Contest of Challengers

35 - 0
•Lucy Knisley’s latest signing!
•35 years.
•Social media app changes.
•Rethinking FOC’s.

•Fran’s Kitchen cookbook is in-stock! Support the Alzheimer’s Association!
You can buy the cookbook on the Challengers website here: https://challengerscomics.com/products/frans-kitchen-cookbook
And you can donate directly at https://act.alz.org/site/TR;jsessionid=00000000.app20117b?px=10851299&fr_id=18580&pg=personal&NONCE_TOKEN=0C147D8B6AF658D9B4FA0012D177141A
 
This episode is dedicated to what would have been GWB III’s 88th.
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This episode was erroneously not posted last week! SORRY!! That means there will be TWO episodes posted within 24 hours! (Thanks for the heads up, Andrew!)

BLIND AS A BAG
•Last week’s Yelp review is gone.
•Bags of Blindness! INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE PRESENTS BATTLE BEAST #1, BATMAN #1 Blind as a Bat, DC K.O. #1 Lights Out, ULTIMATE ENDGAME #1 True Believers.
•Bar codes on covers.
•Compact Comics on fire!
•Black Ninja comics!
•Celebrity interaction in the comic shop.

•Fran’s Kitchen cookbook is in-stock! Support the Alzheimer’s Association!
You can buy the cook...

WE’VE COMPLETELY FAILED
•Changes to the Patreon website (and declined pledges).
•App interaction.
•A completely insane Yelp review.
•Card game allocations.
•The American Joshi + the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
•Batman Deadpool looks so fun!!
•Fran’s Kitchen cookbook is in-stock! Support the Alzheimer’s Association!
You can buy the cookbook on the Challengers website or you can donate directly at rememberingfrances.com
 
This episode is dedicated to Frances.
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Contest of Challengers #745

Theme: Adam WarRock...

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF EXISTENCE
•Welcome back to us!
•Don’t skip reading Supergirl! It’s so fun!
•Customer outreach (via emails).
•Where Monsters Lie vol 3 Dead End, and how you can get it!
•Shopify’s email interface is… lacking…
•Some big events are coming to Challengers this Fall!
•Our non-existent Diamond orders.
•Thanks, Patrons!
•Opening new accounts at new-to-us distributors.
•More like NO-kemon cards, amirite??
 
This episode is dedicated to all the cyborbs.
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Contest of Challe...

“MITCHELL!”
•Patrick is joined by Mitchell Davies of All Star Comics in Melbourne, Australia!
•How can 2 stores 15,570 kilometers apart have the exact same experiences selling comics?
•2 Will Eisner “Spirit of Comics” Retailer Award recipients!
•Which store has the better All-Ages section?
•How GHOSTBUSTERS brought the stores together.
•All Star predominantly sells American comics, so how do they get them?
•Working with the same distributors from very different distances.
 
This episode is dedicated to 9,675.05 miles.
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Contest of Challengers #743

YOU HAVE MORE VALUE THAN THIS
•The 200th Anniversary of the first comic book?
•Marvel’s 616 Day.
•The Golden Biscuit of Adventure Comics #210.
•Problems for IDW.
•Zenescope leaves Diamond.
•What we’ve never received from Diamond.
•Comics talked about in this episode:
     SUPERMAN TREASURY EDITION 2025
     NEW HISTORY OF THE DCU #1
     GOTHAM CITY SIRENS UNFIT FOR ORBIT #1
     EXQUSITE CORPSES #3
 
This episode is dedicated to The Glasgow Looking Glass.
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Contest of Challengers #742

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal k...

HOW TO MEET THE MOST AMOUNT OF NEEDS
•Magic the Gathering: Final Fantasy and the wave of unmeetable collector demand.
•Prioritizing the in-store experience.
•Back issue bundles!
•Gehenna Naked Aggression’s printing issue.
•No more Marvel Masterworks?
•How the 1999 manga “The Future I Saw” is currently effecting Japanese tourism.
•Getting a credit line from a comic distributor.
•Sourcing comic supplies from Lunar.
•Warner Bros Discovery splits in 2!
 
