The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on all areas of the entertainment industry, and comics is no exception. Diamond Comic Distributors, which is the main distributor for most major US publishers (including both Marvel and DC), has announced plans to stop shipping new comic book deliveries to stores as of the week of April 1. Effectively, this means comic shops will stop receiving new books for the foreseeable future. Diamond's sister company Alliance Game Distributors is adopting a similar policy, with both its distribution centers shutting down indefinitely on Tuesday, March 24. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-most-anticipated-comics-of-2020&captions=true"] "Our publishing partners are also faced with numerous issues in their supply chain, working with creators, printers, and increasing uncertainty when it comes to the production and delivery of products for us to distribute," said Diamond's Chairman and CEO Steve Geppi in a statement. "Our freight networks are feeling the strain and are already experiencing delays, while our distribution centers in New York, California, and Pennsylvania were all closed late last week. Our own home office in Maryland instituted a work from home policy, and experts say that we can expect further closures. Therefore, my only logical conclusion is to cease the distribution of new weekly product until there is greater clarity on the progress made toward stemming the spread of this disease." This announcement comes shortly after word that Free Comic Book Day 2020 has been postponed until the summer. This is dire news for an industry already hit hard by COVID-19. Many shops have shifted to curbside and home delivery options in order to safely fulfill orders, while publishers like BOOM! Studios and IDW Publishing have begun offering full returnability on new releases and other incentives designed to lessen the financial strain on comic shops in an uncertain market. But with this shipping moratorium, shops remaining open during the pandemic will have to rely on existing stock and non-Diamond-distributed products for sources of revenue. As Geppi notes in his statement, Diamond is only cutting off shipments of books with an on-sale date of April 1 or later, meaning shops will theoretically have the ability to restock older releases and evergreen graphic novels, at least as long as Diamond still has available stock and the means to ship it. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/24/minecraft-to-offer-free-education-packs-to-students-stuck-at-home"] Perhaps the biggest question now is whether publishers will continue to make new books available digitally through services like Comixology, or if new comic book releases will simply stop entirely come April 1. Diamond doesn't handle digital distribution, so this is likely a decision that will have to be made individually by each publisher. Marvel and DC both have a number of high-profile comic book crossovers planned for spring and summer 2020, including Marvel's Avengers/Fantastic Four crossover Empyre and DC's Dark Nights: Metal sequel Death Metal. It remains to be seen whether these and other major books will be delayed or published solely in digital form for the time being. IGN has reached out to both Marvel and DC for comment but did not hear back by time of publish. We'll keep you updated as we learn more. Be sure to check out IGN's guide for staying safe and helping out during the pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

YouTube will default videos to standard definition starting today, Google confirmed to IGN in a statement. The effort is meant to help governments and networks minimize stress on their systems as more and more people are social distancing at home. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/netflix-to-reduce-bandwidth-in-europe-due-to-surge-in-traffic"] Last week, Google announced that it would be temporarily defaulting all videos on YouTube to standard definition in the EU. Today, that decision has been expanded worldwide. “We continue to work closely with governments and network operators around the globe to do our part to minimize stress on the system during this unprecedented situation,” a Google spokesperson told IGN. “Last week, we announced that we were temporarily defaulting all videos on YouTube to standard definition in the EU. Given the global nature of this crisis, we will expand that change globally starting today.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] According to YouTube, the SD default change will last approximately 30 days and users can still manually adjust the video quality. YouTube isn’t the only company trying to decrease the strain on internet networks. PlayStation announced that it will slow game downloads in Europe to decrease bandwidth strain according to a new company blog post. Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook also made similar promises to comply with governments requesting reduced bitrates for videos as more countries put citizens in quarantine from the coronavirus. For recommendations on how to stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic, read our resource guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

Right now you can get five shiny new Golden Keys for Borderlands 3 with this new Shift Code from Gearbox, and pick up any keys you haven't claimed yet.

