With comic book distribution mostly ground to a halt and most publishers not even churning out new content right now due to the novel coronavirus pandemic that has almost everyone working from home, those of us who make our living in the geek sphere are trying to come up with creative ways to stay relevant and keep that revnue rolling in. That’s why it’s clever that the folks over at iFanboy have designed a quarantine-themed t-shirt that serve as the perfect message for these troubled times: “Stay home and read comics.” A riff on the “keep calm and carry on” posters that have spawned countless imitators, the image features a stylized comic book rather than the British crown.
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And the t-shirt isn’t just about helping fans stay connected and giving readers something fun and new. Proceeds from the shirt will be split between iFanboy and a number of local comic book shops, according to the shirt’s official product description on Threadless.
The comics industry is in an existential crisis right now; with Diamond halting distribution, a lot of comic book stores are trying desperately to figure out what they’re going to do to keep revenue flowing while their customers are in isolation. Whether it’s mail-order purchases or virtual sales, retailers are struggling to find a path forward, even as many comics fans and professionals are doing their best to reach out and provide a lifeline. Earlier this week, reports emerged that some retailers were trying to put together an alternate means of distribution amid reports that Diamond could have serious financial trouble on the other side of the pandemic shutdown, but today the planners of “ComicHub” said that they have aborted the idea.
Comic book publisher TKO Studios have set up a similar incentive program to the one iFanboy is using, having said in an e-mail to customers earlier this week, “Until the end of the Coronavirus threat, when any customer chooses a store during checkout at tkopresents.com, TKO will send that store 50% of the purchase price, the exact same amount the store would have made selling the book via their brick-and-mortar store.”
Some new comics — including a follow-up to Batman: The Animated Series — have been made available digitally since Diamond stopped accepting new shipments, but by and large it seems that “new comic book day” as fans know it is going to have a long hiatus.