This episode is dedicated to a 45+ year-old office desk that lived a very full life.
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DIAMONDS AREN’T FOREVER
•Childhood toy line nostalgia into today’s comic publishing.
•Literally half of this episode is about action figures. Be warned.
•An “important” Diamond update!
 
This episode is dedicated to Mark & Jasmine.
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Contest of Challengers #740

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Sebastian Bach, Arune Singh, James VanOsdol
“Dal” Voices: James VanOsdol, RJ City, Dalton Castle, Sue (Trent’s...

HOW DEEP OF A WELL
•We press “record” in the middle of a conversation about just-announced Marvel Legends figures from a Hasbro livestream.  
•Morgan Perry is the BEST!
•A duct-cleaning coincidence.
•Thanks, Patrons!
•Deadpool/Batman!
•The strength of the market for the late summer.
•Thank you, Peter David.
 
This episode is dedicated to a little Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo!

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Contest of Challengers #739

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“...

THINK OF THINGS TO THINK OF
•A week of repairs for the Podcastitorium!
•July's Lunar orders are due when?!?
•Ad Populum officially owns Diamond.
•BLADES OF FURRY signing recap.
•Mission Impossible Final Reckoning giveaway swag!
 
This episode is dedicated to doing your own stunts

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Contest of Challengers #738

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Sebastian Bach, Arune Singh...

A CODEFIED STRUCTURE
•Paper vs PDF
•Using physical catalogs when ordering.
•Receiving stock from Scholastic.
•Comics talked about in this episode:
     GHOST PEPPER #1
     SIXTH GUN ROAD TO THE SIXTH #0
     OUT OF ALCATRAZ #3
     ROBIN & BATMAN JASON TODD #1
     JL VS GODZILLA VS KONG II #1
     GODDAMN TRAGEDY #1
     MOMMY BLOG
 
This episode is dedicated to Dal’s mom’s 80th birthday!
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Contest of Challengers #737

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Rich...

NOT A PATH TO FOLLOW
•Website tweaks and notifications.
•Searching PRH for “I Am a Hero.”
•Details of our Career Day at a local elementary school.
•Free Comic Book Day wrap-up.
•The Chillin’ Like a Villain Art Show opening!
•Comic talked about in this episode:
     EXQUISITE CORPSES #1
 
This episode is dedicated to the darker seid of love.

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Contest of Challengers #736

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kot...

A WEEK IN THE DAY
•No more “Charles” at the bank!
•Forgetting subscribers’ names.
•A mystery box of comics from Lunar!
•MORE shortages from Lunar this week!!
•Thanks, Patrons!
•The FCBD Comic Shop Crawl.
•Career Day!
•Diamond has finally been sold! Probably.
 
This episode is dedicated to teachers and their infinite patience.

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Contest of Challengers #735

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Ac...

THIS IS DUMB, JUST, PERIOD.
•Free Comic Book Day week prep.
•Upcoming events!
•Now that BOOM! Is distributed by Penguin Random House…
•New Comic Book Day constant shipping woes.
•Every month keeps getting bigger for Godzilla!
•Scholastic, one more publisher Diamond has just stopped supplying.
•Comics talked about in this episode:
     SUPERGIRL #1
     ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN INCURSION #1

This episode is dedicated to both Michael B. Jordans.

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Contest of Challengers #734

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
In...

IS THIS WHAT RESPECT FEELS LIKE?
•Dal already has thoughts for next year’s C2E2!
•It’s our C2E2 2025 recap episode! It was a pretty great show and got us more excited to be doing what we do.
•Who we met/talked to!
•Dal’s Dan Mora story!
•Patrick’s first-ever CGC grading experience.
•Diamond Comic Distributors has an official, legal buyer.
•Our cloudy front window.

This episode is dedicated to Hiroshi Tanahashi’s last match in the United States.