Author Stephen King posted a chapter of his 1978 novel, The Stand, on Twitter to help better contextualize the spread of a global pandemic like the Coronavirus. The Stand is a post-apocalyptic novel that focuses on a pandemic that almost takes the lives of the entire human population. The story then follows the survivors as they attempt to create a new society. King posted the eighth chapter, in which he wrote about how the "superflu," the name of the pandemic in the novel, rapidly spread across the United States. In his tweet, King added, "Chapter 8 of THE STAND. This is how it works. Heed. (But remember [COVID-19] is not as lethal as the superflu.)"

Chapter 8 of THE STAND. This is how it works. Heed. (But remember COID-19 is not as lethal as the superflu.)https://t.co/yqvwbjoVMs

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 22, 2020

The chapter explores how just one sick person transmitting the sickness to a handful of people can transform into an exponential spread across the globe. King's tweet is a response to the COVID-19 outbreak, as governments are encouraging, and in some cases requiring, people to stay home to limit the spread of the virus. Many businesses are closing their doors, including GameStop, which is temporarily closing all locations to comply with COVID-19 regulations. The COVID-19 outbreak is also impacting many movie release dates. You can read the full list of movies and shows affected by COVID-19. IGN is encouraging safety and positivity for all of our readers during this pandemic. Read our tips on how to help, and stay safe, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=stephen-kings-best-movies&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

The Walking Dead Season 10 will end one episode earlier than anticipated, AMC has announced. The season was supposed to end with its 16th episode, but due to production delays brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, it will be wrapping with episode 15 instead, according to a statement released by the network: "Current events have unfortunately made it impossible to complete post-production of The Walking Dead Season 10 finale, so the current season will end with its 15th episode on Sunday, April 5. The planned finale will appear as a special episode later in the year." The Season 10 finale was originally expected to air on April 12. Season 10 of The Walking Dead has already featured plenty of twists, with an unexpected death in episode 12, and an emotional exit for a long-running character in episode 13, which aired on March 22. The Walking Dead is the latest in a long line of TV and movie projects to be hit with delays related to the coronavirus outbreak. While The Walking Dead had already wrapped filming on Season 10, the industry-wide shutdown has also affected post-production on many projects, and pre-production on Season 11 has also been delayed for at least a month. For more, see how the most recent episode of The Walking Dead set up the Rick Grimes movies, and how that departing character's story will continue. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"]

Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 13: "What We Become" [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Walking Dead star Danai Gurira's final episode aired Sunday, March 22, and Walking Dead alum Andrew Lincoln, who played Rick Grimes on the show, sent Gurira an emotional and surprisingly musical sendoff video. With Michonne still alive in The Walking Dead TV universe, it's possible that we'll be seeing her again. When though is a question left unanswered after her final episode. Her Walking Dead journey as we've known it for 10 seasons has come to an end and Lincoln, in the spirit of love and nostalgia, sang a rendition of Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die, except instead of singing, "live and let die," Lincoln sang, "we love you Danai." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-walking-dead-season-10b&captions=true"] Lincoln followed that up with a story from one of Rick and Michonne's first meetings on the show. Lincoln remembers finishing a scene with Gurira where he firefighter-style picked her up. After taking three steps, he accidentally dropped Gurira and fell on top of her. Lincoln congratulated Gurira for her time on the show before transitioning into a rendition of Gangster's Paradise with the lyrics changed to "zombie paradise." He also sang the words "I love you, Danai, oh yes we do." You can watch the full three-minute video on Gurira's Instagram below.

View this post on Instagram

This means a lot. Made me laugh and cry. Thank you so much Andy! (Great vocals! And piano skills! Is there anything this man can’t do?!!!) You are one of the most incredible human beings on the planet. I’ll cherish the journey with you and the whole #TWDFamily always.

