Data B.R.O.S. Inc.

Ooooooeeee you guys! 2025 was a DOOZY! From a complete meltdown of the formerly largest distributor in the industry, to the highest sales in years, and with all sorts of crazyness thrown in between, the B.R.O.S. check in on each other, their stores, and the state of the comics industry in this incredible episode. This episode and every episode of the Data B.R.O.S. is sponsored by Murphy's Apple Ju...

In this special crossover episode, we’re hijacking a totally different show for a TakeB.R.O.ver of the Comics Industry Insiders Live live show! Join Django, Jeff, and Brian for the first 30 minutes of the show as they dive deep into the whirlwind that was Free Comic Book Day . Hear how The Comics Place in Bellingham, WA and Earth 519 in London, ON tackled the biggest day in comics in their own uni...

Join Django and Jeff from The Comics Place in Bellingham, Washington, as they welcome rookie comic shop owner Brian Garside of Earth 519 Collectibles in London, Ontario, in Season 2, Episode 23 of The Data B.R.O.S.—aptly titled "Oops, I Shopped Myself"! In this fun and insightful episode, Brian shares his unexpected journey into comic retail, detailing how a series of happy accidents and spontaneo...

Get ready to set sail with Django and Jeff as regale Brian* with tales of their unforgettable voyage in Season 2, Episode 22 of The Data B.R.O.S.—aptly titled "Toy Boat"! In this exciting instalment, the crew dives deep into their recent adventure aboard Toy Boat, a unique and fun-filled gathering that mixes the thrill of toy retailing with the refreshing sea breeze. From networking with fellow re...

***Please note, as pointed out in the intro, after recording the episode we realized we said "Skip Week" when we meant "Fifth Week", in your head please replace "Skip Week" with "5th Week". The dreaded 5th week, what is it, why does it exist, how can we plan for it, and what do we do about it as retailers? We'll dive deep into the 5th week and what can be done to mitigate its impact on your shop....

This week, on a very special Data B.R.O.S. - Jeff and Django are knee deep in The Comics Place hijinks so we're simulcasting an interview with Atom! Freeman about the Fan Confidence Rating that was recorded on Brian's Meanwhile...at Manage Comics podcast. RETURN to the past exploits of Adam. Look on in WONDER at the awesomeness that is the Fan Confidence Rating Be AMAZED at the revolutionary view...

Hey everyone, welcome back to Data B.R.O.S. , your go-to 30-minute weekly podcast where we dive into the comic book industry, explore comic book data, and discuss what it really takes to run a modern comic shop! I’m Brian, your host, joined as always by Jeff and Django. Episode Sponsor Shout-Outs: This week, our episode is brought to you by Comico Comics and cash-houses-gold.com . Episode Highligh...

Running a modern comic shop poses a myriad of problems and among them is how do you identify, rack, and sell adult material in your comic shop in 2024? In this episode of The Data B.R.O.S., we'll look at adult comics, how do you identify adult material? What makes something adult, is it violence, nudity, "adult situations", or is it something more? We'll talk about this and so much more in this we...

YOU GUYS! It's an all new Data B.R.O.S. and we're back to follow up the final issue from Season 1, Locations Locations Locations. In this dynamic SEASON TWO premiere, we talk about the all new The Comics Place location, what went into finding it, how Django and Jeff negotiated for the new location, what they'll do with their old location, and how the Data B.R.O.S. are going to come together - PHYS...

IT CAME FROM THE VAULT!!! As we were blowing the dust off the Data B.R.O.S. after an extended leave of absence, we found this one last episode which we cleverly titled Location, Location, Location. What makes a good location? What should you look for when finding the perfect place for your comic shop? What's the trade-off on lower rent vs higher foot traffic? Is a location a marketing expense? Wha...

This week's Data B.R.O.S. shines the spotlight on Shannon Live of Bat City Comics Professionals who has an amazing program to encourage kids to read. We talk about Shannon's secret origin, discuss the origins of Bat City Comics Professionals, their move from Austin, Texas to Bradenton, Florida, and the amazing thing that is BAM! Books Are Magic. Shannon is passionate about both sequential storytel...

This week Brian and Django are Jeffless, and spending time in the Windy City checking out comic shops and attending C2E2. They talk about C2E2, the Future of Comics Retail panel. Their thoughts on artist commissions, and various fun they've had in Chicago. --- Thanks to our sponsor Murphy's Apple Juice , It's the shape, not the taste, but it's also the taste, which is pretty dang good. Thank you f...

