Though many of its news sites continue to function, Fandom's on-line and catalogue retailing operations have been shut down since Saturday.  In a letter posted on the Fandom Shop site, the company maintains that it is in the process of being acquired and that no selling or shipping will occur until 'the process is finished.'  In a related development Fandom issued a press release reporting that Creation Entertainment had been sold back to its founders, Gary Berman and Adam Malin for a seven-figure amount.  Fandom is still shopping Cinescape, though no buyer has been found as yet.

 

Rick Veitch broke the story in his Comicon Splash News column that Diamond owner Steve Geppi has 'placed a lien on' and taken possession of the contents of the Fandom warehouse in Manassas, Virginia in order to cover 'Fandom's unpaid debt to Diamond.'  ICv2 contacted Diamond and has learned that any lien or inventory seizure was not by or for Diamond, although a seizure by Steve Geppi or the old Another Universe shell wasn't ruled out.   Some sort of a lien to secure payment for the assets might have been part of the deal in which Geppi sold Another Universe's on-line and catalogue operations to Fandom in early 2000. 

 

Many questions remain to be resolved in the wake of Fandom's collapse.  The fate of Cinescape, the continued viability of Fandom's news sites (and their potential acquisition by UGO or some other entity), and most importantly for the industry, what happens to the $5-10 million in sales that Fandom was generating through its catalog and on-line retailing operations. 
 
For more on this story, see 'Fandom's Final Blowout' and 'Fandom Selling the Bones.'