(BALTIMORE, MD) — (December 11, 2012) — Moulinsart S.A.– the company established to protect and promote the work of Hergé, the creator of the internationally beloved boy reporter Tintin – has selected Diamond Comic Distributors as its exclusive distributor of The Adventures of Tintin merchandise to specialty stores in North America and the Philippines.

The announcement is a key step in Moulinsart’s first ongoing and comprehensive program of Tintin collectibles, comics, and limited availability products in North America, and includes Tintin products from Little Brown, Last Gasp, Moulinsart, and other companies. A primary goal of the program is to grow the sales and brand awareness for the storied Tintin property in North America.

Diamond began offering Tintin collectibles and merchandise in its monthly PREVIEWS catalog starting in June of this year, with many of the first wave of Tintin products releasing to comic book shops this past month. Tintin products will continue to remain a focus in upcoming PREVIEWS catalogs with its own dedicated pages of products.  For an overview of the quality Tintin merchandise available now and coming soon to stores, visit Diamond’s Toychestnews site, http://www.toychestnews.com/Home/1/1/4/678?articleID=128978

“We’re thrilled to be working with our new partner, Diamond Comics Distributors,” said Nick Rodwell, Director of Moulinsart S.A. “Diamond has a long and impressive history of bringing great international characters to the US market and beyond. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with the world’s largest distributor of English-language comics, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise. Thanks to the Diamond Comics team, Tintin’s next great adventures will be in America and the Philippines!”

“Although many U.S. fans became aware of Tintin with the Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson film released in 2011, the international Adventures of Tintin have been known worldwide for many years,” said John Parker, VP of Business Development at Diamond Comic Distributors. “We at Diamond are ecstatic to be involved in the expanded introduction of Tintin’s stories and awesome collectible and novelty products to the thousands of stores in our network.”

To pre-order Tintin merchandise, find a comic shop near you at www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook.

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ABOUT MOULINSART S.A. – Moulinsart S.A. (société anonyme commerciale) is the private limited company in charge of the commercial exploitation rights to merchandise and audiovisual productions based on the work of Hergé. This extensive and universally acclaimed body of work requires particularly careful handling as intellectual property. Moulinsart ensures that the laws relating to Hergé and his work are respected. Moulinsart is also determined to anchor Hergé’s characters and creations firmly in the twenty-first century through its sponsorship of the Hergé Museum, which is located only 30 minutes from the center of Brussels, and the development of the website www.tintin.com.

ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise, serving thousands of retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.