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ABSOLUTE UNITS OF DESTRUCTION
•Patrick is joined by MORGAN PERRY, Marketing Manager at Square Enix, Inc.
•Square Enix has a new program for comic shops, Comic Partner, and Morgan is here to tell us about it!
•Getting manga into the hands of manga fans new and old!
•Upcoming manga series you cannot miss!
•Morgan’s email: mperry@us.square-enix.com (for retailers who want to join Comic Partner and/or just learn more about Square Enix)
•Morgan’s previous CoC appearance: https://challengers.libsyn.com/i-literally-do-not-live-in-a-world-without-comics

This episode is dedicated to the Square Enix...

IT’S NOT LIKE YOU’RE CONFUSING THE CHILDREN
•Tariffs in comics.
•Dal’s take on Lost Fantasy #1.
•Cover designs.
•The closure of ThingsFromAnotherWorld .com.
•Thanks, Patrons!
•Publishers missing from Diamond.
•Updating Sidekicks!

This episode is dedicated to IKEA Kallax shelving.

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Contest of Challengers #731

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Arune Singh, James VanOsdol
“Dal” V...

APOLOGIZING FOR THINGS NOT OUR FAULT
•Trying to buy a Will Ospreay print by Rob Schamberger.
•MORE problems with Lunar shipments!
•MORE problems with Diamond shipments!
•2 annoying online transactions (one eBay, one Challengers).
•Alliance Entertainment enters into an agreement to purchase Diamond Comic Distributors! What do we know about Alliance?
•We’re 17!!

This episode is dedicated to the 22% of small businesses that make it to 17 years.

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Contest of Challengers #730

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)

RELIABLY FRUSTRATING
•Next week is maybe the biggest New Release week we’ve ever had, in both quantity and dollar amount.
•Lunar shortages!
•Quantity limits.
•Lunar growing pains.
•Marvel’s “new” ideas.
•The return of Adventure Time comics.
•The soap opera that is Void Rivals.
•Comics talked about in this episode:
     ABSOLUTE FLASH #2
     DARK REGARDS #1
     PLAGUE HOUSE #1
     BATTLE BEAST #1, #2
     RESURRECTION MAN QUANTUM KARMA #1, #2, #2

This episode is dedicated to Kazuchika Okada’s 1-year Continental Championship title reign.----------
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Contest of C...

I’M SURE YOU’RE GOING SOMEWHERE WITH THIS

•The next few weeks of New Releases are MASSIVE.
•What we’re looking forward to at C2E2.
•Gabi Mendez signing recap!
•An upcoming art show.
•Comics talked about in this episode:
     FIRE AND ICE WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER #1
     HARLEY QUIN FARTACULAR SILENT BUTT DEADLY #1

This episode is dedicated to meals with good friends.
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Contest of Challengers #728

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James V...

THE BULLSEYE OF BULLSEYES

•Godzilla vs Chicago, one week later.
•New Dark Horse graphic novels immediately unavailable.
•Andrea Bell signing recap!
•”Reducing complexity.”
•Diamond bankruptcy notices.
•DTC podcast invite.
•Comic talked about in this episode:
     ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN #1
     ABSOLUTE MARTIAN MANHUNTER #1
     FREE PLANET #1
     ASSORTEED CRISIS EVENTS #1

This episode is dedicated to being Satanized.
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Contest of Challengers #727

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christ...

VALIDABLE

•ComicsPRO Annual Meeting part 2!
•Batman H2SH. Pronounced “huh-toosh”
•Back to ComicsPRO news!
•GODZILLA!
•Dal vs the MCU.
•Comic talked about in this episode:
     BATMAN #157

This episode is dedicated to Michelle Trachtenburg.
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Contest of Challengers #726

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Arune Singh, James VanOsdol
“Dal” Voices: James VanOsdol, RJ City, Dalton Castle, Sue (Tre...

