Barnes & Noble Removing DC Entertainment Graphic Novels From Stores

Fans of the Superman, Batman, Watchmen and Sandman graphic novels will no longer be able to buy the series at Barnes & Noble stores. The company began removing DC Entertaiment's comic content from shelves this week in response to a DC deal that places digital versions of the works exclusively on Amazon's Kindle products.

Barnes & Noble chief merchant Jaime Carey said in a statement, "Regardless of the publisher, we will not stock physical books in our stores if we are not offered the available digital format. To sell and promote the physical book in our store showrooms and not have the ebook available for sale would undermine our promise to Barnes & Noble customers to make available any book, anywhere, anytime."

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The Kindle Fire will have exclusive digital distribution rights to the books beginning Nov. 15, the first day the e-readers begin shipping.

Barnes & Noble customers can still special order the graphic novels at stores or buy them via the bookseller's website.

As first reported on the Bleeding Cool blog, 100 graphic novels are included in the move, including V for Vendetta, Fables and Blackest Night. With the shutdown of Borders stores, Barnes & Noble's decision also means there will be no mass market bookstore selling DC's titles.

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DC Entertainment said in a response statement, "We are disappointed that Barnes & Noble has made the decision to remove these books off their shelves and make them unavailable to their customers. DC Entertainment will continue to make our content available to our fans and new readers through multiple distribution channels including locally-owned comic book retailers, independent bookstores, other bookstore chains and other widespread means such as online through Amazon and through our apps on iOS and select Android powered devices as well as new and exciting devices going forward."