Contest of Challengers

The perception of Challengers to the non-comics population. Apparently we are a business for neighbors to be warned about. The ComicsPRO Annual Meeting is happening right now, and we're not there! But retailers and publishers alike are making plans to save the industry, so let's talk about that! Specifically DC Comics and BOOM! Studios, and not Marvel. Marvel is NOT helping. Marvel has 115 single issues of comics coming out in May (that does not include variant covers or graphic novels). Yes, Queensrÿche does play a role in this week's episode, but not with their music. Surprise Friday store visit from Patrick's Dad! He hasn't been to the store in 4 years! Ashly cleaned the hell out of the store today! We mean, someone has to now that Donovan is gone.

It is very difficult to sell comics when the device you use to sell said comics does not function. …and other computer problems for the day. The liberating feeling of having a problem you cannot solve, and just accepting that and moving on with your day. Marvel's just-announced Savage Avengers comic seems like a dumb idea on the surface, but we were all 10 years old once, and it'll probably do well for them. Challengers readers seem to be unimpressed with the current run of Justice League. No love for undersea kingdoms or spaced-out cosmic deities here, nor fantasy comics. Challengers is in a "Little Bird" sales battle with All Star Comics in Melbourne! Our "I Love You But I've Chosen Comics" sale turned out okay after all. How to surface the comic-buying experience via a new website layout. We're doing a midnight release for Detective Comics #1000. Alita: Battle Angel was more enjoyable of a movie than either of us expected.

We're 2 days into our annual sale and people either take full advantage of it or don't even realize there IS a sale. It seems Marvel trade paperback collections CAN be made better and less expensive… but they're not. Aside from a little warping, the Kaijumax Deluxe Hardcover is an amazing achievement in deluxe collectibles. Everything we ever wanted and more we didn't even know we needed! Getting back to the sale, people sure will go to some lengths to get what they feel they deserve. Have you tried the new Daredevil #1? It's REALLY good. No idea why the whole thing was "classified" by Marvel, but you should probably read it. Are secret identities even a thing in comics anymore? We're sorry we don't have what you want to buy, but also we're not sorry.

We were guests on the Graphic Novel TK podcast! It was a fun time. Maybe check it out? Some days Twitter is harder to understand than others. Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #1 is a good read. If we thought LAST week was slow due to the cold weather… What to eat when working on a day when over 200 Chicago restaurants are closed? Our 25% Off Storewide Sale starts on Thursday! Are $9.99 graphic novels effective? Have we considered connecting to buyers through the shop owners they like? The Captain Marvel movie wave Marvel Legends figures are in, with some interesting figure choices.

So cold in Chicago nobody's coming into the shop. We'll soon have a new retail neighbor and we have a new security system in place. Little Bird and Assassin Nation are 2 new Image books Patrick really likes. Administrative shake-ups in the DC Comics offices. Initial orders vs. final orders-- what's the best way to order new comics?

Dal and Patrick were both jurors for CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo) applicants again this year, and our scores were due today. Image Comics is offering full returnability on some of their upcoming #1 issues, and an earned higher discount on issue #2's. Dal tricked Patrick into watching the Spider-Man Far From Home trailer, and he wasn't even trying to do so. Dark Horse's upcoming INVISIBLE KINGDOM from Berger Books is really, really good. More on it next week. We had yet another Challengers customer visit All Star Comics in Melbourne this week. Big Bang Comics from Dublin had a really interesting Twitter thread about today's comics retail market and how retailers don't seem to blame themselves. Kelly Thompson should not be the only one promoting her new digital release from Marvel. No, we won't sell you 15 copies of Ironheart #2 on the day it comes out. Marty + Sarah (Love Wrestling) are coming to Challengers on Easter Sunday!

We appreciate the few new ratings and reviews we've gotten on iTunes. Please keep 'em coming! Thank you for the past 10 years, Donovan! An in-depth look at the graphic novel sales of 2018. An even more in-depth look at 2018's single issue comic sales. Dal has a very progressive (and perhaps polarizing) suggestion for the future of Marvel and DC single issue comics. Listener questions! How do we think the break between story arcs help Image comics sales? And why don't we make comic sets of grab bags?

Do you think the Bears will make it to the Super Bowl? Against the Chargers? (EDIT: Um... no) It's January, so that means it's once again time for others to predict the death of the direct market! Graphic Novel sales seem down in stores across the country, but not at Challengers. DC's Zoom and Ink are a good idea but we don't know that they'll land with our customer base. The white-washing of Damian Wayne. Yes, the industry is evolving, but it needs to evolve. All the problems retailers are identifying now feel like things we've already been thru. 2018 sales by category vs 2017 sales. Patrick's niece was in Australia on her honeymoon, so we asked her to swing by All-Star Comics in Melbourne and give them a little Chicago care package. We're pretty excited for WrestleKingdom 13, but it'll have happened by the time you hear this, so never mind. Post-credit tribute to Mean Gene Okerlund (from CoC #314).

Diamond Comic Distributors catches Patrick's ire one last time for the year. Some customers only see what they want to see. Some stores got next week's book's last Monday. We still don't have them. Specifically nerdy Christmas gifts we received. With almost nothing new on the shelves the week of Christmas, people are finding some older comics, and that's neat. Keep Reading Comics n 2019!! At the start of 2018, we tried to plan more experiences than signing. That did not work. Lucy Knisley returns to Challengers in March! As does Women's Comics Month.

It's a Christmas episode! Just by the fact that it's recorded in late December. Also, Santa has a cameo, and so does Stan Lee. Another long-running comic shop is calling it quits. Santa came to hang out and spread some Holiday Cheer this Wednesday, and he made a video to remind subscribers to pick up their comics. And then we decided to share it with other stores… Marvel's Stan Lee tributes make selling those comics just a little bit harder. New Comic Releases for the next 2 weeks are kind of weird; the content and the actual shipping dates. An audio transcript of the 'Email Primer' we're giving out to all subscribers in 2019. The Christmas Eve release of the newest Dogman graphic novel. #joinin And, unlike the Aquaman movie, this episode has a post-credits scene! (Aquaman has a MID-credits scene, but not a POST-credits scene)