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CHALLENGERS
Started in April 2008, CHALLENGERS is a comic store dedicated to one idea: reading comics is really pretty awesome. Okay, it's not curing cancer or ending injustice, but MAN! Have you read Immortal Iron Fist? Or Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane? Or Umbrella Academy? Or Swamp Thing? Or Scott Pilgrim? Or Green Lantern? Those books are crazy good! Plus, I'm not sure we'd be really good at ending injustice. Like, do we need a permit for that? Or reflective stickers on our jackets? We'd need jackets, too, I guess. We're a little better at recommending comics and talking with folks about said comics, so we'll probably just stick with that.
PATRICK BROWER
(March 30th, 2008 - present)
Patrick Brower has spent years refining and honing his comic retail expertise (he calls the process "refoning", possibly trademarked), and he's put all his lessons learned to work for Challengers. If you need someone at a comic store to be able to go from amiable to gregarious straight on through to winning, all while divining the book you've needed your whole life without realising it, Patrick's your guy.
PATRICK RECOMMENDS: IMMORTAL IRON FIST VOL 1
"Immortal Iron Fist vol. 1 turns the Iron Fist mythos on its ear. See? That’s the hook; it’s a mythos now. Our young Mr. Danny Rand is not the first Iron Fist. Not even close. And what happens when the previous Iron Fist wants to tap into the same power source? That, dear readers, is just one small aspect of 'The Last Iron Fist Story.' Writers Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction and artist David Aja combine to weave a compelling, very well-told tale of veneration, legacy and hope. The modern day Iron Fist story is offset by tales of Iron Fists past, with guest artists helping out on those stories. Combining elements from the entire, previously unknown, history of the Iron Fist creates a bold new take on a B-list character whose prior claim to super-hero stardom was his yellow booties. Gone are the booties, the high collar and the comparisons to 1970’s kung-fu movies. Here to stay are excellent stories from a history of honor."
W. DAL BUSH
(March 30th, 2008 - present)
The cold, calculating machine-brain of Challengers, Dal's professional demeanor hides a heart that runs almost entirely on comics and graphic novels. In the trenches of comics retail for almost as long as Patrick, Dal's ready to debate the merits of today's most acclaimed creators and point out the hidden gems of the past. He also occasionally smiles. I saw it once. I think.
DAL RECOMMENDS: SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE VOL 1
"Spidey Loves MJ is one of my all-time favorite series, and not just because I'm a 15 year-old girl. I mean, that totally helps, don't get me wrong, but it's not the only reason. See, with Spider-Man stories, I mean CLASSIC Lee/Ditko Spider-Man stories, it's like 80% superhero action and 20% teen drama. But Spidey Loves MJ switches the perspective to Mary Jane and flips the percentage, so it's 80% teen drama and 20% superhero action. And you know what? It totally works. You get completely sucked into the world of MJ Watson, her hot-tempered friend Liz, Liz's lunkheaded but well-meaning boyfriend Flash, Flash's friend Harry Osborn and Harry's nerdy pal Peter Parker. Their successes and setbacks, break-ups and make-ups, it's fully realized by Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa. It's insightful and incisive teen drama that anyone anywhere can relate to. Then, Spider-Man shows up. And the whole thing just gets better. I don't care if you've been reading Spider-Man comics for years or you've never even picked up a comic: if you give this book a chance, it'll win you over. Even if you aren't a 15 year-old girl like me."
LYNDA CHALLENGER
(October 11th, 2008 - present)
Lynda's been a part of Challengers since the early days, and she's... oh, wait. She was RIGHT HERE. Did she split? Man, for real, I just saw her. We'll finish this when she's back.
