The Business of Comics for March 30th, 2026
The Best of Times and the Worst of Times
There were several major stories inside and outside the business of comics this week, starting with the impact of geopolitics on the comic book industry. It appears thatan Iranian missile damaged a cargo ship in the Straight of Hormuz that happened to contain two printing shipments from Fantagraphics.
Many of you might know that a significant percentage of comic book printing for the US market is done outside of the US, because the printing cost per copy for offset printing is much lower than comparable domestic printers, even when you add in the cost of international shipping. Most of the printing I’m familiar with comes from Canada, China, and Korea, but print managers have told me that Turkey and India are also sources of comic book printing, which is why the Fantagraphics ship got caught up in the war.
Because of the way printing timelines work, this order was probably made months before someone decided to start a war of choice to distract the world from his involvement in an international pedophile ring. This means that as a comic creator, sometimes it won’t be possible to account for every possibility in the publishing of your comics. Running a business is inherently risky, especially a creative business in the times that we live in.
Our next story that’s not about comics but will definitely impact comics, concerns AI, because of course it does.OpenAI announced this week that it is shutting down their generative video platform Sora. This affects freelance comic creators because outside of the existential threat AI poses to creativity, Sora recently announced a deal with Disney to allow their IP, including Marvel and Star Wars, to be included in a new user generated video platform. While the death of Sora also means the end of the Disney deal, the House of Mouse said they are still looking for another AI platform to partner with. That might be challenging, since some analysts have been warning of an impending AI bubble, which means Sora might be the first of a string of AI companies to fold. If that happens, Disney will either have to develop their own billion-dollar AI system, or wait to see who survives the AI bloodbath. Either way, freelance creators who have created comics for Marvel can count this as a small but temporary victory.
Unfortunately, we start the comic-specific news with the untimely death of Sam Kieth. Keith was known for his amazing work on Batman and Sandman, but if you grew up in the late 1900s, you remember his seminal work on the Maxx, both for Image Comics and MTV Oddities back when MTV actually mattered. The lesson for comic creators stems from the fact that Keith was only 63 when he passed away. The status of his estate is unclear, but many people, especially comic creators who are focused on fulfilling the next crowdfunding project, applying for the next artist alley table, or rushing to meet the next production deadline, do not have a will set up to handle their affairs.
In the same way people leave their real estate, personal property, and investments to family and friends, a comic creator may have royalty payments, IP ownership, and other assets that can be very valuable now and in the future. If your family is suddenly forced to deal with your loss, it will be easy for them to overlook the potential value of your comic book work, unless you lay that out in a will beforehand. I know that many comic creators are struggling for financial success now, but it is possible that your comics don’t become the next big thing until after you are gone. If you protect your assets before that happens, the people you care about can benefit from all your hard work and creativity.
Now let’s move on to distribution news. ICV2 recently did an interview with the founders of Lunar, who are one of the main replacements for Diamond after their bankruptcy. The company is still experiencing significant growth, and they’re pointing to the banner program as a solution for small to mid-sized publishers. I’ve worked on a few of these banner deals, and the theory behind it is pretty simple. Most independent publishers don’t publish at a frequency or scale to make it viable for Lunar to take them on as individual clients. So some publishers who already have accounts set up with Lunar are taking on smaller publishers under their banner, in exchange for a cut of the revenue from that book. Publishers who do well under this system have a chance to graduate to their own Lunar account at a later date.
This distribution model makes sense in theory, but as with all deals, make sure you understand what rights, revenue, responsibilities, and recovery you are signing up for before you decide to ride under another publisher’s banner. And from a marketing perspective, make sure your comic belongs in comic shops in the first place. If they don’t, then this type of deal might not be for you.
In alternative distribution news, a reading motivation company called Beanstalk has acquired the library digital comics platform Comics Plus to form the Joyful Reading Company. According to the story that will be linked in the comments of the Podcast, the combined entity will reach more than 3,600 library systems, 9,000 school buildings, and 18 million readers.
This is significant for comic creators because there are far more libraries in America than comic shops, digital distribution is cheaper than print, and digital comics are less likely to be subject to tariffs or destroyed by a cruise missile. If your comics might fit into a library catalog, then it pays to consider Joyful as part of your distribution plans.
Sticking with digital distribution, GlobalComix made several moves this month. First, they announced gaining 13 million dollars of additional investor funding. At the same time, they have acquired digital manga platform INKR, which will add more than 200,000 Chinese, Japanese, and Korean titles to their platform. The INKR acquisition also gives them access to technologies designed to improve their distribution and translation efforts worldwide. Finally, the company announced a change to its AI policy. Before, AI-generated comics could be displayed but couldn’t be monetized. Now, prior AI-generated comics will be removed from the platform.
All of these moves further position GlobalComix as one of the frontrunners in the race to replace Comixology as the primary digital reading platform. Now I have worked with and for GlobalComix for years, so keep that in mind when I say that if you are looking for a digital marketing, and distribution platform that integrates with your crowdfunding and social media efforts, you should investigate GlobalComix and see if it can work for you.
Moving onto publisher news, Penguin Random House has announced a restructuring of Boom Studios, the publisher they acquired two years ago. Some employees are being folded into the parent company, others are being let go. This isn’t an unusual move. When one company acquires another, layoffs are almost inevitable as redundant jobs are eliminated or planned initiatives by the acquired company are eliminated by the new parent.
Comic creators, especially those looking for creator-owned or freelance deals, need to pay attention to this type of restructuring because it can directly impact the opportunities and relationships you have with certain publishers. Because in reality, you don’t have a connection to the publisher itself. In many cases, you are friends with or have worked with a particular editor at the company. When that editor leaves, much of the goodwill you built up with that company may leave with them. You might find your book passed off to another editor who doesn’t have the same enthusiasm for the story, you might find your book is no longer desired by the publisher at all, or the new editor has their own freelancers that they prefer to work with. Conversely, if your editor lands at a new publisher, one that never showed interest in you before, you could find doors opening that were formerly closed. I’m not saying that this is going to happen with creators working with Boom. I am saying that editorial moves can have more impact on your career than you realize.
Finally, we have an editorial from Atom Freeman, publisher of Comics the Magazine, host of Comics Industry Insiders Podcast, and one of my clients. Atom proposes in his post that now is the best time to start a business in comic books because of a core demographic shift that is happening in the market. Gen Z, the people born between 1997 and 2012, grew up on comics with less of a stigma than previous generations. They read Bone, Dogman, Reina Telgemier, and manga of all types. Now they are entering the job market, which means some level of disposable cash, even in this economy. As we have discussed in previous episodes of this show, members of Gen Z are seeking out more real-world experiences, which translates into visiting comic book shops. Finally, they are not just looking for superhero comics. They are open to different formats, different genres, and less mainstream stories than ever before. Publishing comics is still a challenge in 2025, but I tend to agree with Atom’s position. The combination of new readers and technologies that make starting any business easier, means that now is the best time to have a career in comics, as long as you understand how the business works.
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Until next time, get off the internet and go make some comics.
Gamal
