Marvel President Bill Jemas announced at a press conference today, April 25, that Marvel will continue its relationship with Diamond as exclusive direct market distributor and will also expand the relationship so that Diamond will handle Marvel's trade paperback business to bookstores as well as the direct market.  There have been a lot of rumors about changes in distribution recently, and Jemas attributed them to discussions that Marvel had with a bookstore and a newsstand distributor about taking over Diamond's exclusive direct distribution agreement as it came up for renewal this summer.  In the process of negotiating an extension, Diamond pitched Marvel on its bookstore distribution and was granted the contract.  This means that LPC, Marvel's bookstore distributor in the past will no longer carry Marvels.  LPC currently carries Image books and has been rumored to be pitching other comic trade paperback publishers.  More on this story on our normal publishing schedule at midnight, Central time.