Bleeding Cool, Face Meat, Diamond Non-Payment, and a Partnership Forged in Adversity
Uncivilized and Living the Line Partner on Bonten Taro’s Face Meat
6/6/2025 | For Immediate Release:
RE: “Uncivilized Books Finds A Comics Distribution Home For Living The Line” – BleedingCool.com
We were surprised to read Rich Johnston’s recent article stating that Uncivilized Books has taken over the distribution of all Living the Line titles. This is inaccurate.
The article misinterprets a line from the Uncivilized Books newsletter, which reads:
“Our pals at Living the Line were exclusive with Diamond, and now they effectively don’t have a distributor. We’ve gotta stick together in tough times, so we’re helping them get their new Manga, Face Meat, out into the world…”
The above was not an announcement of a distribution deal. While Uncivilized is proud to support Bonten Taro’s Face Meat by making it available through our site, Uncivilized Books has not assumed distribution for Living the Line. No such arrangement exists or was discussed. Any implication to the contrary is incorrect and misleading to retailers and readers alike.
That being said, there is a core concern that Uncivilized and Living the Line share. We both have long-standing relationships with Diamond Comics. In the wake of Diamond’s Chapter 11 filing, we had hoped their reorganization would stabilize the market. Instead, the opposite has occurred. New ownership has failed to offer any payment timeline for books already delivered. At the same time, publishers are asked to solicit more titles despite having no communication since the new ownership period.
This situation is unsustainable. Publishers and shops are asked to continue operations based on faith alone, with no outreach, no clarity, and no public plan from either the Diamond “estate” or the new owners. The uncertainty is damaging not only to our businesses but to the larger ecosystem of independent creator-owned comics.
We urge new Diamond owners Ad Populum to publicly address unpaid invoices and provide a concrete roadmap for repayment of all outstanding debts, including those incurred within the reorganization period. Without this, publishers like Uncivilized and Living the Line, who rely on timely cash flow to release ambitious, artist-driven work, cannot continue at their current pace.
Finally, we ask Bleeding Cool to issue a correction to this story. No one from Bleeding Cool contacted Uncivilized or Living the Line for comment. That oversight has now contributed to confusion in a precarious and already stressful moment for both publishers.
Sincerely,
Tom Kaczynski and Sean Michael Robinson
Uncivilized Books and Living the Line