Titan Comics, Lunar Distribution Enter Non-Exclusive Agreement
Titan Comics' Titan Manga most recently announced on Tuesday that it will launch a paperback edition for Cambria Bakuhatsu Taro's prequel comic of Gamera -Rebirth- titled Gamera -Rebirth- code thyrsos (pictured right), in English on November 25. It recently released Yako Gureishi's Somali and the Forest Spirit manga in print in English on November 12.Udon Entertainment announced on February 13 that it has entered a non-exclusive distribution agreement with Lunar Distribution to handle its direct market sales, beginning with May 2025-shipping comic book products. With the agreement, Udon Entertainment's two 2025 Free Comic Book Day titles — Street Fighter vs. Rival Schools #1 and Mega Man #0 — will be handled exclusively by Lunar Distribution. Udon had stated to retailers that orders for the two titles made through Diamond Comic Distributors would be canceled, and asked retailers to reorder the books from Lunar Distribution.Diamond announced on January 14 that it has filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court in the District of Maryland. Companies who file under Chapter 11 are able to maintain business assets, which may or may not include licenses, in order to attempt to reorganize. Diamond cited that the decreased consumer activity, rising operating costs, and declining sales in the comic book industry post-COVID-19 led to its decision.Diamond will continue to operate business during this time. Orders will continue to process as usual. The company plans to continue running Free Comic Book Day.Diamond's two largest unsecured creditors are Penguin Random House (a publishing company and distributor for other publishers, including manga ones such as Dark Horse) and Bandai. Diamond owes these two companies US$9,202,181 and US$4,348,743, respectively. Diamond also owes money to companies such as Viz Media, Square Enix, The Pokémon Company International, Hasbro, and more. Bankruptcy filings stated the company owed Udon Entertainment US$202,694.Source: ICv2 (Milton Griepp), Comics Beat (Heidi MacDonald)
