Contest of Challengers

No, not YOU; someone else. But we'd do it if we could. Fridays, amirite?? We start off the episode with a quick reminder of how subscriptions work, because some people still don't get it. You're not an @$$hole for asking questions. The 2018 Sale shirts are in! Why don't we order ALL our graphic novels from Diamond? Also, HOW we order our graphic novels from Diamond. More observations about selling...

Suddenly it feels like last week's episode was a 2-parter. More new Marvel 'Fresh Start' title announcements. Several DC announcements from Emerald City Comic Con, including 4 Neil Gaiman-adjacent books and 2 new non DCU Brian Michael Bendis books. Why we do not relish selling C2E2 tickets in-store. February sales numbers are in. March event round-up.

We're not in Portland. Or ARE we? It's the Comics PRO Annual Meeting this weekend. Any news? Diamond Comics' new PreviewsWorld Pullbox has a lot of people talking. Is it just an updated version of ComiXology's old subscription service? Speaking of Previews, DC Comics is leaving Diamond's Previews catalog and starting their own. The Image Expo was also this week, so here's a quick rundown. Marvel i...

After years of thinking Challengers didn't need a women-specific comic-themed meet-up, Samantha Challenger proves us so very wrong. The 'hows' and 'whys' of this type of event. The short-term and long-term goals of the night. Plans for the next meet-up. And, Samantha lists her current favorite Manga graphic novels, pro wrestlers and current comic series, and we completely missed the boat by not ha...

Patrick is worried about the snow affecting business during the yearly sale. Dal is not. DC Comics has to new younger reader graphic novel imprints. This episode has very little editing to show you what these conversations really sound like. We think there are too many Infinity Countdown-related books in Marvel's immediate future. DC wisely doesn't try to tie their current comics into their curren...

Feeling ownership of the city you live and work in, and putting money back into that very community. Thanks, Patreon patrons! Dal wants us to do Patreon-exclusive episode. Big changes at Valiant this week. Some really big DC news out this week: DC Nation #0 and the new Action Comics and Superman plans. More weekly series are going to make ordering that much more challenging. The New Age of DC Hero...

Misconfigured microphone settings can't keep us from talking to one of our favorite comics retailers, BRIAN HIBBS of Comix Experience in San Francisco! Brian's been in the comics industry longer than we have, and his insight is invaluable. Looking at the state of the industry vs. the quality of today's product. Comix Experience has an amazing graphic novel club. You will not believe what Brian's f...

You will not believe what came in Saturday's mail. The 1990's X-Men cartoon is responsible for getting so many people interested in comic books. Marvel putting out 4 new Wolverine-adjacent mini-series strikes us as a bad idea. DC's Action Comics #1000 strikes us a s a good idea. Dan Slott is leaving Spider-Man for Iron Man, and Marvel signed Kelly Thompson to an exclusive contract. We like both of...

Well, we finally heard back from our landlord… We talk about what that means for the future and potential changes. The pros and cons of genre racking graphic novels. How we read or single issue comics. We're not excited for the New Age of DC Heroes. We may be stocking *gasp* open order variant covers. Happy Birthday, Lucy Knisley! More community-oriented events are coming to Challengers.

Welcome new listeners! Are you ready for a serious look at 2017's sales? We were down 6.8% from 2016 and we discuss the numbers, trends and percentages. We're down over $21,000.00 in single-issue Marvel Comics sales. This became an international news story and got a lot of people talking. Too many, you might say. 94 Subscribers did NOT come in for their comics in December. We bought product from 1...

Those 6 days of Christmas sales were nice. Not as good as 2016, but still nice. We got some real nice 5-star reviews recently, and a head-scratching 1-star. Getting people to leave their homes for entertainment is hard to do. How do we get comic reviews to be as sales-boosting as game reviews? Patrick writes a comics commercial on the spot. Women's Comics Month 2018 is shaping up to be great with...

This special mid-week bonus episode is an interview recorded in Challengers with Onrie Kompan and Dan Dougherty, creators of the new real life historical graphic novel MARX: A Tale of Neglect. It was recorded just before Christmas, so forgive a few Holiday well-wishes that are merely a week old. This graphic novel is the story of what Onrie's grandfather went thru during World War II. Find out how...

