Twenty-three retailers have lost their early shipping privileges because of proven street date violations, Lunar Distribution Co-Founder Christina Merkler said during her ComicsPRO presentation. The news was met with applause from the attendees. “We take it very seriously,” Merkler said. “It’s not just Whatnot users, and I want to make that clear. I have as many violations from brick and mortars and online as I do Whatnot.”
Marvel Comics VP of Print & Digital Publishing David Gabriel made the same point in his presentation later the same day, indicating that this is a problem for comics distributed by Penguin Random House, as Marvel is, as well as Lunar. “Retailers have been emailing constantly about this and bringing it up here,” Gabriel said. “We’re keeping an eye on it. We’re working with PRH. I know the retailers that get to us, they’re saying that all the publishers are dealing with this. It is an issue that we are watching and we are keeping a careful eye on.”
Ralph DiBernardo of Jetpack Comics in Rochester, New Hampshire, discussed the problem in 2024, explaining its importance and pointing to several blatant cases of shops selling product before the release date (see “Talk Back”).
Diamond Comic Distributors began shipping comics to arrive in stores on the day before release in 2011 (see “Growing Pains”) with a “mystery shopper” system to ensure compliance. Prior to that, comics arrived on Wednesdays; in 2006, Corbit Wilkins of Captain Comics described how he had to have an extra employee to help get the comics unpacked, checked, and into racks and pull boxes before the store opened (see “Street Dates”).
Source: ICv2
