FOR STABILITY REASONS •How the video game Zenless Zone Zero is like working in a comic shop.•BIG Manage Comics update! •Gettin’ them ducts cleaned!•DSTLRY leaves Lunar for Diamond!•We actually like Lunar as a comic distribution company.•Penguin Random House buys BOOM! Studios!•When publishers reuse terminology, such as “absolute” or “ultimate”. Con…

IT’S NOT AN ERA •Challengers Shelf Sponsorship is live! https://challengerscomics.com/products/shelf-sponsorship •The Future of The X-Men starts Now!•Thanks, Patrons!•Comics talked about in this episode: X-MEN #1 POWER FANTASY #1, #2 NICE HOUSE BY THE SEA #1 RED BEFORE BLACK #1 KILL ALL IMMORTALS #1, #2Contest of Challengers #692…

This week I'm joined Artist MARIE ENGER (Upcoming: DEATH TO THE WIZARD KINGS, FEN, FHTAGN AND LOATHING, THE BONES OF THIS PLACE), We chat about Nightwish, Fancy coffee makers, art style evolutions, b-stock books and a whole bunch more! Check out Marie's Website Here: https://www.so-engery.com/ Marie's Socials Twitter: https://twitter.com/so_engery …

IT’S JUST NOISE •The new weekly delivery schedule for new comics. •Marvel’s stealth release of Moon Knight Fist of Khonshu #0. •DC’s confidence in Absolute Power #2? •Notable, non-product specific challenges. •Shopify’s 150+ updates.•Diamond’s new Fandomworld. •Our products in someone else’s (non-comic) shopContest of Challengers #691…

This week I'm joined XANDER ARNOT and ANDREW LEAMON, the creative team behind the stellar comics CAMERAMAN! we chat the creation of the book, how their collaboration works, their individual work processes, and a bunch more! Link to the CAMERAMAN Campaign⁠: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/xanderflicks/camera-man-1 Xanders YouTube Channel: https…

“SOMETHING SPECIAL IS COMING” •July 3rd is going to be a very small week of new comics. •Tipping. •Marvel has quietly ended/is ending several series. •Strange Tales Marvel Legends. •SAGA, now in a smaller collection format. •Frustrations when ordering from incomplete solicitations. •Upcoming comics for September. •Other media writers writing comics…

This week I'm joined by JP AHONEN, the writer/artist behind the hilariovs comic, Belzebubs! We talk the newly release 2nd Volume, NO REST FOR THE WICKED, EVERGREY, some chat about the upcoming BELZEBUBS animated series, and a bunch more! Check out ⁠⁠BELZBUBS VOL. 2 HERE⁠: https://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog/belzebubs-vol-2-no-rest-for-the-wicked/…

TO FACILITATE BEAUTIFICATION •Advance PDF’s from BOOM! Studios and Image. •Shelf Sponsorship—more details! •Website Changes? Dark Mode! •Cute Animal Videos •Rifters #1!•Manga Contest of Challengers #689By Challengers Comics

This week I'm joined by BALAZS LORINCZI, the writer/artist behind the amazing new Jazz Playing Werewolf Band RomCom Graphic Novel WOLFPITCH! We chat the origins of the book, bass guitars, making color choices for the book, and a whole bunch more!Check out ⁠Wolfpitch HERELinks to Balazs Socials/Website HERECOMICS-COFFEE-METAL is hosted by DON CARDEN…

“SUPERHERO BURGER” •CRIME! Crime? •Spam. •No single issues; the future? •Sponsorships!! •Maybe there’s something to that burger idea…? •Comics talked about in this episode: TMNT #1 SCARLETT #2Contest of Challengers #688By Challengers Comics

This week I'm joined by the epic duo of GAVIN SMITH (Dead Legends, TMNT) and RICH DOUEK (Drive Like Hell, Wailing Blade) who chat about the debut issue of their new Dark Horse Comic HEARTPIERCER! Check out Heartpiercer! Website: Rich - https://linktr.ee/rdouekGavin - https://t.co/YZTpNmiCnLCOMICS-COFFEE-METAL is hosted by DON CARDENASTwitter: https…

OBFUSCATING THE DETAILS •4 years ago today… •The bad and good of retail, both in one day! •Identity thieved! •Thanks, Patrons! •Taskmaster! •Marvel’s bizarre FOC maneuvers. •July is HUGE for New #1’s! •Red Band books are (unfortunately) the future. •Lack of interest in Blood Hunt/Absolute Power, even tho we’re happy with them. Contest of Challenger…

