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
The balance between wanting to read and wanting to own.
It’s a special mid-week bonus episode as Patrick interviews artist Ashley Riot. What started as a Women’s Comics Month interview turned into a full episode! Ashley tells about growing up as the only …
Women’s Comics Month, part 1.
This episode is a series of mini-interviews with the creators that set up for the first half of Women’s Comics Month 2017 at Challengers. Chloë Perkis Bianca Xunise Lauren Burke & Monica Ras Amber Hu…
Adding coal to a fire does not douse the fire.
NOT RECORDED IN A MOVING VEHICLE! You’re welcome. There’s a bunch of Marvel things to talk about: Legacy numbering, movie/TV advertising and geo-targeted character interaction, yet another new X-Men …
The global culture gateway.
This is mercifully the last of our recorded-in-the-car episodes, on the way home from Memphis, Tennessee. Friday and Saturday of the conference in one episode. Valiant suite party. Workshop recap. Th…
A better way to impart information.
This is the second of out recorded-in-the-car episodes, on the way home from Memphis, Tennessee. It’s noisy and raining and you don’t have to hear us get lost this time. I mean, we DID, you just don’…
A million miles from Memphis.
This is the first of three (3!!) recorded-in-the-car episodes, to and from Memphis, Tennessee. On the way to the 2017 ComicsPRO Annual Meeting, listen as Patrick and Dal: -Get lost on I-57! -Talk abo…
Surrendering the legacy of inclusion.
Can a geek-centric marketing firm reach the audiences we don’t? Cancelling FiveStars is harder than getting FiveStars in the first place. Have you seen Legion? Dal has and likes it! As we predicted m…
I love you but I’ve chosen comics.
It’s SALE time! We only do one storewide sale per year and this is it! We feel like our new title good will is running thin. Like, we can’t get people to buy books just on our say so anymore. What ti…
Comics are a MEDIUM; not a genre, New York Times!
It’s the 300th episode of Contest of Challengers! And we celebrate with… a regular episode. You’re welcome. When is a collection complete? The New York Times is dropping their regular list of Best Se…
Let He Who is Without Internet (Com)Cast the First Stone
We start with a weird and unresolved issue with 2 Saturday shoppers. Our internet went out and Comcast had many ideas on the issue. Patrick disagreed. Resist! We can’t help but talk about all of the …
Best-Sellers of 2016, by the numbers.
It’s a numbers game this week as we run down the best-selling graphic novels and the best-selling single issue comics of 2016. How many super heroes have parents that are still alive? More upcoming M…
Boost your Local Comic Shop vs. “Team Comics”
Everything is new! It’s a New Year! We have a new website! The interior of the store has been rearranged! All new for you! Here’s a little explanation as to why we’ve changed stuff. Ten 2017 comic in…
Happy New Year! Prince can’t die again.
Recorded in the final days of 2016. Mac McCaughan from Superchunk sums it up so much better than we can. Yes, we sold CD’s at one time, so we can justify talking about music on a comics podcast. Midw…
Rogue One.
SPOILER ALERT! We talk all about the brand new Star Wars movie, Rogue One, and that includes major plot points, so consider yourself warned. Lots of spoilers! Dal loves all movies Star Wars! Patrick …
Boxing Day means UPS loses your boxes, right?
Happy Holidays from Challengers! The Holiday buying season is in full swing! How do YOU shop for gifts? In-store? Online? Outsource? Gift-giving is way more Patrick’s thing than Dal’s. Helping people…
Let’s see a robot do this job! Wait, no.
Happy Holidays from Challengers! We maybe start out by talking about Christmas music for a little too long… And then we maybe talk about toys for kinda long, too. 2017 is starting off great for event…
Down from steak money to beer money.
Sandwich indignity! Buncha movie trailers have just been released and they mostly look good! It’s hard out there for a pimp comics retailer. Retailers around the country are vocalizing their current …
It’s not a Challengers thing; it’s a comics industry thing
We have our first ever Holiday sale next week. Sales are trending down across the industry because readers are no longer engaged. Event recapping: Local Comic Shop Day and Art Baltazar. Were YOU ther…
At Last! The Alli Alleman Interview.
Uploaded early for your long Thanksgiving commute! A long and noisy interview with fellow comics retailer Alli Alleman of Collector’s Paradise in LA. Well, that’s where she works NOW. See! the comics…
3 things we do right/3 things we did wrong.
It’s Dal’s birthday, but he has a gift for YOU. Maybe. Tech apologies for episode #287 and a preface to episode #290. That’s not too confusing, right? 3x3: Three things we’ve done wrong and three thi…