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If you’re going to your comic store this week expecting the November 17 releases, you may want to call ahead.
One of the comic industry’s largest distributors, Diamond, has informed retailers that its shipments have been delayed due to the effects of the ransomware attack on November 5. As a result, Diamond says its UPS shipments will be one to three days late, and retailers that receive their Diamond order by direct delivery (what’s called LTL, or ‘Less Than Load’ shipping) is one to two days behind.
For retailers who pick up their shipments from one of Diamond’s drop points, they were able to pick up their orders on time – with one exception.
The Diamond drop point in Vancouver, Canada is closed due to inclement weather in the region. Diamond has yet to say when they expect to be able to re-open it.
So, it seems that by Saturday, November 20, all comic shops should have all the new releases from Diamond.
Diamond was the victim of a ransomware attack that began on November 5, which affected several of its system including its main website, its ordering platform, and even its email servers. Possible delays to its comic shipments were an early concern, which Diamond later confirmed would be happening over the next few weeks. On November 11, Diamond regained access to its website but didn’t indicate a timeline for a return to 100% functionality across the board.
Ransomware attacks are a computer technique in which third parties gain access to private data and restrict access to it by its owners unless a ransom is paid. Newsarama’s colleagues at TechRadar (opens in new tab) have written about ransomware extensively, especially in 2021 as it’s grown to cause severe issues not just for business owners but the general public as well through attacks on schools, hospitals, fuel suppliers, and more.
Diamond is the exclusive distributor both in comic shops and bookstores for Image Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Valiant Entertainment, and others. It is also the primary distributor of almost all print comics to the comic shop market, with the exception of DC and Marvel – although it does in some cases act as an intermediary distributor for those to some retailers as well.
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