DUST BITERS •Item Scraping solicitors. •”New Series” Flyer for Sidekicks and Manga. •The difficulties of ordering new manga. •Adjusting our Manage Comics Bookmark. •The 1982 DC Comics Style Guide. •The saga of Black River’s new floor. •Comic talked about in this episode: SCARLETT #1 Contest of Challengers #686…

FOLD-ER •Welcome to Contest of Challengers with Charles and Dale! •Archiving comics on our website. •UPS shipments. •Card game ordering, and lack thereof. •(More) New X-Titles! •Comics talked about in this episode: LAWFUL #1 GROMMETS #1 PROFANE #1 Contest of Challengers #685By Challengers Comics

GETTING A HANDLE ON FCBD •What happened to our front door handle? •Smoke N Snack’s front window nightmare. •How was Free Comic Book Day? Contest of Challengers #684By Challengers Comics

INTELLECTUALLY? •Bad customer service. •Gotta get them Back Issues! •Setting up for FCBD. •Thanks, Patrons! •Our C2E2 experiences. Contest of Challengers #683By Challengers Comics

THE FUTURE OF COMIC BOOK RETAIL LIVE from Conference Room S403 at McCormick Place, it’s the C2E2 panel discussion, THE FUTURE OF COMICS RETAIL with Patrick, W. Dal, Katie Pryde (Books With Pictures, Portland), and Dimitrios Fragiskatos (Anyone Comics/Everyone Comics, NY). The sound quality is a little iffy on this one due to recording in such a lar…

This week I'm joined by the talented LESLY JULIEN who returns to the the show to chat about the second issue of his fantastic Barbarian turned Wizard book SAVAGE WIZARD! Back SAVAGE WIZARD here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leswrite/savage-wizard-1-2Follow Lesly Here:Twitter: https://twitter.com/LesWriteInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/…

I’M NOT EVERYBODY •Dented packaging. •Charging delinquent subscribers interest…? •DC’s 5-book release week. •FCBD output. •California’s Earth-2 is closing, and their reasons make perfect sense. •Results of the ComicsPRO Retailer Survey. •Patrick read a ton of advance PDF’s (and most of the books already came out). •Comics talked about in this episo…

BLACK TIE •The Future Of Comic Book Retail •Apparently we are not a “Legacy” shop. •”Marcus” and his comic book. And a black tie. •People keep asking to have signings at Challengers. •3 new X-Titles and X-Men ’92 vs X-Men ’97. •Waaayyy too much television digression. Sorry. •Lunar’s waxy new cardboard inserts. •Diamond shipping changes. Contest of …

This week I am joined by writers and creators of the new Image Comic's series THE CABINET, David Ebeltoft and Jordan Hart! Awesome dudes who can write one hell of a book! Check it! Additionally I check out some great coffee from RUSTY DOG COFFEE, great new LP's by AMARANTHE and LODESTAR, and a fun new comics series by Alex Osbourne and Hugio A.R.T.…

ENTHUSIASM OVER KNOWLEDGE •A very full inbox. •Leaving tasks for the other person. •Upcoming Events with: Brian Azzarello, Stephanie Phillips, Sarah Becan, Sage Coffey, Bianca Xunise (and more!)! •Publisher price changes are always a surprise. •Misplaced retailer concerns. •Prioritizing sales over tasks. •Us, as customers at other shops. •Our denti…

IN SEQUENCE •We have now officially been open for 16 years! Yow! •Keeping the “local” in local events. •C2E2 is fast approaching. •Wanting to refresh every aspect of the shop. •Some of the many books being published in June. •Thanks, Patrons! •Taskmaster Contest of Challengers #678By Challengers Comics

XVI •Sixteen years in the same building but with many different building owners/managers. •Hmmm, can Patrick get Kip Winger to come out for our 17th Anniversary next year…? •Looking back at the comic shops of Chicago over the past 16 years. •Dal likes to refresh our website captions regularly. •The end of our reward program. •Uncanny X-Men #130 cov…

X-CHANGES •Sorry, we don't price-match with Amazon, because we don't have a market cap of $1,820,000,000,000. •Single issue sales attrition as evidenced on the sales floor. •The future of the X-Men comic universe has been revealed! •A massive Diamond shipping rebate. •”Minor shelf wear” •New Publisher returnability options. •Comics talked about in …

