"Diamond’s relationship with DC Comics, it feels like there’s some kind of break in the relationship," Field began. "Can you talk about that, and what can be done to sort of bring everybody back in the fold again?"
"Diamond has always and will always be a big supporter of DC Comics," Geppi said. "We’re going to disagree on things. You think I enjoyed getting a call saying that this was going to be a non-exclusive world? Not in the sense that I was worried about losing the business so much as I didn’t want anybody to think that DC was unhappy with us, which I think if you talk to them they’ll tell you it’s not the case. Jim Lee couldn’t have been nicer."
"They were just in a situation where they were trying to find a solution. T hey went ahead and did it. We’re supporting them. We’re doing everything we can. There’s no hidden agenda here. There’s no animosity. If DC is unsuccessful it hurts us, it hurts the retailers, it hurts the consumer. Why would we ever do that. It makes no logical sense."
Geppi also addressed the fact that the two new companies DC opened as direct accounts to service other retailers were also retailers and Diamond customers (see "Retailers Tied to New DC Distributors"). "We wish Midtown Comics the best, they’re a great customer of ours," he said. "DCBS is a great customer of ours. We don’t have any animosity toward them. We hope that they’re in it for the same reason we are: to grow the market."
Field followed up. "The question maybe isn’t as much about DC Comics specifically," he began. "In 1995 with Heroes World, that was outsiders coming in and running Marvel and trying to take things apart to make them different and reshape them in their own way, and I kind of get a little bit of that from what’s going on with AT&T coming into the scene. I know there are tremendously good people at DC Comics who love comics who love comic shops, not the least of whom is Jim Lee, who’s a longtime friend of mine. I know these people love comics and comic shops. But I wonder how much insulation they have from the corporate edicts that are telling them to do different things that might not be good for our market."
Geppi responded. "That’s always a possibility," he agreed. "I agree with you about Jim Lee and a lot of people at DC. They’re great people, they love the industry, they have been in it so long. Look at what Jim’s doing now, doing all these sketches to raise money for comic stores. They’re going to raise a fortune."
"The thing is, sure, when a company gets bought and then the company that bought it gets bought again, there’s always concern because that’s the nature of the public trading market. People buy companies and they shed assets, they do this, they do that, it’s all kind of bottom-line driven. I’m banking on the fact that whatever the outcome of any of these decisions is, if it’s blatantly a failure, they’re adjust. If it’s a success, they’ll proceed."
"I do think the people at DC believe in their hearts they have the best interest of the industry and the best interest of the retailers at heart, and I think they have my best interest at heart. We might not always agree on the method to get there, but if we end up at the promised land and we’re safe and we avoid some influence from higher above that maybe doesn’t understand our market, I think they’ll go to bat for us and I really believe that. My conversations with them have been positive."
