PODCAST · business
Contest of Challengers
by CHALLENGERS Comics + Conversation
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!
Episodes
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…AND THE KITTIES ARE SLEEPING
...AND THE KITTIES ARE SLEEPING •Patrick tells Dal 2 quick stories from Fri, Sep 25. •PAC on the mic. •Patrick chats with ANDREA BELL from Sat, Sep 26. •New York Comic Con news as it happens! •Our Marvel Midnite Midnight launch! •AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000 ordering and sales. •A quick recap of our...
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100 + 700
100 + 700 •This is a sequel to Episode #100! •Thomas Negovan returns to CoC to interview us all over again! •This episode had to be stitched together from 6 separate audio files of varying noise levels, and thus heavy digital clean-up was necessary. •Tom has a wonderfully infectious laugh that...
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THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES
THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES •Publishers adding formats = technical issues. •A Saga "update". •Dal's Imposter Syndrome. •Hiring local artists. •Looking ahead to Free Comic Book Day 2027. •Local Comic Shop Day will have happened by the time you hear this. ---------- Contest of Challengers #799 This...
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A +ZERO CHANCE
A +ZERO CHANCE •How our events are changing with the times. •Searchable creator links. •Dal's first-ever Blokees build. •Tote bags! •Challengers (and your?) support for the Alzheimer's Association. https://challengerscomics.com/products/frans-kitchen-cookbook https://fourfran.com…
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LOGIC DICTATED
LOGIC DICTATED •This week was not a huge week of comics or sales. •Superhero comics tropes. •Corner boxes on covers. •We love inkers!! •Spawn 77 sales. •Current at-the-counter annoyances. •Are you watching Lanterns? •Challengers Similar Cinema Suggestion. ---------- Contest of Challengers #797…
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THE END OF READING
THE END OF READING •Is it too hot to shop for comics in Chicago? •WE love our new CTA Tracker! •Thanks, Patrons! •The end of reading? •Will Christmas Crisis return in 2026? •KYLE HIGGINS and LANCE BRIGGS are coming back to Challengers! •We tease some other huge upcoming events. •Dal is still...
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SIGNS OF THE TIME
SIGNS OF THE TIME •Minor weekly reordering annoyances. •When customers buy comic supplies. •Erroneous AI. •Giving directions to other shops. •Comics talked about in this episode: MIDNIGHT X-MEN #1 MIDNIGHT SPIDER-MAN #1 •Do you find value in our "NEW FIRST ISSUE" and "NEW PRINTING" shelf signs?...
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SAME-DAY LOCAL DELIVERY!!
SAME-DAY LOCAL DELIVERY!! •We test out our new Same-Day Local (Chicagoland) Delivery Service! •The 'whys' and 'hows' of wanting local delivery. •So many upcoming events!! •Shout out to NotSoFunnyBooks on IG. •Never respond to the comments, Patrick. ---------- Contest of Challengers #794 This...
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MY NORMAL STATE IS "F" THOSE GUYS
MY NORMAL STATE IS "F" THOSE GUYS •Positive Marvel changes for retailers! MIDNIGHT bundles, discounts & lit sign! Updated Foil Cover pricing! Possible cover letters…? •A Marvel x Star Wars crossover mini-series for 2027! •The continual Warren Ellis problem. •Adding "A Graphic Novel" to titles....
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PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE IS MY DEFAULT
PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE IS MY DEFAULT •We do not ship comic storage boxes. •A long Yelp review story. •Pokemon bros. •Contest of Challengers passed our 17th Podcastiversary!! •Marvel Compact Comics?!? ---------- Contest of Challengers #792 This episode is dedicated to Matt Kindt and Brian Hurtt.…
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GET TO THE FIREWORKS FACTORY
GET TO THE FIREWORKS FACTORY •Unpacking some questionable comics. •Batman Day 2026! •Upcoming events, plus a tease! •Cakeworthy. •Upcoming exterior transformation. •End-of-the-year ordering structure. •Comics talked about in this episode: SIX OF US #1 HAMMERFIST #1 TERMINAL #1 ---------- Contest…
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A NEW ANYTHING
A NEW ANYTHING •Don't forget our MATT KINDT/BRIAN HURTT is coming up! Fri, Aug 7!! •Brief Marvel solicits for October. •Pitching the books of our friends. •We do not sell everything we get in the store. •Dal's eBay account (transforming robots for sale!) ---------- Contest of Challengers #790…
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LET THEM COOK
LET THEM COOK It's a deeper dive on fewer topics this week! •A non-comic public service announcement. •Marvel is moving their publishing offices from NY to Burbank, CA! •Marvel Comics announces a NEW Editor-in-Chief!! •Miniseries getting extensions. ---------- Contest of Challengers #789 This...
