The Last Day

Today was my last day with Diamond Comic Distributors.

Eighteen years didn’t end the way I would have wanted, but when Chuck Parker started in on some prepared remarks I also wasn’t terribly surprised.

The October PREVIEWS has 350 items in it, the products offered in New to Order are a trickle compared to what they once were, and I wondered if our revenue post-bankruptcy was enough to keep the doors open. I was superfluous to present needs, perhaps to future needs, and when I asked about possible copywriting positions elsewhere in the Ad Populum portfolio I was told there weren’t any at the moment.

I fell just a little short of writing half the PREVIEWS run, 220 issues. That may forever irk me. Just five more! That’s all I needed! Five more!

I’ve been through all the emotions today, and I’ll be going through them for a while yet. I won’t say that I’m not terrified, but it’s also part of life. I’ve been applying for jobs for the past few months, because I knew this outcome was likely after the bankruptcy. It’s the way the story goes.

To the people I worked with, you are among the finest people I have ever worked with, I was proud to call you colleagues, and I appreciated each and every one of you. You are the best. We did great things.

I’ll see you out there.

ETA: And with that, it’s over.

Screenshot showing I am locked out of my Diamond email account.

Published by Allyn Gibson

A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over fifteen years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.

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