Challengers Comics + Conversation of Chicago is a comic shop that has won the Eisner Retailer Award in 2013, as well as a number of local Best Comic Shop wins as well. Celebrating their tenth year of business in 2018, they are located in Bucktown, across the street from the Western Blue Line Station and the #49 bus stop. In case you wanted to pop by. They open at 11 am.

They are also currently crunching their annual numbers on Twitter. With this rather notable observation for the year's takings.

We are down 6.8% from 2016, and this is our lowest yearly total since 2013. October and December took the biggest hits. Overall it's as if our 2017 only had 11 months of sales. — Challengers Comics (@Challengers) January 1, 2018

Which has got to hurt. And where may the blame lie?

We were down $21,000 in single-issue Marvel sales alone. — Challengers Comics (@Challengers) January 1, 2018

And in comparison…

DC was up $2000.

Pins/T-Shirts, Posters and Toys were all also up. — Challengers Comics (@Challengers) January 1, 2018

The thread continues. Challengers is just one shop, it is clearly not every shop, but it is an important shop. As you can see, it's not a small store. And if this kind of thing is happening to Challengers, odds are it's happening to hundreds, thousands of comic book stores as well.

There has been serious concern expressed of late over the performance of the direct market of comic book stores of late, especially in the latter half of 2017. And the finger has been most definitely been pointing in Marvel Comics' direction. Would any other stores like to throw in their comparable situations for the year?

As for 2018 , Challengers Comics + Conversation have a sale coming up for next month. Well, they have some numbers to make up on for the year that has just passed, haven't they?

Happy New Year everyone! Fingers crossed!