Is the modern comic book market spiraling back into the speculator madness of the 1990s? Patrick Brower, co-owner of Chicago’s award-winning Challengers Comics + Conversation in Bucktown, joins James in the car to break down today’s comics retail landscape.

Together, they dig into the explosion of variant covers, blind bags, and modern “what if” blockbusters like Absolute Batman. Patrick traces the structural shocks that reshaped the entire industry, from the collapse of Diamond Comic Distributors to the logistical hurdles comic shops face working with massive book distributors like Penguin Random House.

They also discuss CGC grading obsession, the difference between modern readers and 90s-era investment collectors, and the unbeatable joy of digging through dollar bins for hidden gems.

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