Contest of Challengers

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 entertainment is hard to do. How do we get comic reviews to be as sales-boosting as game reviews? Patrick writes a comics commercial on the spot. Women's Comics Month 2018 is shaping up to be great with 14 participants already scheduled. We have a great guest coming in for Free Comic Book Day in May, but we won't tell you who just yet. Making sure subscribers don't miss crossovers. It's been over 4 weeks since we put Holiday cards in subscribers' files. The number that have not been picked up seems to be high. What are we excited for in 2018? You should check out BOOM! Studios' JUDAS #1.

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 recorded just before Christmas, so forgive a few Holiday well-wishes that are merely a week old. This graphic novel is the story of what Onrie's grandfather went thru during World War II. Find out how it came about, how Dan got involved and what the whole book means to them both. And we talk about their other work in comics.

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). Marvel is stealth-cancelling a bunch of titles. Some Marvel Legacy titles we really like. Is Dan Slott leaving Amazing Spider-Man? Who can replace him? "Surviving Creativity" is a great podcast. We sure wish we could sell statues and more comic-themed merchandise. Customer requests at the Holidays.

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 acquiring Fox. And, of course, Net Neutrality. A follow-up to last episode's Patreon discussion. What a difference a week makes. A rundown of 2018's gold tier Free Comic Book Day comics. They look good.

Patreon has changed the way fees are paid, and no one likes it. Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Festivus Gift Ideas for the comic fans on your list! Yes, we talk about buying Taylor Swift concert tickets. "Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors" looks wonderful and we're excited for it.

Occasionally we get asked for advice on opening a comic store. This episode is our real-world advice to someone asking us questions about opening their own store. Lessons we've learned; lessons we haven't learned; lessons we're still learning. We may joke about our 'success' but you can't be in business for almost 10 years by not knowing what you're doing.

Three events in five days! We run 'em all down. Doomsday Clock #1 11:57pm Release Event. Black Friday 50% OFF Comics (Comics; NOT graphic novels) Santa's Husband Signing. The diversity of these three events give us plenty to talk about, for sure. Oh, and don't worry; we do find time to talk about the Wolverine.

Holiday decorations come early, for a specific reason. WGN News stopped by to film a segment (or 5) on Local Comic Shop Day at Challengers. Don Cardenas talks about his Packs of the Lowcountry Kickstarter. Axel Alonso is out as Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief. CB Cebulski is in. We're having a BIG Black Friday Sale!

It's the biggest comics news story of the year, and we make you wait over 30 minutes before we start talking about it. First we talk about Funko's Initial Public Offering disaster. New themed displays in-store, including Thor Ragnarok and the Justice League. X-Men Red. Looking at possible new locations, just in case we have to move. DC Comics has signed Brian Michael Bends to an exclusive contract. The timing of entertainment announcements, using Doctor Who and Superchunk announcements from this week as a guide post. Men in comics are no better than men in Hollywood.

At the time of recording, Patrick and Dal have seen Thor Ragnarok a combined 5 times. This episode's title has no actual bearing to the episode, but it is mentioned, so it counts, but "A piece of water" is just as accurate. Rian Hughes, our favorite logo designer, has a book of his logos coming out in April. Should we care about eBay exclusive Marvel Comics variant covers? More egregious nonsense that's only negative, x3. We sidestep our own accountant to handle this year's incorporation paperwork. Marvel Universe Live: Age of Heroes was SO FUN! And we DO wind up talking about Thor Ragnarok, a little.