This week I have returning guests HEATHER ANTOS (Editor-IDW, MARVEL) and MICHELE ABOUNADER (Sharp Wit and the Company of Women, The Color Of Always) jump on to discuss the LGBTQIA+ Charity Comic Anthology, WHEN I WAS YOUNG (all profits going to the Trevor Project), as well as the landscape of crowdfunding, trying to bully Michele into making a news…

CALL AN AMBULANCE •The many, many ways comic shops can sort comics for their subscribers. •How we think distributors ship their books, geographically. •”You called?” •Patrick broke his 3rd exercise bike. •”Can you call me an ambulance?” •Comics talked about in this episode: SPECTREGRAPH #1 DUDLEY DATSON AND THE FOREVER MACHINE #1 MONSTERS ARE MY BU…

INCENTIVE TO BUY •The fresh scent of Challengers. •February sales are a Challengers record (not a good record). •Refreshing our Reward program. •Thanks, Patrons! •Cancelling wrestling action figures from Diamond. •Pre-order amounts. •DC’s Absolute Power event grows. •Comic talked about in this episode: FERAL #1 Contest of Challengers #674…

This week I am joined by modern master Phil Hester (The Wretch, The Anchor, Mythic, Green Arrow, Irredeemable Ant-Man)! We chat about original art collecting, Industrial Metal, the indie boom of the 80's, why the industry should listen to Phil about new artists, questions from social media, and much more! Also, I finally get back to some intros and…

FLAT-RATE •Diamond announces new Flat-Rate shipping pricing. •The ComicsPRO Annual Meeting is happening right now! And we are not there. •DC announcements: Wednesday is officially New Comic Day starting in July. A new line of Themed trade paperback collections. Absolute Power is the big summer crossover, by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. •Marvel officiall…

MUCHA LUCHA •Sidekicks is fun! •Sale shirts, redux. •Comic sales in Vegas. •Pop-Ups.•Madame Web. •Shopify tax forms. •The cost of window prints. •DC/Marvel Crossover omnibus editions! •Salt Shed’s Fret12 with Ready For Death! Watch It Here!! Contest of Challengers #672By Challengers Comics

Dave Jordan returns to the podcast to chat about his awesome pedal company, NON-HUMAN AUDIO, and we go in about his journey to making pedals, why having lots of guitars is cool, some questions from social media and a whole bunch more!Follow Dave Here:https://www.nonhumanaudio.com/Twitter:⁠⁠https://twitter.com/thatdavejordanInstagram:⁠⁠https://insta…

FIT TO PRINT •Thank you for sharing any of our posts and for liking what we do! •How is our 25% Off Sale doing…? •It’s a Brand-New Dal!! •Lack of Channel 4 advertising revenue. •What is Tik-Tok for, really? •You can’t subscribe to books like it’s the 90’s anymore. •Not prioritizing money. •Sale shirt controversy! •”Dal Reads You to Sleep” Coming So…

IN-SALE STORES •Final Order Cutoff emails. •A Man with a Hat. •SALE!!! •No Wednesday holds. •January’s final sales numbers. •Thanks, Patrons! •Credit card processing fees. •Comic talked about in this episode: MAN’S BEST ASHCAN Contest of Challengers #670By Challengers Comics

This week I am joined by Writer SCOTT BRYAN WILSON (TRVE KVLT, PENNYWORTH, KILL MORE)! Join us as we chat about Dungeon Synth, making comics, Scott's work and approach to his new book KILL MORE, and a bunch more!Follow Scott Here:www.scottbryanwilson.comTwitter:⁠https://twitter.com/scottbrwilsonInstagram:⁠https://instagram.com/scottbrwilsonCOMICS-C…

FEELING THE IMPACT •Low January sales. •The future of vaulting subscriber credit cards. •Ghost Machine -Publisher support -Issue readability •No retailer support for Returnability. •Shopify/Google email compliance. •Spotify/Patreon RSS feed confusion. •Two new events -Spawn #350 RE: Spawn Podcast Day -Dick Tracy #1 Release Day Double Signing •Comic…

DEAD POWER •Dead Strange •Chainsaw Man’s Power •Neca product returns. •No bags (this is in my notes but as I’m typing this, I have no memory of what it means, yet we only recorded 2 hours ago). •An almost Scott Kurtz signing. •And the t-shirt artist is… Gustavo Duarte! •Our Top Selling Graphic Novels of 2023 (and Publishers) Contest of Challengers …

YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED •Patrick’s experience as a retail customer. •2023 number fun!! Now in percentages! •Positive consumer financial positivity (via AP and Axios). •Turning lemonade into lemons, featuring Ultimate Spider-Man #1! •A new home for our Incentive/Ratio Variants! •A very specific rule for earning the 2024 “I Love You But I’ve Chosen Co…