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DELUGE!
DELUGE! *Dal's microphone turned off before the recording, so his audio was only captured by Patrick's mic. We used Cleanvoice to reconstruct Dal's audio, and it sounds great, but a few parts sound like gibberish. Well, more gibberish than normal* •Flooding! •UPS shipment emails. •Distributor...
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IT DOESN'T. WHO CARES.
IT DOESN'T. WHO CARES. •It starts petty… •Customer service is key. •Thanks, Patrons! •The American Library Association's Annual Conference was in Chicago and we got to see a bunch of our publishing friends! •DC Execs visit the shop! •MATT KINDT and BRIAN HURTT are coming back to Challengers! •We...
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HORROR MOVIE LIZARD MAN
HORROR MOVIE LIZARD MAN •Lots of new toys in-store and coming our way! •Only Dal is allowed an Aztek figure! •An update on the availability of Pennies! •MIDNIGHT(s)! •DC Animation announcements. •The Back Issue Blind Box mystery! ---------- Contest of Challengers #786 This episode is dedicated to...
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ACTIVELY MANAGING
ACTIVELY MANAGING •Print catalogs vs digital catalogs. •Huge Lunar shipment on the horizon! •Upcoming signings! •Credit card processing fees being passed to the consumer is getting out of hand. •Pennies!! •A Chicago spice bag! •New title announcements for September! ---------- Contest of...
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KEEP ESCAPING IT
KEEP ESCAPING IT •Opening a Marvel 616 Doom Blind Bag. •BIG week of "A" list Releases. Or is it? •MASK #1 Blind Bag surprise! •Huge spoilers from the Big 2 publishers, before the corresponding books are released!! •Adjective titles. •Warrior Cats. •Jed McKay's MOON KNOGHT is a consistent joy....
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THE SAND IN OUR STARS
THE SAND IN OUR STARS •Why was "Miles Morales" written in the show notes for 5 episodes ago? •Paul Chadwick and CONCRETE are back! •Are super-hero comics prime summer reading? •The unionization of Dark Horse workers. •The DC Blackout boycott. •Are YOU excited for the Supergirl movie? •Please…
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"OUR PODCAST IS GREAT"
"OUR PODCAST IS GREAT" The human touch has value. Not saving time. We do not ship comic boxes or bulk comic supplies. Absolute Batman reprints. Packing up mail-order subscriptions. Using/not using Discord. Non-copy over subscription books. ---------- Contest of Challengers #782 This episode is...
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WALL-TO-NEW RELEASE WALL
WALL-TO-NEW RELEASE WALL What comics industry news has Patrick missed? Coordinating what's on sale this week with what's coming out next week and what we're getting shipped for the week after next. How you can see what our weekly best-selling single issues are. I really, really love the look of…
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BTE MAILBAG
BTE MAILBAG Here are the topics Patrick tackles in this episode, but not necessarily in this order: Can you explain the Absolute Batman #20 printing issue? What is Ablestar? What Dal tasks are you doing? What was the process behind the new box display? Why do you guys wear suits? What changes are...
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PLUSSING THE EVENT
PLUSSING THE EVENT A look back to Free Comic Book Day 2025. A full debrief of Free Comic Book Day 2026! Thanks, Patrons! ---------- Contest of Challengers #779 This episode is dedicated to every Challenger that made FCBD a smooth day/huge success! Jeanna, Lizzy, Andrew, Kate, Stella, George &...
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OUR 1ST INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY
OUR 1ST INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY What started out as an immediate debrief of our first Independent Bookstore Day event quickly spiraled out into an entire episode. Being so, no notes were taken! This is basically a full episode running down how our day went, what our expectations were, and suggestions...
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THE ONLY THING WE'RE OFFERING YOU
THE ONLY THING WE'RE OFFERING YOU •The sunsetting of current technology is costing is money and a LOT of time. •Welcome to Logistified. •Canva vs Publisher. •"Big" books with low pre-orders. •The impending Independent Bookstore Day and all it entails. •The recent Marvel layoffs hit a little…
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STEER THE DISCUSSION
STEER THE DISCUSSION •The biggest comic news story of 2026! •Disney layoffs. •Queen in Black Blind Bags (and box). •Dungeon Crawler Carl in comics! •What other comic industry departures would have as big of an impact? •Kind words from Jonathan Baylis •Andy (in da) Bookstore Day KFC Chicken...
