DC Comics has announced that they will continue to release the digital editions of their weekly comic book releases even though physical copies will be unavailable due to coronavirus disruptions. Last week Diamond Distributors announced that they would be closing down their warehouses as a result of COVID-19.
The announcement from DC Comics today came via their private Facebook page for Direct Market comic book retailers, with DC’s Director of Marketing Services Adam Phillips explaining the decision:
“Here’s where we are on digital. All our data shows the digital consumer and the physical consumer are two different audiences. For now, we’re going to continue to release digital comics, but will revisit this if the pipeline for physical distribution continues to be challenged and disrupted.”
When asked if DC has had any discussions about allowing retailers to sell digital codes, Phillips said, “Not yet, but we’ll look into it.”
UPDATE: While DC will continue to release comic books digitally, there will be a delay. Books that were scheduled for release on April 1 will now not be available on Comixology or Kindle until April 29. For Superman fans, books that were scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 1st, which were Justice League #44 and Lois Lane #10, will now be released digitally on April 29.
Source: Newsarama.com
I don’t see how this whole situation doesn’t end up being the official nail in the coffin for physical comic books and the brick-and-mortar comic book store. Talking about it with the manager at my local comic book shop, it was clear that the whole staff there was extremely somber and tense as if they knew the end of the business was inevitable and coming very soon. It’s a sad day for anyone who loves physical media of any sort as the comic book industry isn’t going to be the only one decimated by this pandemic.