Contest Of Challengers

It’s a potpourri of comic topics this week and Patrick and Dal run ‘em all down, including the post Convergence DC costume changes, Marvel pulling out of SDCC, Gift Bag services and how they inflate sales numbers, and maybe, just maybe, the ROH return of Saoma Joe!    

Spider-Woman #5 is SO GOOD. Wizard Fan Fest? Not so much. And we recap recent events. Plus, robots!

We survived the Jason Aaron / CM Punk signing! And then what starts as a small rant about how we order Marvel Comics turned into an hour-long rant. 

I have no idea what to write here as neither Patrick nor Dal are on this episode…

Discussion of DC’s Divergence. Speculation of cinematic Spider-Men. Alliteration is fun! Mark Waid’s thoughts on Comic Retail and Dal takes a quiz.

Weekly publisher emails; comics published out of order; sale; pre-Toy Fair; Levar Burton, snow sales; and more.

It’s time for the 42nd annual Festival d’Angoulême, and we’re not there! Also, David Tennant, Chris Pratt, and what Image is doing right and maybe not as right.

Are you as tired of these CM Punk questions as we are? Good, because we mainly talk about Marvel’s SECRET WARS and DC’s CONVERGENCE. 

First we Run the Jewels and then we compare our 2014 Top Comic Sales to Diamond’s list of the same.

This episode is 90% Image Expo news and opinions. And then there’s some Charlie Hebdo thrown in to bring us all down, too.

Welcome to a very chilly episode of Contest of Challengers. We’re cold, but we’re chatty.

This episode is more of a Christmas episode than last episode’s Christmas episode. We talk gifts, traditions, Holiday sales stats and all about Black Mirror White Christmas.

Merry Christmas from Contest of Challengers. This episode feels more like a cooking show than a comic business podcast.

Oh, Internet… you get outraged over so very many things. Show opener courtesy of WGN Radio, Chicago.

The bulk of this episode is made up of talk about the Flash and Arrow TV shows and an upcoming signing with Jason Aaron and CM Punk. There’s also talk about Red Dwarf, Infinity Inc, and the new Secret Six. And a brand new Christmas song by the Divorce Gun, called “Santa.”

Knights of the Dinner Table, in-store video filming, our Christmas website, a new store mascot (kind of), toy shopping at K-Mart, Incredible Change Bots, and so very much more.

We’ve moved the register; Patrick saw Dee Snider, Mick Foley, Colt Cabana, and Marty DeRosa and was on the radio; the artist of Rat Queens makes a BIG mistake; and we discuss the artistic styling of David Finch.

Strap in—it’s our longest episode yet! Lots and lots of comic talk, and a few new racking ideas, too.

We end this episode with almost 25 minutes of Doctor Who talk, but before that is discussion of new ways to rack graphic novels, and how we plan to change up our creator signings in 2015. Also, Tooth and Claw #1.

Topics include: Publishers we will stop carrying in 2015, #FCBDGate (terrible, terrible name), Revival-ween, Scott McCloud’s “The Sculptor” and a quick interview with writer Dave Scheidt.