The Direct Market Survived Diamond's Collapse.

Comic shops just had one of the best years in the history of the direct market: $2.2 billion in sales, record foot traffic, and a wave of new readers. Everyone in this industry is calling it a comeback story.I don't think that story is finished.Based on the patterns in how Lunar, Penguin Random House, and Universal rebuilt the comic book direct market after the Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy, I think the industry didn't actually solve the concentration risk that caused the original collapse — it just redistributed it across fewer, better-funded players. In this Forward Judgment, I'm ruling on where the next distribution shock is most likely to come from, what retailers and readers should actually watch for over the next twelve months, and why record sales numbers don't mean the underlying system is stable.⏱️ TIMESTAMPS0:00 – The Ruling: Why "it survived" isn't the whole story0:38 – Why This Matters Right Now For Retailers and Readers1:17 – The Diamond Collapse Recap2:26 – Fragmentation Without Decentralization3:41 – Retailer Leverage Moving The Wrong Way4:39 – Why Sales Are Actually Up5:24 – What Could Change This Ruling6:19 – Forward Implication: What To Watch Next7:23 – Final Thoughts💬 Tell me in the comments: Do you think Penguin Random House becomes the next single point of failure, or is the real risk somewhere else? I read every comment and may rule on the best counterargument in a future video.🟢Support the channel: For the price of one floppy, you can help us keep making more quality videos just like this one. Join today: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMXGnS8aCd_WXackzDVJpHA/join This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit comicalopinions.substack.com