ECONOMIC-CABAL •Oooohhhhh! Episode 666! Sooo spooookyyyyy!! •Stacked deliveries really suck! •More complaining about how Diamond ships out product. •Product Costs vs. Operational Costs •Kamen Rider toys vs AEW action figures. •60,000 copies of Heartstopper Vol.5. •Marvel Hallmark ornaments. •Help us help you (read the emails we send!). Contest of C…

This week I am joined by Artist/Musician NELSON BLAKE II (BYTE-SIZED, THE DARKNESS, VARIOUS MARVEL/DC, LOCKED IN A VACANCY)! We have an in depth chat about Nelson's passion for guitar, working with Marc Silvestri at TOP COW, his journey back to LOCKED IN A VACANCY and making their killer new EP, and of course, a ton of gear chat!Locked In A Vacancy…

A BURDEN TO SURVIVORS •Arielle Free is in Chicago and Patrick had no idea (non-comics). •Remembering the contributions of George Brower III (Patrick's Dad) to the early days of Challengers. •We got our WTBW bookplates!! •DC as a company = Villains. DC as a publisher = Heros. •Other shops Instagram pages. •FRAN’s KITCHEN! •Lunar shipping costs vs Di…

20 = 1 •Happy Christmas! •Nick Piterra’s AX-WIELDER JON is here! •December’s messed-up New Release lists. •WHERE THE BODY WAS bookplate update. •Diamond’s retailer calendar for 2024. •DC’s Batman “Returnability.” •Are you excited for Image’s GHOST MACHINE? •Opening some presents! Contest of Challengers #664…

THE PIPELINE •New Marvel Legends for early 2024. •Hasbro is feeling the same issues as the comics industry. •Advent calendars. •LUCY KNISLEY is coming back to Challengers and we’re working with BFF Bikes for that event! •WHERE THE BODY WAS week 1 sales. •Subscribers not managing their Manage Comics accounts. •How the comics industry is like a spide…

This week I am joined by Artist/Instructor SHADIA AMIN (SPIDER-HAM, SHINY MISFITS, AGGRETSUKO)! We chat about the band MAXIMUM THE HORMONE, the comics of Fabien Vehlmann and Marie Pommepuy (Beautiful Darkness), common pitfalls of beginning creators, and a whole heap more! Shadia's Store Pre-Order SHINY MISFITS ⁠Check out MONKEYGONG here!⁠ Follow Sh…

FALLING OVER ON THE SLOPES•So many semi cab horns! •Less of a Palace than you’d hope. •Share the GOOD, not just the bad. •PINE AND MERRIMAC #1 is SO GOOD!! •A disturbing lacy of Body bookplates. •If only new comic shipments came on the same day each week. •An electronic Gift Card is just as good as a physical Gift Card. •Data Nerd Dal loves the Cov…

This week I am joined by ultra rad artist/writer KRAIG RASMUSSEN! We chat about his new comics subscription service MONKEYGONG, and a ton of great art, coffee, and metal chat! Kraig is great and you're gonna dig this convo! Check out MONKEYGONG here! Follow Kraig Here: Twitter: https://twitter.com/kraigcomx Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krai…

I GUESS YOU COULD ALSO JUST KILL ME •Comic shops undergoing changes. •The reality of store events. •Event Spaces •No more Back Issues? •Thanks, Patrons! •Mile High’s Chuck Rozanski responds to Phil Boyle. Dal responds to them both. •Comics discussed in this episode: If You Find This I’m Already Dead #1 Action Comics #1061 Avengers Twilight #1 Duke …

HOW MUCH MORE ROPE? •Post-Thanksgiving retail sales. •Retailers talking about the Biz. •A new 1-star review. •All we’re really asking is for you to pay for the books you asked us to buy for you. Contest of Challengers #660By Challengers Comics

TOON IN WITH US •What we sell vs what we buy as consumers. •Vintage shops vs not. •Wouldn’t it be fun to sell comic book trading cards again? •Our adventure on Toon In With Me. •Broken web links. •The free comic books for 2024’s Free Comic Book Day. Contest of Challengers #659By Challengers Comics

Are you afraid of the Dark Universe? No, that's not a question, it's the name of the amazing Podcast hosted by my 2 talented guests, Dylan Roth and Dalton Deschain! Join us as we chat about the behind the scenes work it takes to construct pitches for a cinematic universe (in podcast form), Dalton's now no so secret coffee shame, Dylan's process for…