Contest Of Challengers

It's an extra episode of Contest of Challengers for the week! We start mid-pitch as Eliot is explaining the premise of his new Aftershock comic series Midnight Vista to a prospective buyer on the Challengers’ sales floor. The other voices on this episode are Customer Brian K. and Eliot’s friend (and birthday boy) Mike. There are other ambient voices in the background as this was recorded on a Saturday afternoon. The background music gets turned down 8 minutes in (sorry Fozzy). This is a very personal story for Eliot and after listening to it you’ll most certainly want to read MIDNIGHT VISTA!

We just had a Battlepug cookout! Where were YOU?? You can make it up to us on Batman Day. Local Saturdays. Our thoughts on the upcoming DC 100-Page Giants. Publishers talking honestly to retailers. The 80/20/5 Rule. Sales expectations for the Dawn of X titles.

Why don’t we do more store videos? We can always do more promoting. Of new comics, of events, everything. Road construction in front of the shop is always fun! What are Doom Code Signs? I may have gotten that name wrong... Making vinyl toys from comic books. Spider-Man Life Story may be THE graphic novel for the gift-giving season. A consistent set of ongoing titles that bring new readers in to stores. Thank you for all the 29th Anniversary congratulations! No gatekeeping!! Equating popular comics to popular music. The spiritual sequel to Watchmen.

D23 is happening right now! What does “D23” stand for, anyway? We don’t know. Have you seen Marvel’s solicits for November? They get bigger every month (as Patrick gets angrier). 2nd, 3rd and even 4th prints being offered before the 1st print comes out. Can Spider-Man #1 sell more than House of X #1? We sure don’t think so. What made everyone (read: speculators) want Batman #77 and Powers of X #3 this week? The difference between the content in a Marvel graphic novel rated “Teen +” vs a Marvel graphic novel rated for a 10-year old is… nothing. A Glow signing? Maybe.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Landry Jones joins the XFL! Wait—that doesn’t belong here… Caroline Cash (Girl in the World) just signed at Challengers! She was a delight and we sold books! But… Trade-waiting! Is it by subscribers or non-subscribers? The current trend of comic shops making videos. Destroying this week’s copies of Superman #14 (even though Patrick routinely says #13 in the episode) and Supergirl #33 (that one he gets right). Okay, look, I did a crappy job of taking notes for this episode, I admit, so there’s way more on this podcast than noted here. We got a brief mention on Cartoonist Kayfabe!

Patrick is a broken old man. We so desperately want new carpet! And window blinds! Making the consumer pay the credit card processing fee. Paying for “convenience.” #10 in Sri Lanka, bay-bee! AWA announced the first book in their new superhero shared universe. Referencing Brian Hibbs’ latest ‘Tilting at Windmills’ column (on ComicsBeat.com) about stores buying their graphic novels from more than just Diamond. When a major publisher doesn’t support the biggest release they’d had in years. Or, why we’re sold out of House of X #2 already. We got a brief mention on NPR's See, Hear, Eat!

Remember Superman Unchained? Dal doesn’t. Keepin’ them back issues in order! When books disappear from your mindset (i.e. Morning Glories). Thanks, Patrons! What are the best Event Books, in enjoyment and in money earned? Surge pricing and the people that merit it. Happy 10th Anniversary, CoC!

We’ve got a (potentially) big event happening tomorrow and neither of us know what to expect. It’s a surprise drop of the comic book tie-in to Dreamville and J Cole’s “Revenge of the Dreamers III”. We tell you how this came about and what we’re expecting for the day. And if you don’t know Dreamville or J. Cole, it’s okay; we didn’t, either. House of X #1 was released this week! It’s exactly what we wanted it to be and doing what we wanted it to do! But… will the next 6 books in the “Dawn of X” era do the same? Patrick got a new toy and you get to hear it. Listener question about story arcs vs stand-alone mini-series. Brian Michael Bendis was on the Late Late Show with Seth Meyers. Caroline Cash is coming to Challengers! And also some guy names Nike Morton. Or something. We may not be sure of his name but we know he sure likes pugs. Apple is changing the classifications for several podcast categories, including ours! And… and UPDATE to the Dreamville event! Okay, you know what? Shove it up your arse.

Want vs need. Rewarding you for sharing in our ecosystem. Captain Marvel #8 is what the swarm went for this week. Customer databases. Information integrated into your life. Top-selling books for the nation vs @ Challengers (Black Cat vs. Dceased). How many young reader imprints can the market bear? The first of the Comic-Con International San Diego publishing announcements.

We start with several new comic series announcements—it must be time for Comic-Con! A serious question about second prints. With all the demand over the Walking Dead #193, we missed out on TMNT #95. Additional June sales commentary. Which comics sold better after a TV adaptation? 39 questions from an interviewer that we do not want to type out.

