IDW Publishing has released an open letter to the comics industry with regards to Diamond's announcement from earlier this week.
While exact details in it as to what IDW is planning to do with their publishing line are sparse, one key detail has dramatic implications for all IDW comic titles being published in May 2020.
In the letter IDW Publishing announced that all releases of their comic titles releasing in May (from May 6th to May 27th) are suspended. This means that in an effort to help the comic retailers throughout the world, IDW Publishing will not release any comics.
Of note, this directly impacts the release of the My Little Pony/Transformers: Friendship in Disguise crossover event series and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic issue #90 (Season 10, Episode 2) are now delayed with no rescheduled release date.
The full letter from Chris Ryall, IDW’s President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer can be found here and after the break. This is a developing story which Equestria Daily will continue to cover as updates come in.
March 23, 2020
To Our Partners Throughout the Comics Industry,
Last week, we sent out a statement to the comics community in which we pledged our support for the Direct Market during the current health and economic crisis. We’ve been keeping a very close eye on the public discussions taking place in forums and on social media, and the sentiment from retailers is abundantly clear:
It’s time to take action.
In light of Diamond’s statement today, our immediate steps to offer relief for our retail partners are:
With these measures, our hope is that we can lessen the immediate financial risk that retailers face for IDW products, and give retailers a much-needed break for their monthly budgets.
- For the next three months, IDW will be offering 60-day no-fee returnable terms for all items on Final Order Cutoff (FOC) corresponding to the weekly on-sale dates from March 18th to June 24th.
- IDW is announcing the suspension of May releases corresponding to OSD dates from May 6th to May 27th.
- IDW will reduce its overall publishing line for products originally scheduled through July, with a focus on releasing our biggest projects in special editions to help drive traffic to stores through the summer.
These are first steps. As the situation continues to unfold, we’re certain to initiate additional programs to help our retail partners. It’ll take insight from and coordination with shop owners, Diamond, and our publishing peers to shape a comprehensive strategy for the industry to move forward.
As a special note to our Creative Partners:
We know that you’re likewise feeling the pain of the current circumstances. Trimming our line through the summer in support of the Direct Market retailers will undoubtedly impact creative workflow for the short term. We fully appreciate the difficulty that this presents to freelancers. It’s our expectation that — in the long term — the Direct Market will bounce back as a result of these steps, and we can all continue the good work of making quality comics on the other side. Our Editorial team has been reaching out to creators and licensors with these latest updates, and we’re here to help in any way we can: answering your questions, listening to your ideas, etc.
The IDW team is committed to working with retailers and creators to get through the coming weeks and months. As I mentioned in our previous statement, we’re here to listen and help. We invite you to contact us directly (ryall@idwpublishing.com, rosalind@idwpublishing.com, dirk@idwpublishing.com) and we’ll field your questions as best as we can.
Wishing you health and security,
Chris Ryall
Twitter: The Illustrious Q
