind. Image, IDW, Dark Horse, Dynamite and Boom Studios took the next spots. Then comes number eight. Eaglemoss Publications. Wait. What? Who?

A secret-shopper initiative run by Diamond Comic Distributors last year detected 50 cases of stores selling comics before their advertised street dates. That's more or less in line with the 98 percent compliance rate Diamond found when it launched its day-early delivery program in 2011, according to ICv2's analysis. Yes, Diamond has secret shoppers.

Diamond Comic Distributors is calling it quits on its digital storefront program for brick-and-mortar retailers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, an e-mail sent to retailers stated that "Diamond Digital has not gained enough traction in the marketplace to continue." The official shut-down date is the end of the month, Friday, Feb. 28.

Diamond Comic Distributors has released its list of the top 500 selling graphic novels of 2012. There are a few surprises, but there is certainly one constant: The Walking Dead. The collections of writer Robert Kirkman's ongoing zombie series grabbed seven of the top 10 spots, and 13 of the top 20...

Cosplay: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson didn't need any stinkin' foam padding for his Hulk costume this Halloween. He did it Ferrigno style. Industry: Hurricane Sandy delayed some of Maryland-based Diamond Comic Distributors' shipments to the Northeast this week and messed with email communication, but it looks like next week's shipments should be OK...

Humor: How It Should Have Ended turns its attention to The Amazing Spider-Man. Interviews: Sean T. Collins talks to Daniel Clowes, Chris Ware and Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez all at the same time and somehow manages not to turn into Chris Farley...

Changes are afoot at Diamond Comic Distributors, and they don't seem to reflect confidence in the company's digital efforts. Reports are emerging that three of Diamond's employees, all working on digital initiatives, have been laid off, leaving the future of the company's digital comics plan somewhat uncertain...