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Diamond Comic Distributors owns the definitive guide to comic book pricing for collectors in the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, but there are some prices not in there - such as how much that and its entire comics empire is worth.

As I'm writing this on March 19, today is the final day to place bids for the assets of Diamond Comics Distributors, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced plans to auction itself off to cover years of debuts back in January 2025. It's not being sold as a package deal, but in pieces as the various companies that make up owner Steve Geppi's comics empire built over the last 43 years. On the chopping block is the comics distribution company (Diamond Comic Distributors), as well as its booktrade distributor, gaming distributor, and loads more. Comics journalists such as ComicsBeat's Heidi MacDonald and ICv2's Milton Griepp have covered the details well, but the two overlooked bits of it to me besides the obvious are Free Comic Book Day and the Comic Shop Locator service.

For Sale: Free Comic Book Day

For the past 23 years, comic shops across the U.S. and Canada have hosted an annual one-day event to encourage current, former, and would-be comic fans into it doors with the promise of free comics from publishers such as Marvel, DC, Image Comics, and others. That's been orchestrated by Diamond the whole time, and while it's still set to occur this year on May 3, 2025, Diamond - which owns Free Comic Book Day and organizes it - has been relatively absent from organization and promotion of it this year, with some of the slack being picked up by the individual publishers where the comics come from, and the individual retailers where the comics go.

Free Comic Book Day, and its assets (including the website), are up for grabs in Diamond's auction, and it'll be curious to see which companies and which individuals step up to control it.  

Free Comic Book Day was created by comics retailer Joe Field, who handed it over to Diamond in the early '00s for organizational and operational purposes. I wouldn't be surprised if Field, as the creator of it, isn't part of a bid to re-acquire what he created and see that it thrives in a post-Diamond world.

For Sale: Comic Shop Locator

Comic Shop Locator is a dedicated website, mobile app, and 1-800 number where for the past 20+ years you've been able to find a comic shop anywhere in the world. While you may trust Google Maps, you verify with Comic Shop Locator (and a phone call!). The Comic Shop Locator brand has been plastered in comic books for over 20 years, and has become a key part in getting comics fans into comic shops.

The Comic Shop Locator service is listed as part of the assets if you buy Diamond Comic Distributors, and would seem to be a key part for future owners to use (or misuse) in the continued pursuit to get more people into comic shops.

What happens next?

While the deadline for initial, qualifying bids in the auction is March 19, the auction event itself takes place March 24 at the New York offices of Raymond James, where whomever made qualifying bids sits down as each item is auctioned off to the highest bidder. Three days later, there is a hearing in Maryland bankruptcy court to approve the presumptive auction sales from the March 24 event, with a plan for the sales to close by April 10.

According to Raymond James, it reached out to 160 potential buyers already, with 50 companies taking an official look at the assets - with their identities kept secret with an NDA until the auction itself.

So, what's next? March 24, when the auction takes place where we see who (if anyone) makes winning bids on the various pieces of the Diamond comics empire is up for sale. 

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.