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LET'S ALL GO TO THE MALL
LET'S ALL GO TO THE MALL •Happy Taskmaster Series 21 to us all! •Our day out at the mall. •Blind box unboxing from Toys-R-Us and Miniso. •A (hopeful) replacement for Stocky, and how Shopify is making it harder to implement. •Prime Healthcare (possibly?) ditching Blue Cross Blue Shield and why we...
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SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR…?
SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR…? •The start of Year 19 (thanks Mike Gold!). •5 Big Event Saturdays in a row! •C2E2 2026. •Patrick's hunt for Paris Cullins. •3 days between PRH weekly shipments? •Daredevil #1 ---------- Contest of Challengers #774 This episode is dedicated to Paris Cullins. Theme: Adam...
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SUCH A WARNING SIGN
SUCH A WARNING SIGN •A Challengers love letter to Silver Sprocket. •This week Challengers turns 18! Yikes. This shop is now nothing but attitude and angst. •Still having an impact. •One-star Yelp reviews. •R.I.P. Sam Kieth •Thanks, Patrons! ---------- Contest of Challengers #773 This episode is...
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PART OF THE JOB
PART OF THE JOB •Dal's C2E2 expectations. •The war in Iran's impact on Fantagraphics. •Delayed Lunar shipping again this week. •Latest hire Kate learns how to check-in new books. •Where Were You When? •Talking about DEAD TEENAGERS #1. ---------- Contest of Challengers #772 This episode is…
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TRASH CULTURE
TRASH CULTURE •Patrick will never get the hang of the Manage Comics Reporting functions. •Dal's statues. •Ordering from 100% Soft. •The experience of using Content360 for social posts. •Lunar box depth: The pros and cons. •Storing next week's comics. •Spine creases on comics is TOTALLY NORMAL....
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IS THE LINE GOING UP OR DOWN?
IS THE LINE GOING UP OR DOWN? •When your job interrupts your job. •Our furnace. •Replica editions. •The return of Diamond? •Getting NARCO #1 into readers hands. •Ryan North is taking over writing duties on THE FLASH later this month, and it's GOOD! ---------- Contest of Challengers #770 This...
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MR. COMICS MANAGER
MR. COMICS MANAGER We tried to film this one, and as a result it chopped off a tiny bit at the start. There are some other… unexpected… elements to this episode, but it was meant to be a deep dive into our use of Manage Comics and what we hope to get from it. The episode starts and ends, as they...
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OUR HERO LIVES FOREVER
OUR HERO LIVES FOREVER •R.I.P. Miguel. •Shopify 11.0 launched this week. •ChallengersComics.com overhaul! •Being a part of subscribers' lives. •Upcoming changes to our subscription delinquency policy. •Feb 25 New Releases = 186 different single issue covers. •PRH Split Notices. •Pokemon...
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AN ABSOLUTE CLUSTER
AN ABSOLUTE CLUSTER •This year's Sale is already a success(ish). •The rising prices of tote bags. •Action figure shipping costs! •UPS will hopefully stop f-ing up our weeks! •Like! Subscribe! Patreon…? •35 DC Absolute reprints to be released on the SAME DAY! •The Superman/Spider-Man vs...
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WORTH INVESTIGATING
WORTH INVESTIGATING •DSTLRY is taking a publishing break. •Displaying vinyl records like displaying back issues. •ONI Press is changing distributors! •Another disappointing round of Magic the Gathering allocations. •Our beloved Stocky app is being sunset by Shopify. This episode is dedicated to...
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7-ELEVEN (TO-7-FROM-11)
7-ELEVEN (TO-7-FROM-11) •Ordering higher on new books than 2025. •IRON MAN #1 is a good comic! •7-11! •Consignment issues. •Collecting comic art we're on. •Thanks, Patrons! •Standardized comic data. •Hirayasumi is a delightful manga! This episode is dedicated to Our Pal Sal, Sal Buscema. Thank…
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ALEX ROSS-ING
ALEX ROSS-ING •Challengers 2026 Field Trip #2 to the Dunn Museum in Libertyville to see the Alex Ross Heroes & Villains exhibit! •We also stopped at Comic Buying Center and, well, bought comics! •UPS screws up our Thursday and Friday AGAIN. •We're selling C2E2 tickets this year (for the first…
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DEEP INTO IT
DEEP INTO IT •2 more DC Next Level titles announced. •How many Marvel and DC titles from July 2021 are still being published today? •Avengers #800's middle pages. •MSN's "15 Best Comic Shops…" •PLEASE read your emails. We said please. •USPS and UPS accountability changes (actually, I think we…
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THE PERFECT STORE
THE PERFECT STORE •New Comic release day and time. •The return of Christmas Crisis in 2026…? •The Chicago Bag Tax increases again this year. •MS Office changes; higher price! Less features! It's the way of the world today! •Shelving GN's. •Oh, to have a bigger store… •Fill-in creators vs skip...
