Contest of Challengers
From Challengers Comics + Conversation in Chicago, this is Contest of Challengers, a podcast about the business of running a comics shop. From publishers to distributors to the sales floor itself, each episode deals with the issues of the week and how they affect the way Challengers conducts business, and that includes the actual comic book issues themselves. Hosted by Patrick Brower and W. Dal Bush. Thanks for listening. Keep Reading Comics!
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 68 minutes
- Episodes
- 750
- Years Active
- 2009 - 2025
This Podcast has 10 Variant Covers
Probably the last time we’ll talk about Action Comics #1000. This time, how the Midnight Release went, and how it compares to previous midnight releases. It sure seems like Marvel wants a piece of DC…
The Adventures of Magic Space Dad
Action Comics #1000 is out this Wednesday (at 12:01am). How many covers do you plan to buy? Are you ready for the Bendis era of Superman? Superman’s past 5 years have been kind of rocky… Nick Spencer…
“Sometimes we need to remind people of the business aspects of this.”
It’s a busy week as we talk about the Diamond Retailer Summit, C2E2, a new BOOM! Studios retail initiative, two Richie Kotzen concerts, filming the “My Comic Shop Country” documentary and, of course,…
The First 10 Years of Challengers Comics + Conversation
We proudly announce our creator line-up for this year’s Free Comic Book Day. What comic-themed gift can you get for someone that works in a comics shop? Protecting the privacy of our customers (from …
Sometimes Comics Need to Slow Down
It’s been a week. How have the new changes been received? As a consumer, do you want to be immediately help in a store or left alone? It’s time for new Challengers business cards! Coleen Doran gives …
By the time you hear this, change will have occurred.
But, what? What is changing? Fine, we’ll tell you. We’re making some pretty big layout changes, while not moving any of the furniture. We’re about to turn 10 (but please don’t congratulate us until i…
We’ll pay you $4/month to NOT shop here.
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 …
As predictable as the Academy Awards
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 bo…
May is going to be a killer month for comics!
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 Co…
Women’s Comics Night
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 lon…
We do great with all-ages comics, but what about the Young Adult market?
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 w…
DC Comics has just planned your summer.
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…
Picking up the crumbs, with fellow retailer Brian Hibbs.
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…
What did we get in the mail? It rhymes with “cocaine.”
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-serie…
Mounting inconveniences and humiliations.
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 comic…
This is not what we want to be known for.
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 Mar…
We are optimistic for 2018, I promise.
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 en…
MARX: A Tale of Neglect
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…
It finally feels like Christmas (in our cash register).
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). Mar…
Happy Holidays to all the Russian bot-farms that “listen” to us.
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 acq…