One long National nightmare is over (out of many that still persist, but oh well). Yes, Diamond Comic Distributors ceased operations/existence on December 31st, 2025, serving as the last day. Heidi over at ComicsBeat has an article detailing the last days of Diamond. Within the span of 365 days they went from a struggling-but-still big comic distributor, to in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, to struggling to find a buyer, to screwing over publishers by selling inventory they didn't own against the publishers' will, to being more of a shuffling zombie than a real company, to getting a stake put in the heart (I am mixing metaphors) and being truly good and dead as 2025 concluded. What an insane year for Diamond, and clearly declaring them my comic-book-related fiasco of 2025 was undoubtedly on point.
Diamond did a lot of good for the comic industry while also often being a huge thorn in the side of publishers, stores, and so forth. People wanted Diamond to change, not die. That said, sometimes when you fail to evolve, extinction is inevitable. I feel awful for the people who worked hard at Diamond, even if Diamond as a company itself often received scorn. As the dust settles, we have Lunar and PRH distributing many comics, with some smaller companies trying to assist with indie books (such as Philbo) and other entities eyeing ways to get involved in the comic game (Universal Distribution is making moves on the United States after being a big player in Canada). I don't know what 2026 will hold for comic-book distribution, but I can say with 99% certainty it won't be as crazy as last year!
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