How can we make this podcast better? Puppies. Walking Dead #193 came out the day of recording, and it reminds us of everything we hate about comics retail. Oh, we have a LOT to say about this. Wanting to engage with the product is a huge part of what we do. June sales numbers. Why did June suck? It’s a deep dive into the differences between June 2019 and June 2018, and what that means for us. It’s basically a 2-topic episode, but both of those topics get a lot of bandwidth. Come meet Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo on Friday, June 12th! Thanks, Patrons!

Why was last episode a day late? Genre-racking graphic novels, one year later. The polarizing business strategy of Colorado’s Mile High Comics. The future DC Comics rebranding and a brief look back at all their previous imprints. Comics growing with you as you age. War of the Realms and the current state of Marvel’s Event books. How to summarize your comic book. Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273

The marketing genius of Taylor Swift. J.J. Abrams’ Spider-Man. 37,000 photo views? No, X-Men Grand Design X-Tinction #2 did NOT come out this week. Getting an 8th-grader to work for school credit. Marvel Comics #1000+1 Superman Year One Really fun Teen Titans Raven signing announcement. Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273

Mistaken identity! Thanks, Patrons! Making money vs. making people happy. Buncha new comics news! Legion, Flash, Harley & Ivy, King Thor, etc. Absolute Carnage post-credit scenes. The DC Artgerm Poster Portfolio. The Comic in a Box game we haven’t played. Upcoming events! Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273

Markisan Naso joins Patrick for a wide-ranging conversation that covers it all! Designing a comic-themed beer! Earlier years of comic book journalism and Darwyn Cooke. Of course they plug Challengers’ upcoming Voracious signing with Markisan and Jason Muhr on Saturday, June 22 (11am – 3pm). I mean, they’d be fools NOT to!! What IS Voracious about, anyway? Eating dinosaurs? What? How Markisan and Jason became a creative team. Which animals have you eaten? Taco Bell, and wrestling. The inspirational properties of Grant Morrison. And mead. The great runs of Thor. Finding the perfect color artist. Free stuff you can get at the above-mentioned signing!

We 100% value you, our Wednesday Angels (Wednesday Angels ™ & © 2019 Challengers Inc). A not-short story about trying to buy a new car (but it relates to comics retail, we promise). The follow-up to last week’s Tom King news. Soliciting orders for a 2nd print before the final orders are due for the 1st print. White Trees = D&D Dream Daddy. One great solicitation blurb, and then a not-great one. You know, for comparison. Reinterpreting Vampirella. Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273

All the upcoming concerts that will cause some adjustments to the CoC recording schedule. Dal’s (very brief) visit to Sarasota. Okay, so we have a lot of speculation about Tom King leaving Batman. A mere 1 day later, so much more of DC’s future Bat-Plans have come out, but we didn’t know that when this was recorded, so bear that in mind when listening to this part. DC’s attempted revitalization of their core characters. If we thought the July catalog was rough… The season finale of DC’s CW shows. HBO’s Barry is SO GOOD. Sure that’s not comic-related, but it’s still a great show. Our future Back Issue plans. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is ending at #50. British writers rally against Brexit (and the next day Theresa May resigns—man, a lot happened from Thursday to Friday!!) Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273

Just your average episode with 2 comic shop owners talking about business! How we now order DC “B” covers. Ordering for July is soul-crushing. The difference between schilling and imparting information. Filling requests by any means necessary. Reporting all damages, shortages and overages. An alternate take on Free Comic Book Day. When the deep discount offer just isn’t worth it, even if you qualify. Is it time to stop hosting signings and events? Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273 Co-hosted by Mitchell Davies from All Star Comics in Melbourne, Australia!

What is Marvel Comics #1000? I’m sorry, we mean WHY is (it called) Marvel Comics #1000? How do we keep track of customer wants when they ask for books that don’t yet exist? We’re looking at YOU, 3 Jokers… Baker & Taylor, our secondary distributor, no longer wants our business (or that of any independent bookstore). Oni Press and Lion Forge are merging. That’s causing layoffs and some employees are not taking it well. Should they? Well-known DC Comics artist Patrick Gleason has just signed an exclusive contract with Marvel. Is he the last of the 1-company artists? We survived our first (and last 12-hour Free Comic Book Day! Did YOU have fun? Contest of Challengers Bingo continues! https://bingobaker.com/play/2017273

It’s an interview episode with Nicholas Aflleje & Sarah DeLaine from the brand new Image Comics graphic novel LITTLE GIRLS. Who are they? What is Little Girls about? How did it come about? They’re going to be at Challengers on Monday, May 13th, for a full on release party! Featuring LIVE MUSIC from both Kachi The Band and Gentle Heat! More info on all the music!! Kachi The Band: https://kachitheband.bandcamp.com/ Gentle Heat: https://gentleheat.bandcamp.com/ And check out the Little Girls Soundtrack: https://littlegirlsognmusic.bandcamp.com