The Direct Market system of comics and graphic novel distribution, after remaining stable for over 20 years, is now going through a period of rapid change, initiated by events during the initial months of the Covid pandemic. From a system in which one company, Diamond Comic Distributors, distributed virtually all of the comics and many of the graphic novels to comic stores in North America, those changes have now produced a system in which four companies are now distributing comics to comic stores, with many changes for stores, distributors, and publishers.
ICv2 CEO Milton Griepp, one of the earliest Direct Distributors, hosts a conversation with Diamond Comic Distributors Chief Sales and Service Officer Chris Powell and Lunar Distribution Co-Founder Christina Merkler on the state of the market, distribution, and the path ahead.
"The Covid pandemic brought to the surface a number of stresses on the direct market, which produced more change in a few months than happened in the previous two decades," Griepp said of the session. "This Talk brings together the oldest and youngest direct distribution companies to talk about the new landscape and the path ahead."
The new session is:
The Shifting Landscape of Direct Distribution
The Direct Distribution system of comics and graphic novel distribution, after remaining stable for over 20 years, is now going through a period of rapid change. ICv2 CEO Milton Griepp, one of the earliest Direct Distributors, hosts a conversation with Diamond Comic Distributors Chief Sales and Service Officer Chris Powell and Lunar Distribution Co-Founder Christina Merkler on the state of the market, distribution, and the path ahead.
The ICv2 Insider Talks and Happy Hour will take place on Thursday, October 6 – the first day of the New York Comic Con. This newly announced session joins three others in which top speakers present brief talks plus Q&A from 3-5 p.m., followed by a hosted cocktail reception from 5-6 p.m.
If you are a business or creative professional and would like a free invitation to the event, email Conferences@ICv2.com.
The previously announced sessions are:
ICv2 White Paper: Understanding Rapid Change in the Comics Market, and in Market Data
ICv2 CEO Milton Griepp will present the ICv2 White Paper, with the charts and graphs that show the big impacts of Covid on the scale and direction of comics and graphic novel content, format, and channels, along with a look at how the dramatic shifts in supply chains are changing how we collect and present data.
WEBTOON from Screen to Page and Beyond
WEBTOON has emerged as a massively popular platform for new content, new creators, and new ways of reaching next-generation readers. WEBTOON VP of Content David S. Lee and ICv2’s Rob Salkowitz discuss WEBTOON’s strategy, including its plans for publishing, media and entertainment, licensing, industry partnerships and more.
Kickstarter and the New World of Crowdfunding
More creators are connecting with fans to fund projects with crowdfunding than ever before, as more and more players are entering the space. Director of Publishing & Comics Outreach at Kickstarter, Oriana Leckert, talks with the Beat and Publisher’s Weekly editor Heidi Macdonald about how their company evolved during the pandemic - and where it's going from here.
Happy Hour! Co-hosted with Lunar Distribution
Meet, mingle, and network with other leaders of the comics and graphic novel industry.
For more info, Click Here.
Join us!
If you are a business or creative professional and would like a free invitation to the event, email Conferences@ICv2.com.
If you are press and would like to cover the event, email Conferences@ICv2.com.
This event is free to those attending, thanks to the support of our sponsor. The ICv2 Insider Talks and Happy Hour is sponsored by Kickstarter.
Event Details:
Thursday, October 6, 2022
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Insider Talks
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Happy Hour (co-hosted with Lunar Distribution)
River Pavilion, Javits Center
Sponsorships, questions: Conferences@ICv2.com.
Kickstarter is the original and most trusted platform for crowdfunding creative projects. Since its launch in 2009, Kickstarter has become a key piece of the internet’s creative infrastructure, serving as a powerful tool for designers and other creative people to take their ideas directly to the public, bypassing traditional gatekeepers. Its first funded project, "Drawing for Dollars," raised $35 from three people. Since then, more than 21 million people have pledged over $6 billion to projects across the creative spectrum—from art, design, and technology to theater, games, and food. In 2015, Kickstarter became a Public Benefit Corporation, putting legal weight behind its prioritization of mission and values over profit.
ICv2 is the #1 industry source on the business of geek culture, including comics and graphic novels, manga, hobby games, and merch, on its Website, www.ICv2.com, and in its magazine, Internal Correspondence. For the people on the front lines of the geek culture business, staying ahead of the trends isn't something that can be left to chance-it's a basic necessity for being successful. That's why ICv2 is the #1 source of news and information for the buyers, gatekeepers, and tastemakers on the front lines. ICv2 is where trend-watching is a science.