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99.6% ACCURATE
99.6% ACCURATE •Dal immediately wants to talk about AEW's World's End pay-per-view, but Patrick gets him back on-track after 2 minutes… •The words are just garbage. •How Dal is collating our end-of-2025 best-sellers data. •The Shopify Apps we add-on to our service. •Thanks, Patrons! •Patrick...
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PREMIUM READING EXPERIENCE
PREMIUM READING EXPERIENCE •ARUNE SINGH returns to CoC almost exactly 5 years after his last appearance! •Action figures? Wrestling? COMICS? Yup, we talk about ALL OF THEM! •Chasing the Shiny Penny! •Strap in, this one is hefty! •Bonus holiday song "Unwrapped You" by The Divorce Gun! This episode...
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HILARIOUSLY MISGUIDED
HILARIOUSLY MISGUIDED •Chicago's weather is not helping our Holiday sales… •The rise and rise of Absolute Batman. •Shopify sales channel issues. •Thanks, Patrons! •BS email marketing (with examples!!). •AI 'upgrades' to Shopify. •Our utility bills are skyrocketing. •Superman/Spider-Man, March 25,...
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IT'S ON THE BAG
IT'S ON THE BAG •It's a Thanksgiving miracle! •Minor distribution issues, per usual. •Our Corpse Tour re-cap. •The 2026 Angoulême International Comics Festival is on hold! •Would you want a video component to this podcast? •Daily (Wednesday) average transaction total. •Spending money on branded...
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WHAT'S THE SCAM?
We're taking a break from the podcast after this episode. We will be back later in 2025, but we're not sure when, or how often. Thanks for your patience and for sticking with us! WHAT'S THE SCAM? •We do a lot of movie promotion for just about everybody that asks. •New Ennis/Epting graphic novel,...
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AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT
AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT •Halloween is just an excuse to talk about the Monster Cereal Mascots! •Corpse Tour guy deserves more than YOU! •Thanks, Patrons! •Funding offers. •The cost of store exclusive covers. •A new printing of an old Patrick comic book project. •When we used to exhaust ourselves...
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DAY 6,417
DAY 6,417 It's Exhausting to Exist in That Space (alternate episode title) •Going to cons as kids vs going now. •The 6,417th day of Challengers and what that means for Patrick! •The earlier days of Challengers. •The end of Diamond Previews. •We are locked out of our Diamond account (for all that...
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SEVERAL POINTS OF ALIGNMENT
SEVERAL POINTS OF ALIGNMENT •Airport chat! But only the first part; we're back in the Podcastitorium ™ for most of the episode. •No name calling. •Digital marketing mail. •NYCC purchases •DC Next Level This episode is dedicated to NO KINGS! ---------- This episode was partially digitally edited…
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CCC @ NYCC
CCC @ NYCC •Recorded entirely in New York City! •Very long car rides. •The Speech! •The rest of our New York Comic Con experiences. Mostly. This episode is dedicated to the oldest and dearest of friends. ---------- This episode was NOT digitally edited by Cleanvoice. How'd it sound? Contest of...
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A SPEECH IS JUST TALKING
A SPEECH IS JUST TALKING •Barry Mindster and the bonkers emails we get. •Who is Laura Lympus? •We're getting closer to having an actual plan for our New Your Comic Con •AEW + DC Comics = Our worlds colliding!! •Superman/Spiderman from DC and Marvel in 2026! This episode is dedicated to always...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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!
HOSTED BY
CHALLENGERS Comics + Conversation
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Contest of Challengers have?
Contest of Challengers currently has 802 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Contest of Challengers about?
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...
How often does Contest of Challengers release new episodes?
Contest of Challengers releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 802 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Contest of Challengers?
You can listen to Contest of Challengers on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Contest of Challengers?
Contest of Challengers is created and hosted by CHALLENGERS Comics + Conversation.
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