Contest of Challengers

Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Landry Jones joins the XFL! Wait—that doesn't belong here… Caroline Cash (Girl in the World) just signed at Challengers! She was a delight and we sold books! But… Trade-waiting! Is it by subscribers or non-subscribers? The current trend of comic shops making videos. Destroying this week's copies of Superman #14 (even though Patrick routinely says #13 in the episode) a...

Patrick is a broken old man. We so desperately want new carpet! And window blinds! Making the consumer pay the credit card processing fee. Paying for "convenience." #10 in Sri Lanka, bay-bee! AWA announced the first book in their new superhero shared universe. Referencing Brian Hibbs' latest 'Tilting at Windmills' column (on ComicsBeat.com) about stores buying their graphic novels from more than j...

Remember Superman Unchained? Dal doesn't. Keepin' them back issues in order! When books disappear from your mindset (i.e. Morning Glories). Thanks, Patrons! What are the best Event Books, in enjoyment and in money earned? Surge pricing and the people that merit it. Happy 10th Anniversary, CoC!

We've got a (potentially) big event happening tomorrow and neither of us know what to expect. It's a surprise drop of the comic book tie-in to Dreamville and J Cole's "Revenge of the Dreamers III". We tell you how this came about and what we're expecting for the day. And if you don't know Dreamville or J. Cole, it's okay; we didn't, either. House of X #1 was released this week! It's exactly what w...

Want vs need. Rewarding you for sharing in our ecosystem. Captain Marvel #8 is what the swarm went for this week. Customer databases. Information integrated into your life. Top-selling books for the nation vs @ Challengers (Black Cat vs. Dceased). How many young reader imprints can the market bear? The first of the Comic-Con International San Diego publishing announcements.

We start with several new comic series announcements—it must be time for Comic-Con! A serious question about second prints. With all the demand over the Walking Dead #193, we missed out on TMNT #95. Additional June sales commentary. Which comics sold better after a TV adaptation? 39 questions from an interviewer that we do not want to type out.

How can we make this podcast better? Puppies. Walking Dead #193 came out the day of recording, and it reminds us of everything we hate about comics retail. Oh, we have a LOT to say about this. Wanting to engage with the product is a huge part of what we do. June sales numbers. Why did June suck? It's a deep dive into the differences between June 2019 and June 2018, and what that means for us. It's...

Why was last episode a day late? Genre-racking graphic novels, one year later. The polarizing business strategy of Colorado's Mile High Comics. The future DC Comics rebranding and a brief look back at all their previous imprints. Comics growing with you as you age. War of the Realms and the current state of Marvel's Event books. How to summarize your comic book. Contest of Challengers Bingo contin...

The marketing genius of Taylor Swift. J.J. Abrams' Spider-Man. 37,000 photo views? No, X-Men Grand Design X-Tinction #2 did NOT come out this week. Getting an 8th-grader to work for school credit. Marvel Comics #1000+1 Superman Year One Really fun Teen Titans Raven signing announcement. Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273

Mistaken identity! Thanks, Patrons! Making money vs. making people happy. Buncha new comics news! Legion, Flash, Harley & Ivy, King Thor, etc. Absolute Carnage post-credit scenes. The DC Artgerm Poster Portfolio. The Comic in a Box game we haven't played. Upcoming events! Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273

Markisan Naso joins Patrick for a wide-ranging conversation that covers it all! Designing a comic-themed beer! Earlier years of comic book journalism and Darwyn Cooke. Of course they plug Challengers' upcoming Voracious signing with Markisan and Jason Muhr on Saturday, June 22 (11am – 3pm). I mean, they'd be fools NOT to!! What IS Voracious about, anyway? Eating dinosaurs? What? How Markisan and J...

We 100% value you, our Wednesday Angels (Wednesday Angels ™ & © 2019 Challengers Inc). A not-short story about trying to buy a new car (but it relates to comics retail, we promise). The follow-up to last week's Tom King news. Soliciting orders for a 2nd print before the final orders are due for the 1st print. White Trees = D&D Dream Daddy. One great solicitation blurb, and then a not-great one. Yo...

All the upcoming concerts that will cause some adjustments to the CoC recording schedule. Dal's (very brief) visit to Sarasota. Okay, so we have a lot of speculation about Tom King leaving Batman. A mere 1 day later, so much more of DC's future Bat-Plans have come out, but we didn't know that when this was recorded, so bear that in mind when listening to this part. DC's attempted revitalization of...