ALL BUSINESS

•This IS a business podcast, after all.
•It’s Tax Time (never to be confused with “Toni Time”)!
•Paying vendors.
•ComicsPRO news (of which there is little when we recorded).
•Comic talked about in this episode:
     ABSOLUTE FLASH #1

This episode is dedicated to all the hard workers of the ComicsPRO Annual Conference.

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Contest of Challengers #725

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Chr...

SALE APPARENT

•Distribution shipping schedules.
•How did the 2025 “I Love You But I’ve Chosen Comics” sale do for us?
•Shopify user permissions.
•BONUS: Dal’s favorite local chicken take-out restaurants.

This episode is dedicated to chicken, in all its delicious, edible forms.
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Contest of Challengers #724

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Arune Singh, James VanOs...

INTRODUCING UNCERTANTY TO THE PROCESS

•Sacrificers #13 shortage and what Lunar did about it.
•Upcoming bookmark!
•More publishers abandoning Diamond.
•DSTLRY’s digital collectibles.
•A new/current Shopify headache.
•Comics talked about in this episode:
     I WAS A FASHION SCHOOL SERIAL KILLER #1
     LOST FANTASY #1, #2, #3
     WE’RE TAKING EVERYONE DOWN WITH US #1

This episode is dedicated to diversity. And we’ll celebrate it forever.
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Contest of Challengers #723

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro...

THE KYLE-VERSE with KYLE HIGGINS

•It’s an extra-special, extra-long episode featuring KYLE HIGGINS (and Andrew Challenger)!!

•Image’s MASSIVE-VERSE is a universe within itself featuring Radiant Black, Rogue Sun, Super-Massive, Inferno Girl Red, No/One, and more, and Kyle tells us ALL about it!

•RADIANT BLACK #31 is the prefect jumping on point and is available to order from Challengers (or any local comic shop) RIGHT NOW!

•Did you know Kyle blew Challengers up in the pages of Nightwing? And he ALMOST did it again during Radiant Black’s ‘Catalyst War’! What did we ever d...

NO SAFETY NET

•How much does our Sale T-Shirt cost?
•Small week of releases for the week of our Sale.
•One World Under Doom vs X-Manhunt.
•Patrick is a "Top 30 Women to Look Out For in 2025" candidate!
•What does Diamond’s Chapter 11 filing mean for Challengers?
•A last second BOOM! Announcement!
•Comics talked about in this episode:
     BUG WARS #1, #2
     FREE FOR ALL #1
     MINE IS A LONG, LONESOME GRAVE #1

This episode is dedicated to the Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels.
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This episode was edited and transcribed by Cleanvoice. H...

CONCIERGE SERVICE

•Shopify God Mode.
•Inventory reconciliation.
•Lucky Devils signing (and 2 upcoming signings).
•Ratioed bookplates.
•Chicago Box Co price increase.
•Decreasing Image discounts.
•Cleanvoice results from last week.

•Comics talked about in this episode:
     OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1, #2
     GODZILLA HEIST #1
     ZATANNA #1
     ASSORTED CRISIS EVENTS #1

This episode is dedicated to the birthdays of Karen Davison, Jamie Lamb, and Maria Palmer.
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Contest of Challengers #720

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: Ja...

COMMUNITY INREACH
•NOT recorded in a car!
•Community outreach and fan base cultivation.
•Store eras. 5, maybe?
•Challengers adages.
•Comic talked about in this episode:
     ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM #1

This episode is dedicated to big red “Record” and “Stop” buttons that are too easy to press by accident.
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Contest of Challengers #719

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Arune Singh, Ja...

MINUS FIVE

•No more subscription discount!
•The Amalgam allocation.
•2024 Sales info!
•Our Best Sellers of 2024.
•The Saga subscriber epidemic.
•Thanks, Patrons!

This episode is dedicated to The Big Fat Quiz.
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Contest of Challengers #718

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Arune Singh, James VanOsdol
“Dal” Voices: James VanOsdol, RJ City, Dalton Castle, Sue (Trent’s Mom), Kevin...

