Writer Scott Snyder joins the show to talk about Absolute Batman and his past few years at DC and beyond. Snyder discusses his initial uncertainty about Absolute, his journey to Absolute Batman, the power of fear, their approach to making the best story, collaborating with Nick Dragotta, his experimentation phase, the ethos of the book, finding a balance, creating a sense of urgency, the single issue form, the current environment, the Next Level books, his role as a hype man at DC, imposter syndrome, arc titles, what has him excited about 2026 in comics, and more.

Big Clutch Comics' Shawn Kirkham joins the show to talk about the collectible side of the comics world. Kirkham discusses his stray cat adventures, Kirkham's background, what Big Clutch Comics is, how his work at Skybound informed that work, what fuels him, the current secondary market for comics, how it's different than previous booms, how new readers are playing a part, the secondary market as a guide, comics marketing, the sustainability of blind bags, Ultimate Endgame's blind bags, how collectibles fit in the comic ecosystem, what creators can do in that space, what has him excited about 2026 in comics, and more.

Retailer Patrick Brower returns to the show to talk about the year that was in his Chicago-based comic shop, Challengers Comics + Conversation. Brower discusses his weird year, the year in Challengers itself, the consistent nature of 2025, what drove the year's success, Absolute Martian Manhunter's surprising heat, the performance of the Absolute Batman Annual, managing different printings, Marvel's "terrible" year, where non-Big Two comics are, the complicated environment for creators, new readers, how they're behaving, other trends from 2025, struggles from the year, systemic problems, what could be done on the marketing side, Universal Distribution, sales charts, how he's feeling about 2026, and more.