Just your average episode with 2 comic shop owners talking about business! How we now order DC "B" covers. Ordering for July is soul-crushing. The difference between schilling and imparting information. Filling requests by any means necessary. Reporting all damages, shortages and overages. An alternate take on Free Comic Book Day. When the deep discount offer just isn't worth it, even if you quali...

What is Marvel Comics #1000? I'm sorry, we mean WHY is (it called) Marvel Comics #1000? How do we keep track of customer wants when they ask for books that don't yet exist? We're looking at YOU, 3 Jokers… Baker & Taylor, our secondary distributor, no longer wants our business (or that of any independent bookstore). Oni Press and Lion Forge are merging. That's causing layoffs and some employees are...

It's an interview episode with Nicholas Aflleje & Sarah DeLaine from the brand new Image Comics graphic novel LITTLE GIRLS. Who are they? What is Little Girls about? How did it come about? They're going to be at Challengers on Monday, May 13th, for a full on release party! Featuring LIVE MUSIC from both Kachi The Band and Gentle Heat! More info on all the music!! Kachi The Band: https://kachitheba...

Listener questions! You (2 of you) had questions (7 questions) and we have answers (way more than 7 answers). The Doomsday Clock collection plans. How much effort is a 25¢ comic worth to us? The upcoming Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane comics look excellent! Another retailer tries to co-opt our FCBD Facebook event page. What is going on with the Jensen Plating Works building? I mean, we don't know! Cont...

New POP Vinyl's… always new POP Vinyl's. Why don't we do more Patreon Exclusive episodes? 101WKQX did some filming in Challengers this week. The Little Bird #1 Sales Battle is over. X-23 is also over, along with all non-Hickman X-Titles. Marvel Comics' July 2019 solicitations are insane. Valkyrie is a comic that needed to not be announced so soon. It looks great but it also ruins current storyline...

Never before in 11 years—a $0 cash day! Jumping thru hoops to be a part of the Wizards Play Network (for the Transformers card game). Bag-switching is still shoplifting, you know. Trying to change our payment terms with Diamond. Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273 There are new safety protocols in place for picking up the weekly comics shipment at Geodis. BO...

First! A conversation with CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comic Expo) organizer Jon Mastantuono about CAKE's upcoming art auction and what to look forward to for this year's show. Not recorded in a moving car! Dal played host to a group (gaggle? swarm? murder?) of Scouts in-store this Monday. 2019 has seen a sharp increase in donation requests. Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker...

We turned 11 today! It's the return of everybody's favorite— a recorded-in-a-moving-car episode (showing you why Car Con Carne is recorded in a stationary car). Bluetooth hijinks make listening to the first 36 minutes of this episode more challenging than usual! Up to the 36 minute mark. Contest of Challengers Bingo is a real thing! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273 War of the Realms #1 may over...

Detective Comics #1000 is the new C2E2 tickets, for this week, at least. A minor (Challengers) controversy of an upcoming Previews cover featuring Wicked + Divine. Our C2E2 2019 recap. An Epic Photo Opp experience. The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega are actually on this podcast! Our early-morning Diamond/Marvel breakfast. Marty & Sarah tell you all about Champion's Day!

Alternate episode title: "High-Fives from Dal!" C2E2 is just about here, and we cannot wait!! …to not have to sell tickets anymore this year. The week's tally of publishers' emails. If he didn't work in comics but still shopped for comics, how would Dal do it? The fun of selling Little Bird #1. Dal built us a new website!! You should give it a look at http://challengerscomics.com Free Comic Book D...

Current publishing practices we just don't understand (such as releasing 2 new #1's one week but 0 the next; uneven numbering). Who is the new Transformers comic series for? More people than you may realize. So many good books are coming out this upcoming week!! An interview with local artist and comic format innovator Rachel Bard. Is it ever a good sign when publishers seek investors? What we loo...

This episode rundown will not be in the order these topics are discussed on the show. How we choose each week's front counter Challengers Choice. Future Instagram strategy and we don't mean Gwenpool posts. Challengers was (very briefly) mentioned on BBC Radio 1. The 2019 Sale Shirts are in! Mercenary sales grabs can be fun (DCeased) and can just be blatant (Return of Wolverine). Which should have...