Christmas finally has a positive effect on sales, and it's fun to go to work when people want to buy comics! There is a brand new reason we're excited to stay in our current location (if we can). Marvel is stealth-cancelling a bunch of titles. Some Marvel Legacy titles we really like. Is Dan Slott leaving Amazing Spider-Man? Who can replace him? "Surviving Creativity" is a great podcast. We sure w...

Dal immediately starts talking about Star Wars The Last Jedi (which he hadn't even seen at the time of this recording—but don't worry; he's seen it plenty since then). The pros and cons of Disney acquiring Fox. And, of course, Net Neutrality. A follow-up to last episode's Patreon discussion. What a difference a week makes. A rundown of 2018's gold tier Free Comic Book Day comics. They look good.

Patreon has changed the way fees are paid, and no one likes it. Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Festivus Gift Ideas for the comic fans on your list! Yes, we talk about buying Taylor Swift concert tickets. "Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors" looks wonderful and we're excited for it.

Occasionally we get asked for advice on opening a comic store. This episode is our real-world advice to someone asking us questions about opening their own store. Lessons we've learned; lessons we haven't learned; lessons we're still learning. We may joke about our 'success' but you can't be in business for almost 10 years by not knowing what you're doing.

Three events in five days! We run 'em all down. Doomsday Clock #1 11:57pm Release Event. Black Friday 50% OFF Comics (Comics; NOT graphic novels) Santa's Husband Signing. The diversity of these three events give us plenty to talk about, for sure. Oh, and don't worry; we do find time to talk about the Wolverine.

Holiday decorations come early, for a specific reason. WGN News stopped by to film a segment (or 5) on Local Comic Shop Day at Challengers. Don Cardenas talks about his Packs of the Lowcountry Kickstarter. Axel Alonso is out as Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief. CB Cebulski is in. We're having a BIG Black Friday Sale!

It's the biggest comics news story of the year, and we make you wait over 30 minutes before we start talking about it. First we talk about Funko's Initial Public Offering disaster. New themed displays in-store, including Thor Ragnarok and the Justice League. X-Men Red. Looking at possible new locations, just in case we have to move. DC Comics has signed Brian Michael Bends to an exclusive contract...

At the time of recording, Patrick and Dal have seen Thor Ragnarok a combined 5 times. This episode's title has no actual bearing to the episode, but it is mentioned, so it counts, but "A piece of water" is just as accurate. Rian Hughes, our favorite logo designer, has a book of his logos coming out in April. Should we care about eBay exclusive Marvel Comics variant covers? More egregious nonsense...

What Chicagoland comic shop has been open the longest? Patrick really wants to read a history of Chicago comic book retail stores. Halloween Comicfest just happened and we don't know if we promoted it correctly. We received a graphic novel this week that had no data in Diamond's system, yet we had customers' orders for it. This is the story of getting Diamond to help us with it. Some subscribers a...

Marvel's movie-based collections don't really work for us. That leads into talk about Thor: Ragnarok. The sharp drop-off of mini-series sales numbers. The saga of one man looking for the first issue of Aftershock's Fu-Jitsu #1. $6,000.00 of dental work vs. one extra comic book. We're now Facebook verified! Sean Dove has been added to our Halloween Comicfest event! The difficulties of explaining Da...

Patrick fixed an issue with the receiver (so you can hear the new FOZZY CD "Judas" on ALL 6 store speakers!!). Dal won't watch "Mei and the Kitten Bus." Comixology is ditching their Pull List functionality (more than a year after we already ditched it). We're featured in the new book "Comic Shop: The Retail Mavericks Who Gave Us a New Geek Culture." Subscriber copies vs. shelf copies on any given...

How far is too far from the blue line? Some comic retailers still cannot handle diversity in comics. The first 6 pages of Doomsday Clock are online and Dal likes it more than expected. A whole bunch of news from the New York Comic Con. A whole bunch.

Should we change our store hours? How a 1981 episode of WKRP in Cincinnati resonates with today's comics industry. Why we don't sell vintage books. Hugh Hefner vs. Dr. Seuss Measuring yesterday's comics thru the lens of today. Marvel Legacy is finally here! Patrick went to the eye doctor. Upcoming Marvel Avengers and Venom crossovers. A letter from a fellow retailer. Why did we recently buy a used...