EXCLUSIVE: Alterna Comics Inks Deal To Put Comics Back On Newsstands

Comic book publisher Alterna Comics made waves a few months ago when they announced they would be bringing back newsprint comics — comic books using the type of paper stock used in the comics the majority of us grew up on.

Now, the indie publisher behind the likes of The Chair, Croak, and Trespasser has made another move that pays homage to the comic industry back in the "good old days."

ComicBook.com has exclusively learned that the publisher has now inked a deal with Publishers Distribution Group (PDG), a move that will bring comics back to newsstands across the globe.

Beginning August 1, over 300 stores — including large chain retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million — will be a part of an initial test market for the distribution of Alterna's titles.

"Our newsstand deal with PDG mostly concentrates on areas that don't have a local comic shop," Alterna publisher Peter Simeti said. "Titles will also be released to newsstand two to three months after they've been distributed to comic shops."

Simeti went on to add that this newsstand deal is an expansion of their current marketing efforts and it won't disrupt the traditional distribution model to local comic stores across the world.

"It's only meant to bring our comics to more places, particularly to people that don't have a comic shop in a reasonable distance from them," added Simeti. "I strongly feel that comics need to be in a larger variety of stores and with PDG we'll be able to do that."

Simeti also said that Alterna is currently considering additional expansion into Five Below and Toys "R" Us stores.

In addition to the placement on newsstands through PDG, Alterna will continue their normal comic shop distribution through Diamond Comic Distributors.

Alterna Comics was founded by Simeti in 2006 and home to the New York Times Best-Selling Graphic Books zombie war series Fubar as well as the psychological horror thriller The Chair, which has been adapted to film. Alterna's current lineup features all ages titles like Adam Wreck and Lilith Dark to teen and adult reads such as Mother Russia and Scrimshaw. All Alterna titles are priced between $1.00 and $1.50 are available on the shelf at your local comic store.