This week we’re going to talk about the impacts of Inflation on the comics industry. We’ll look at rising prices and the pressures of inflation, rising rents, labor costs, and everything else in between and how “Holding the line at $2.99” is a total fantasy that simply doesn’t match up with economic realities. We’ll talk about the challenges of the industry, and the strategies for surviving in an...

Join us this week as we dive deep into the world of email marketing—a vital tool for any business owner looking to enhance their outreach. In this episode, we'll uncover why an email list is not just a tool but a valuable asset. We'll guide you through the best practices for managing and growing your list, navigate the tricky waters of compliance and permissions, and share the effective tools in u...

In this very special episode of the Data B.R.O.S. we dive into the Murphy's Apple Juice drama, what exactly is going on at Murphy's Apple juice? When you look back on all 10 episodes thus far, it is an interesting story of an organization that may be experiencing growing pains. We'll be back with a regular episode next week, but in the meantime please enjoy this special episode of Data B.R.O.S.. I...

On a previous episode we spoke a bit about employee autonomy, this episode we break down what Employee Autonomy means, how it helps with employee growth, and how it benefits the business overall. In this episode we talk about: Hiring for Autonomy Dealing with failure Checking in on autonomous employees Success stories for autonomous employees Rewarding autonomous employees What makes a Manga a per...

This week we dive into the recent X-Office announcements, and the X-Men relaunch that was made at SXSW recently, and how that affects comic shops, what could be done to make announcements like that actionable, and how to improve overall overdering. We also talk about marketing concepts like earned vs paid media, calls to action, and closing loops. We'll also dive deep into "Auto-Subs" (from Comic...

WE COME FROM THE FUTURE WITH WARNINGS FROM THE PAST!!! With the COMET Presentation at the ComicsPRO presentation in Pittsburgh in February 2023 in the books, the metadata working group moves into its next phase, implementation and iteration. Jeff, Django and Brian are joined by Katie Pryde of Books with Pictures, and Jessica Wells of Penguin Radom House to discuss what the next steps are for COMET...

SECRET NO MORE!!! The Origin of the ComicsPRO Metadata Working Group is revealed!!! Before there was a COMET, there was the ComicsPRO Metadata Working Group, who had worked together informally for a year before meeting for the first time face-to-face in Pittsburgh in the winter of 2023. These brave men and women set out to redefine data for the comics direct market in a way that hadn't been attemp...

This week in a very special BONUS issue of the Data B.R.O.S. podcast, Brian is flying solo, but Django and Jeff are here in virtual spirit. In place of a normal issue, we're replaying Brian's overview of ComicsPRO and the COMET Standard from his Meanwhile...at Manage Comics podcast (with a couple of tiny bonuses thrown in for good measure). Segment 1: The ComicsPRO Overview Segment 2: COMET Standa...

INVERTING THE INVERTED PYRAMID!!! In this exciting episode we flip the entire episode on its head, starting with Shop Talk, moving in to Industry Yammer, and finishing off with Data Bro-Ification! We want to hear YOUR thoughts on the DataB.R.O.S.? We would love to hear from you, send us an email, or a voice mail to podcast@databrosinc.com and we’ll feature you in an upcoming issue! Shop Talk The B...

LOOK INTO THE FUTURE AND GASP IN DELIGHT!!! In this issue, we discuss the unpredictability of comics deliveries, and how the store being physically closed affects deliveries, how data comes into a system, what we’re looking forward to in 2024, and finally some talk about autosubbing (not a Transformer). We want to hear YOUR thoughts on the DataB.R.O.S.? We would love to hear from you, send us an e...

THEY WARNED US THIS COULD HAPPEN!!! In this issue, we say goodbye to 2023, mourn some of the stores who closed, and celebrate some of the new openings. What do YOU think about the DataB.R.O.S.? We would love to hear from you, send us an email, or a voice mail to podcast@databrosinc.com and we’ll feature you in an upcoming issue! Data Bro-Ification Saying good-bye to some shops, and hello to some n...

IT CAME FROM…VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3! DataB.R.O.S. has hit the “Terrible Threes”, and in this all chromium covered issue, we feature our FIRST TWO viewer emails, and so much more awesomeness. YOU should tell us how we’re doing, send us an email, or a voice mail to podcast@databrosinc.com and we’ll feature you in an upcoming issue! In this episode the Data B.R.O.S. continue to talk comics, data, and the...

SUDDENLY IT’S VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2! It's a “Second Issue Spectacular", and for this issue we’ve got 52 variant covers, including three very special ratio covers which you’ll need a PHD in math to figure out how you qualify!!! Think that’s too stiff? WELL TELL US ABOUT IT!!! Write to us at podcast@databrosinc.com In this episode the Data B.R.O.S. continue to talk comics, data, and the business of comi...