Wondering just how popular “The Walking Dead” is? Here’s a good metric: on Diamond’s bookstore side of distribution, half of what they move to bookstores is Walking Dead stuff.
For those wondering, yes, Diamond handles the distribution of graphic novels to bookstores, but also the distribution of memorabilia, games, tie-in novels, and so on. By all accounts, it’s saved Diamond’s bookstore arm from some pretty serious financial trouble, which is a good thing since Diamond is pretty much the only distributor of comics: if they take a hit, the entire industry feels it.
That said, we hope Diamond is retrenching, because Walking Dead mania can’t last forever: every TV show gets canceled eventually.
image courtesy Image Comics