I know a thing or two about collecting comic books, having had two large collections in my life (my first one was thrown away by my mom when I was a teenager after our church declared them evil). There was a joy in reading them for me, but there was also an obsessive-compulsive component to the collecting aspect of it. The four-part documentary Selling Superman by filmmaker Adam Schomer deals with Darren Watts and his family coming to terms with the fact that his father, Dale, was a secret hoarder of one of the largest and most valuable comic collections known to man, including the ultra-rare Superman #1 in 7.0 grading condition (there are only four known copies in such condition or better).
The reason why it’s tough for Darren is that his father was emotionally abusive, due in part to being on the autism scale of Aspergers, leaving Dale unable to read or care about other people’s emotions. Darren and Dale loved the character of Superman above all others. Darren feels torn about selling away certain comics, even though Superman #1 could fetch upwards of three million dollars, while also dealing with unresolved feelings about his father.
Director Schomer is admittedly not a comic book fan, and part of the documentary is spent exploring what the big deal is over superheroes. They travel to Comic Cons, including the big one in San Diego, and to different comic stores in order for Darren and his comic book expert staff of people like Josh Chrisman, aka The Hatchback Kid, can sell part of the collection, while also trying to dig into just where Dale got it all since he never talked about it and kept it hidden away.
“…Dale was a secret hoarder of one of the largest and most valuable comic collections known to man…”
One moment of extreme real tension in the film comes when someone in Schomer’s crew accidentally drops Superman #1, which could potentially affect the value by millions of dollars. Darren is not pleased with this slip-up of a Galctacus-sized degree, and I can’t say that I blame him. He’s also not quite sure about how he feels about filming in general, probably due in part to the hate that he sees online from some of the publicity.
As someone who is already a part of this world, I have learned nothing new on the comic book front, and that’s okay because newbies will be fascinated. I was interested in the psychological aspect of how Darren was still dealing with his issues with his dad through the comics, and a highlight of the movie is when the owner of Mile High Comics, Chuck Rozanski, makes his own heartfelt confession about the similar issues that he had with his father. It takes a lot of courage to reveal such personal issues with the world and hopefully getting it out in the open will offer some catharsis.
We all have our own skeletons in the closet, but not many of them are worth millions of dollars. Rozanski tries to console Darren by saying that is truly how his father showed that he cared for him, by leaving that treasure. Darren isn’t quite so sure because, to quote Maximus in Gladiator, “What we do in life echoes an eternity.” Selling Superman deals with some complex emotional issues that not even the strength of the man of steel could overcome.
"…Selling Superman deals with some complex emotional issues that not even the strength of the man of steel could overcome."