A post shared by Danai Gurira (@danaigurira) on Mar 24, 2020 at 8:32am PDT

We thought Danai's last episode on the show was amazing, giving "What We Become" a 9 out of 10. As we alluded to above, Michonne's still out there in The Walking Dead tv universe. We expect her next appearance in the universe to be in the form of a movie though. Specifically, the upcoming Rick Grimes movie trilogy. Here's how we think Michonne's final The Walking Dead episode set up Rick Grimes' standalone movies. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Many students and teachers around the world have shifted to online schooling in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus missing out on much of what makes the classroom such a special place. Thankfully, teachers are now able to conduct live readings of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books for their students. Announced via Rowling's website, she is temporarily relaxing copyright restrictions and granting teachers everywhere an open license to post videos of themselves reading Harry Potter books to their class. Teachers will be able to share these videos through the end of the 2019/2020 school year or July 31, 2020, whichever comes first. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-harry-potter-characters&captions=true"] This is a great way to bring a sense of community to an online platform and help students remain connected with their classmates. Teachers are able to post these videos on a closed school network or a secure platform such as Google Classroom, Schoology, Edmodo, and Discovery Education. Rowling has encouraged educators not to publish full videos on YouTube or any social platforms as it is intended for classroom use only. They can, however, post short clips to social media as an effort to increase awareness.

Delighted to help teachers reach kids at home by relaxing the usual licence required to post videos of themselves reading Harry Potter books. Go to https://t.co/77d90pkiYK to find the guidelines. Be well, everyone. More soon! #HarryPotterAtHome

