In a year of comic market volatility and uncertainty, IDW is pledging its support for Direct Market comic retailers by extending full returnability on all new releases through at least the end of July, and removing all associated fees for the foreseeable future. These moves help to provide comic specialty shops a risk-free opportunity to stock new launches and other key IDW releases — allowing retailers to order with confidence and effectively gauge customer demand.

To further support the comic shops taking advantage of the risk-free returnable programs, IDW is pledging to aggressively promote store traffic via social media initiatives, email messaging to subscribers, and additional means of customer outreach.

“Comic shops are the frontlines of the comic industry, where word-of-mouth, spinner racks, and staff hand-selling make all the difference in a comic book’s success,” says Chris Ryall, IDW’s President, Publisher, and CCO. “It’s our responsibility as publisher to make that process as low-stress as possible for our partners in the retail community. During a time like this, making it easier to stock our books is really the least we can do.”