Thread:The Many-Angled One/@comment-20551-20171123000352/@comment-16461120-20171123043709

The easiest way to explain this is to note that, in the modern comic book market, retailers rarely if ever buy comics directly from the publisher anymore. The vast majority of people and companies that publish comic books now sell them through distributors.

Furthermore, Diamond Comics Distributors is the exclusive distributor of comics from Marvel, DC, and many other major publishers, thus most comic shops don't buy comics from anyone but Diamond. This also means that almost every small press publisher depends on Diamond for the majority of their distribution as well, such that whether we like it or not, Diamond's presentation of the solicitation is what you're calling "correct" and I'd call "official."