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
By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth! We review Doctor Strange.
By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth! By the Omnipotent Oshtur! By Agamotto's All-Seeing Eye! We saw Doctor Strange on opening night, and we talk all about it! Lots and lots of SPOILERS!
Disappointed in America? Let’s talk to Australia!
17 hours in the future! Our first-ever Australian interview! An interview with Mitchell Davies from All Star Comics in Melbourne. All-Star is also an Eisner-winning shop and their ideas on retail mir…
Challengers Red vs. Cubby Blue
Does the Cubs winning the World Series make people more or less likely to buy comics right now? Patrick is the REAL hero of the World Series. Our Civic Duty Discount is back! Street construction blow…
Ask me about my feminist Avenger
Oh, Marvel. Oh, oh, Marvel. We have some serious issues to discuss. Cover price. Page count. Unwanted back-up stories. Seriously, 80% of this episode is problems we have with the current Marvel produ…
Even more Terry Gant (Part 2)
As it seems that Patrick and Terry are almost the same person, this half of the interview is more about pro wrestling and heavy metal than it is about comics, but it always comes back around to comic…
On location in Rogers Park with Terry Gant (Part 1)
It’s the first time CoC was recorded in someone else’s comic shop!
Terry is the owner of Third Coast Comics in Rogers Park.
How did he get into comics?
How did he get into retail?
All the influences …
Damaged product replacing previously damaged product.
We’re up for a Time Out Love Chicago Award for best Bucktown shop! Just where is Bucktown, anyway? Do comic books count as “media” for media mail? Hint: They do not. So just how do we mail comics? We…
Losing time isn’t a problem; losing money is
After weeks apart, Dal returns to Contest of Challengers and it’s like no time has passed at all. New York Comic Con is happening as this episode is recorded, so we talk about new announcements such …
Jill Thompson on Contest of Challengers
It’s an interview with Jill Thompson! The triple-threat of pop culture; comics, wrestling, and _________? Her brand new graphic novel “Wonder Woman The True Amazon” is out now and she’ll be signing …
He’s coming 3,000 miles; you can come 5.
This is an international episode of CoC as England-based writer Antony Johnston joins Patrick and this week’s special guest co-host, artist Christopher Mitten, to talk all about how they got into com…
I assure you, we know what Snapchat is.
Dal has an iPhone 7. Batman Day 2016 causes some Snapchat confusion. We, once again, sell posters. This week is an embarrassment of great comic riches. So, so, so many great books came out at once! T…
Is the 2016 Election actually hurting comic sales?
This starts with probably too much talk about a toilet. That leads, naturally of course, into the building of our new Back Issue boxes. This is the last week we’ll bring up our “C” logo t-shirt Kicks…
Whose fault is it when a title gets cancelled?
This one goes over the 2-hour mark as Patrick and Dal talk about: Messy store shelves The new Back Issue boxes Chicago’s impending Amazon store Image Comics moving their offices to Portland New title…
Frank Ocean’s impact on the comics industry.
In a ‘rewarding’ episode, we talk about how Five Stars is working out for us as a customer rewards program. Is it needed to stay competitive? On the heels of Wizard World Chicago, we reminisce about …
Why work for Marvel when you can work for yourself?
Live from Seattle, RJ Casey joins Patrick to talk about self-publishing, small press, and working at Fantagraphics. You may recognize RJ’s name from several Yeti Press events at Challengers, so hear …
Patrick lost the banana key
Fridays are down, man, and we don’t know why. Jesse Hedman from Minneapolis stopped by the shop. Marking up open order variant covers. Five Stars loyalty program. The Cap Statue gets dusted in (human…
The internal metric below which we are wasting our time
Emails! We’re sending lots of emails! Crowd-funding to save stores (not ours). Thank you, Dal’s Mom. No Comic Hub. Flashback to 7 years ago. Tilting at Windmills. Hardcover Watchmen. Lady Killer 2 an…
This 70 minutes of my life is value-less; I should just watch Batman: The Killing Joke.
The upcoming week is a big one for us behind the scenes, as we install a brand new point of sale system, ComicHub. Patrick and Dal each got to experience the store as customers do. Have you heard of …
'theres no irony in forgeing ones logo/signatures'
We Want EVERY Award! We Won an International Award but Lost a Local One. An alternative bookstore is NOT a comic shop!! Ebay interactions are ridiculous. Comic-Con International San Diego is happenin…
A Founding Avenger Dies this week, Killed by Another Avenger, and We Cannot Bring Ourselves to Care
Holy cats are there a ton of new Marvel Comics scheduled for this fall! There are also many more pre-SDCC announcements. So! Many! And we kind of dump all over Civil War II #3.