YOU ARE A FIXTURE

•New Release List nonsense.
•Your gifts to us.
•December sales, thus far.
•POP vinyl ordering.
•Barnes & Noble’s impact.
•Lucky Devils #1 signing event!
•We’re just normal men.
•’Twas the Night Before…

This episode is dedicated to 1 year without my Dad.
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Contest of Challengers #717

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Arune S...

POKING AROUND THE BACK END

•Christmas sales daze.
•Knocking on the doorway of delinquency.
•Financial mishmash.
•Poking around the back end.
•The same update on Diamond Comic Distributors.
•Dal’s New Release videos.
•I didn’t take notes for this section.
•Upcoming financial changes.

This episode is dedicated to Irish Christmas trees of the North. 
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Contest of Challengers #716

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie K...

THE ONGOING SAGA
•An update on Diamond Comic Distributors.
•(Lack of) SAGA for 2024.
•Firing subscribers.
•Loyality/Points programs.
•Holiday restock.

This episode is dedicated to the song “On The Loose” by SAGA.
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Contest of Challengers #715

Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Arune Singh, James VanOsdol
“Dal” Voices: James VanOsdol, RJ City, Dalton Castle, Sue (Trent’s Mom), Kevin Conroy, Kris Statlander, Skye Blue, Arune Singh
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Challenger...

WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON?
•Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld.
•A week without Diamond.
•Thanks, Patrons!
•Ireland.
•Spoiler. Not as in we can’t tell you, as in the Go-Bot.

This episode is dedicated to Guinness.
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Contest of Challengers #714
Theme: Adam WarRock (with Mikal kHill)
Intro/Outro: James VanOsdol
“Patrick” Voices: Richie Kotzen, Christopher Daniels, James Acaster, Sue (Trent’s Mom), RJ City, Arune Singh, James VanOsdol
“Dal” Voices: James VanOsdol, RJ City, Dalton Castle, Sue (Trent’s Mom), Kevin Conroy, Kris Statlander, Skye Blue, Arune Singh
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KEEPING IT MIDWEST
Patrick is out of the country! Dal is stuck doing all the work!
So that means... Guest Hosts!!

•Who are this episode’s guest hosts?
•How did they discover Challengers?
•What are things like where they’re at?
•In front of the divider aka pull bag (bag?) discussion.
•Comics they love.
•Comic talked about: THE SEASONS #1
•How to be a good shopper 

Thanks for listening! Keep Reading Comics!
This episode is dedicated to 8-hour international flights.

INTERNET FAMOUS
•No more Samsung Podcasts.
•Toy shopping around town.
•Your children’s names.
•The Feral World Tour event.
•Holiday recommendations!
•Comic talked about in this episode:
     NEW GODS #1
 
This episode is dedicated to Dal’s birthday.
Contest of Challengers #712

OPTIMISM??
•The B.O.I. Report.
•Dated periodicals.
•Optimism? From US??
•Dividers.
•DOOM!
 
This episode is dedicated to how unsettling Chris Evans looks with normal proportions.
Contest of Challengers #711

BLOOD IN THE TITLE
•Controlling your reactions.
•This week’s New Release videos.
•DC’s initial wave of Absolute #1’s are all out.
•Comic book elections.
•BOOM! (and Oni) press releases for the week.
•Comparing another shop’s invoice (again).
 
This episode is dedica

FEEDING FRENZY
•The long reach of Absolute Batman #1.
•New website single-issue buying limits (and why).
•LUCKY DEVILS #1 (by Ryan Browne and Charles Soule) is a really fun new comic!!
•

THEMATIC HEFT
•Graphic Novels based off of bands.
•Out-of-print graphic novels.
•X-Books sales check-in!
•Collector mentality.
•How the Day of the Dead Gil Signing went.
•Daimond warehouse reduction.
•Diamond replenishment shipping.
•Marvel FOC’s thru January 2025.