LYNDA RECOMMENDS: GREEN LANTERN - REBIRTH
"Where I'm from we didn't have many ways to access comic books. Unless you had a debit card and the internet, which were infrequent/non-existent for me and if the books weren't for school than my mother wasn't paying for it. So the best a comic book junkie could do was bum comics off of others. I would devour anything and everything I can get, even I didn't understand it, even if I was jumping into the middle of multi-universe crossover, I read it. So why Green Lantern: Rebirth? Well it introduced me to this amazing writer named Geoff Johns, I don't know if you have ever heard of him but he's kind of only one the best EVER. It also allowed me to marvel at the stunning pencils of Ethan Van Sciver. I suppose though overall the reason why I suggest this book is because even though I knew absolutely nothing of Hal Jordan or even Green Lantern for that matter (He's that one guy on that Justice League cartoon, right?) it kept me under its spell. Its just the story of reflection, redemption, finally returning to where you belong and never giving up even when up against 'fear' itself. I never grew up with these characters but suddenly I had to learn everything I could about their universe. Don't know anything about Green Lantern either? Doesn't matter because this will get you reading Green Lantern."
ASHLY CHALLENGER
(October 30th, 2008 - present)
Ashly Challenger has a bottomless love for comics. If comics were a food, it'd be Chipotle and she'd end up weighing 400 pounds. If comics we're a band, it's be Passion Pit and she'd sell both kidneys to see them play. If comics were a bike, she'd ride it constantly, even indoors and while she slept, which seems super-dangerous and totally cool. If comics were a metaphor, it'd go on way too long and she'd get mad about it.
ASHLY RECOMMENDS: SCOTT PILGRIM VOL 1
"Scott Pilgrim is awesome. He's 23, in a band, and 'between jobs.' His life becomes far more interesting when Ramona Flowers literally skates through his dreams. They're meant to be together, right? The catch is that he has to beat her 7 ex-boyfriends. It's quirky, super fun, and a personal favorite. Scott Pilgrim = Love"
DONOVAN CHALLENGER
(January 30th, 2009 - present)
Donovan Challenger probably has a better, wittier version of this bio on her website, 16 Sparrows. Oh, sure, it may not talk about her love of comics or her Challengers-specific work, but the font is way better and you can get it as a greeting card. Another win for Donovan Challenger, I guess. Thanks for making me look bad, Donovan!
DONOVAN RECOMMENDS: SWAMP THING BOOK ONE
"Have you ever seen a house that’s gone feral? That the weeds and plants have grown up all around, that the garden has overtaken, which has sunk back into the swamp, back into the trees from whence it came? Reading Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing is like have this happen in your brain. The stories seem to give access some more primal area of self than previously seen in the Swamp Thing title. This regeneration of the story reminds us that the title of the book is Swamp Thing, not Swamp Man. Well-crafted horror tales blend in among the over-all story about the power latent in nature and how neutral that power is in regards to the human question. Of course, you can just read it for the thrills and chills, but it’s a much more fertile read when you consider the deeper implications of this new direction for Swamp Thing."
CHRISTINA CHALLENGER
(July 12th, 2009 - present)
Thanks to Gerard Way's magnetic charisma (or charismatic magnetism, I forget which) Christina Challenger found the Umbrella Academy, which led her into comics as a medium, which led her (of course) into Challengers. Taken with the voracious appetite of the recent convert, Christina's working her way through the best of the best, comic-wise, while keeping Challengers hopping and energetic with her lively storytelling and cupcakes. Mostly the cupcakes. I kid! (Seriously, though, it's the cupcakes.)
CHRISTINA RECOMMENDS: UMBRELLA ACADEMY - APOCALYPSE SUITE
"Children born to mostly single women who showed no sign of pregnancy; seven of them rounded up to become adopted siblings by an inventor, Olympic Gold Medalist, Nobel Prize Winner and space alien to become a team of super heroes and protect the world (though one falls short and is probably destined to be in a punk band or something); a French monument gone berserk and zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. What else does one need in the first issue of a comic? A talking monkey in a business suit? His name is Pogo. You’re welcome. Enjoy. XO."
YESTERDAY'S CHALLENGERS
CHARLOTTE CHALLENGER (November 9th, 2008 - January 20th, 2009): Charlotte moved to Florida in January to follow her dream of not living in Chicago. While she may never find a store as cool as Challengers, she now lives in a state that contains both alligators AND space shuttles. Which, obviously... Space Gators. How cool would that be?!
ROSE CHALLENGER (February 22nd, 2009 - June 14th, 2009): Rose weirdly decided to forego the glamour of once-a-week comic retail for some "promotion at a job that can provide long-term financial support"-style nonsense. Straight up NONSENSE.
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