Trevor

Comedy Challenge

What's a Comic Book Challenge?

- monthly threads to encourage more reading and discussion
- a way to figure out "what do I read next?"
- motivation to try different genres
- motivation to keep reading and make progress on our unread piles
- a place to get recommendations

How does it work?

- we pick a genre (or company, or title, or whatever) for a month
- we post in this thread and talk about what we plan to read and read throughout the month
- you could keep a spoilered list in one post and update it all month, or post as you read
- in theory the lists could be kept in a separate thread to allow for fancier formatting while avoiding clutter

What makes it a "challenge"?

- well, unofficially, the goal is to read 100 comics a month, but that isn't stressed
- the group discussion will challenge and encourage you to read more (the main goal of most participants I imagine)

Who can participate?

- anyone and everyone!
- you don't have to list your reading or even post at all to participate, but what's the fun in that?
- quasi-technically, anyone on the planet who reads a qualifying book for the month is a participant, whether they know it or not

When does it start and end?

- it begins at dusk on the last day of previous month, and ends at dawn on the first day of the next month
- this bonus time allows for possible "double counting" cross-Challenge content
- content eligible for both Challenges has the bonus of being able to be counted for all 24 hours of the last/first days of both Challenges

How does counting work?
- as with every other 'rule', we're pretty liberal and you can count any way you want really
- in general, a comic book counts as one
- for graphic novels and oversize books, feel free to count one for every twenty pages

Who wins?

- there are no losers, the person who reads one page a month is equal to the person who reads 20 books a day

What is the schedule?

January - TV/Movie/Book
February - Eisner/Harvey/Etc Winners
March - Rotating Company
April - TBD (random idea every year)
May - Make-Your-Own
June - Reality
July - Science Fiction
August - Fantasy
September - Outside-Your-Comfort-Zone
October - Horror
November - Comedy
December - Holiday (w/ bonus Thanksgiving and New Year's time)

Want a personal checklist to help you pick stuff to read?

Obviously you'll want to edit the below spoilered example checklist to fit your needs.

Trevor

Previous years for ideas:
5th year
https://forum.dvdtalk.com/comic-book...er-2018-a.html
4th year
https://forum.dvdtalk.com/comic-book...er-2017-a.html
3rd year
https://forum.dvdtalk.com/comic-book...er-2016-a.html
2nd year
https://forum.dvdtalk.com/comic-book...er-2015-a.html
1st year
https://forum.dvdtalk.com/comic-book...er-2014-a.html

Trevor

Not that anyone would notice, but I think I’ll officially retire these Challenges.

PhantomStranger

I'm pretty sure a few people will notice, Trevor. Let me commend you on running the Challenges this long, they always were useful and fun. Many people got something from them.

But I guess all good things must end. The grind of maintaining monthly challenges is tiresome year after year.

Trevor

Thanks Phantom. It wasn’t really that much work, a few minutes a month of mostly just cut ‘n pasting. And I know a few of us occasionally used them somewhat for reading direction. But besides the dwindling participation, me especially, it’s mostly me selfishly trying to divest myself of some of the checklist OCD that takes up too much of my life.

I might bring them back someday, or maybe just Octobers, and everyone is always welcome to post about what they’re binging on at the moment. I think it might have been you that had the idea recently to just make it one thread that we update month to month, or whenever someone has a particular fancy and might want people to join in. I guess the Omnibus thread is always there if we want.

Thanks again. I still read a lot and plan to somewhat follow this schedule, but just figured the monthly threads were a little overboard given the traffic.

Bronkster

I never participated because reasons, but I did always notice the new threads and thought about the time spent putting things together. I guess even as a complete non-participant I can appreciate the effort you made to keep things fun and entertaining for others. For that, you are to be commended!

Trevor

Aw, screw it. I’ll do a December thread just to be able to say it ran thru the calendar year; and then next year I’ll make it a yearly thread. I’m in the mood to binge holiday comics anyway.

davidh777

I know only a few of us participated, but I always liked having a guide for reading selection. I even made some purchases with the challenges in mind. I totally understand the need to cut back on obligations, though. Thanks for keeping it going as long as you did!

This month should be one of the easier ones to find material for, but funny material is generally not what I read.

PhantomStranger