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 20, 2020

It is also mentioned that this is "the first of several initiatives being planned to help bring Harry Potter to children at home," with more announcements to come at a future date. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/31/jk-rowling-goes-back-to-hogwarts] There have been a number of other positive stories to emerge during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Razer committing to manufacturing and donating up to 1M surgical masks to hospitals in need and a number of movies releasing on-demand early while everyone is encouraged to stay indoors. IGN hopes that everyone remains safe and has put together a list of how to help others and stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you've been meaning to catch up on Star Trek: Picard, star Patrick Stewart has a present for you. Ahead of the upcoming Season 1 finale, Stewart tweeted out a code giving fans a free one-month subscription to CBS All Access. Along with the code word "GIFT" (which unlocks the service until April 23), Stewart delivered the message to fans, "It's felt good to bring Picard back. I can't wait to reunite with our cast and crew for Season 2." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=tv-shows-to-watch-in-2020&captions=true"] IGN has confirmed with CBS that the code unlocks the full CBS All Access library, not just Star Trek: Picard, and it's valid for both the commercial-free and limited commercial subscription tiers. There's never been a better time to finally binge Picard, Discovery, The Twilight Zone or the various other CBS All Access-exclusive series. For more on what the streaming service has to offer, check out IGN's recent CBS All Access review and our general State of Streaming hub page. This isn't the only way Stewart has worked to entertain fans recently. He's also been taking to social media to perform iconic Shakespeare sonnets. As Stewart alluded, CBS is moving forward with the second season of Star Trek Picard. The series was officially renewed for Season 2 in January, and Stewart later appeared on The View to invite former costar Whoopi Goldberg to reprise her role as Guinan. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/picard-episode-1-premiere-review-no-spoilers"] If you need help preparing for this voyage into the unknown, we have a guide to the essential Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes to watch before Picard. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Stargirl creator and showrunner Geoff Johns penned a letter sharing the personal story behind the upcoming DC TV series Stargirl. The series is based on Johns' first published work for DC Comics, a comic called Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. inspired by his late sister Courtney, who died in the 1996 TWA Flight 800 disaster. Stargirl, or Courtney Whitmore, was named after Johns' sister and the series served as an outlet for Johns to put the spirit and optimism his sister always had back into the world. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=who-is-dcs-stargirl&captions=true"] Stargirl is set to premiere on the DC Universe streaming service on May 11, with episodes airing on CW afterwards, but Warner Bros. Television has already sent preview screeners of the show to press. Attached with those preview screeners was a personal letter from Johns explaining his personal connection to Stargirl, and IGN received permission to share the letter for fans to read, as well. To Everyone About To Watch Stargirl – I know you have real life concerns to deal with, as we all do, so if you are watching these I hope it’s to take a break from it and I’d encourage you to watch Stargirl with your family. It’s what the show was created for and what the show is about -- and, quite frankly, right now is the time to be with family. My entire career began with heroes. A cold call to Superman director Richard Donner’s office landed me an internship that eventually led to me being Dick’s assistant in 1996. During that first year working for him, my sister - Courtney - was killed in the TWA flight 800 disaster. Courtney was on her way to France as a foreign exchange student. She was 18. She was smart, funny and endlessly enthusiastic. Dick bought my ticket home to Detroit and told me I would have a job waiting for me in Los Angeles whenever I was ready to come back. That fall, we shot a film called Conspiracy Theory in New York. He invited my parents to the set and put them in the movie. It was the first time I remember them smiling and having fun since my sister’s death. Dick was my hero for that. A year later, I sold my first comic book proposal to DC Comics. It was called Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E.. The premise, which is also the premise of the show, was that teenager Courtney Whitmore’s mother, Barbara, marries mechanic Pat Dugan and Courtney (reluctantly) moves with them from Los Angeles to Nebraska. In Nebraska, Courtney discovers that her new step-father used to be a superhero sidekick and steals his partner’s old stuff, taking it for a joy ride. Ultimately, Courtney takes on the mantle of Stargirl and Pat is forced to come out of retirement and becomes a sidekick to his step-daughter as S.T.R.I.P.E. It is a story about how family is created by bond, not blood. Stargirl was, obviously, named after and inspired by my sister, Courtney. It is her spirit and optimistic energy that I wanted to put back in the world with Stargirl. It is celebratory, forward-looking and positive. And I hope that comes through when you watch these episodes. I’ve written a lot of superhero stories in my career, but this is by far the most personal on every level. The cast, crew and everyone involved has given their talent and passion to bringing Stargirl to life and I couldn’t be more grateful for them. I think their hard work paid off and, at the very least, I hope you smile a few times while you watch Brec Bassinger, playing Courtney, and Luke Wilson, playing Pat, take up their mantles individually and together. I apologize for the length of this “introductory” note. Weeks ago, I had thought it would be a simple paragraph or two. But now, I almost feel apologetic for assuming you have the time to watch Stargirl. Again, thank you, and if anyone wants to talk further about the show, I’d be happy to. Best to you and your family – Geoff Johns" If you're unfamiliar with Stargirl, read up on who this CW/DC Universe superhero is here. You can also check out a trailer from the show featuring Stargirl finding the Staff of Starman. Speaking of Starman, read up on Joel McHale's casting as the golden age character. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Warner Bros. has postponed the releases of its upcoming films Wonder Woman 1984, Scoob!, In the Heights, and Malignant due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Wonder Woman 1984 will shift from its original June 5th release date to August 14. The release date shift comes on the heels of the studio shooting down rumors of the DC sequel foregoing a theatrical release in favor of a digital debut. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/08/wonder-woman-1984-official-trailer-1] Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins took to Twitter to explain why they shifted the release date and to reiterate that she made the film for the big screen not streaming:

We made Wonder Woman 1984 for the big screen and I believe in the power of cinema. In these terrible times, when theater owners are struggling as so many are, we are excited to re-date our film to August 14th 2020 in a theater near you, and pray for better times for all by then pic.twitter.com/85ykQ8x6NE

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) March 24, 2020

Warner Bros. has also indefinitely postponed the releases of Scoob! (originally slated for May 15), the musical In the Heights (formerly June 26), and the James Wan-directed horror film Malignant, which had originally been scheduled for the August 14 slot now occupied by Wonder Woman 1984. No new release dates have been set yet for the latter three films, according to Variety. In the Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda took to Twitter to address the film's delay:

Alright, mama, okay... pic.twitter.com/1uxOuUxe53

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 24, 2020

These four Warner Bros. titles join Black Widow, F9, No Time to Die, and nearly every other major upcoming film release in being delayed due to COVID-19. Get the full rundown of every delayed movie release and affected production here. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] For more on Wonder Woman 1984, get the latest details on its villains. And be sure to discover how Scoob! revamps the classic TV characters for CG animation.