Comic Doc Watch: Selling Superman (2024)

Watched: 05/12/2026

Format:  Amazon Prime

Viewing:  First

Director:  Adam Schomer

I imagine this doc will land one way with non-comics folk, and a completely different way with comics folk - or other serious collectors (and their immediate loved ones). 

For the record, I own a *lot* of comic books, and a *lot* of Superman stuff.  So, yes, I am in the camp of "collectors".*

I do *not* own any of those mythical comics you hear about.  This "blogging non-stop for free" gig does not pay what you'd think.  I have never even seen most of the epically priced comics you're think of in person, except in museums or behind thick glass.

This doc is about a guy somewhere near my age who recently lost his father, and inherited that father's absolutely massive comic collection.  

The father clearly was brilliant, neurodivergent, and an absolutely obsessive collector, filling his multi-bedroom home with comics, covering the windows so people couldn't see in, and forbidding his wife and kids from telling anyone what was in the house - not that they knew what he really owned.  And what he had was - from a collection standpoint - probably unlike anything else on the planet that isn't part of a major business like Mile High Comics.  

It was not necessarily the comics specifically that drove a wedge between Dale, the father, and his wife and children.  The comics were a totem of the undiagnosed neurological issues Dale did not work through.  Instead, Dale's belittling and verbal abuse of his family led to a divorce and incredibly strained relationship with his two sons, Darren (our focus), and Adam, the younger son - who clearly has some neurological issues himself.   

Upon the passing of Dale, the family inherited the house and the collection.  And - if you know anything about comics - it would be like finding out that your dad was Smaug and he really was sitting on a pile of gold that you now have to wrangle as carefully as possible, while also working through the emotions of losing Smaug and that Smaug was maybe a terrible father.

The title derives from the fact (this is not a spoiler) Darren realizes his father has a very nice copy of Superman #1, one of the most important of collectible comics - usually selling for a few million at auction.  But that's alongside Detective Comics #27 (first Batman appearance) and other heavy hitters.  On top of that, even for comics coming in valued only in the mere thousands, Dale might have had 10-20 copies.  Multiply that across 4 storage units which are 40 feet x 8 feet, and stacked head high with comic boxes. The monetary value of the collection is truly staggering.

Dealing with the collection is also dealing with the reality of who Darren's father was and the burden of memories.

That's the crux of the doc, which runs over four "episodes" of roughly 45 minutes to an hour per.  Which maybe seems like too much, but as I saw it - felt like exactly the right length.  If this were a novel, it would clock in around 600 pages, diving here and there to explain the comics business, and - in a more clear-eyed manner than I've ever seen - the psychology of collecting.  Things us collectors maybe don't talk about out loud very often.  Including what we will one day do with our collections, or if we're content to die among our hoards.

And, of course, if we choose that - what does it leave for our families to deal with as they try to process their own grief and feelings about us? 

Interviews include a wide range of people, from a psychologist trying to explain both Dale and Darren, to famed attorney and comics enthusiast Mark Zaid, to Chuck Rozanski, the proprietor of Mile High Comics, to a megachurch minister who uses the money he gets paid to buy these super high end comics.  Two different and more local dealers are featured, including a father/son team who cannot believe they've been asked to participate (and have the most relatable reaction to seeing these comics).  

It's a really solid collection of interviews.  

Darren himself is a brilliant guy, and rightfully so sees the mistake he's made letting cameras into this process, and how it has shaped and changed what he's doing.  The doc was about something extraordinary to begin with, this insane collection and what one does with it - and sort of expanded and expanded into other areas.  What started as essentially a PR bid for the collection changes and Darren becomes acutely aware of how he and his family may be seen.  Honestly, there wasn't a moment where I thought "this guy is a jerk", so I don't think he had anything to worry about.  But to see *anyone* have that level of awareness and not entirely shut down a doc is sort of remarkable in and of itself.** 

Most people don't really understand what they have when a collection comes into their hands.  Either they overvalue Little Lotta comics or they have Action Comics #4, and don't see Superman on the cover, so they want to trash it.  See:  this video of a nice lady showing a dealer her dad's collection:

But Darren, once the long boxes are open, knows.  And as he's already wealthy from his own enterprises (IT), and so he obtains a space and loads in the comics under tight security.  He has to.  With the scale of the collection, once word is out, it could be a problem.

There are no easy answers about grappling with one's past and present provided by the doc.  But it's still a journey for the main subjects and some of the additional subjects, like Darren's best pal who is a huge comics nerd and suddenly has basically a job helping Darren.  And the fact is, Darren makes friends along the way and finds a new way to enjoy himself - all due to this weird, wild manifestation of his father's personality and the legacy he unintentionally left behind - they don't sugarcoat it by suggesting otherwise.  Dale didn't leave a collection as a secret treasure trove, he just ended before the collecting did.

All of the collectors interviewed spoke about their collecting as "an addition" - and that's relatable.  How you manage any addiction is the key.  One collector admits it's probably a form of mental illness, and I agree.

I'm 51 now.  I would be lying if I said the doc didn't hit home on a number of fronts.  

Sure, I have aging parents, and while things are groovy with them, we'll always have unresolved issues - just nowhere on this scale.  

But I think reflecting on the doc will make me a better and more responsible collector.  It certainly reinforced the notion that dealing with the legacy of what I've accumulated is, actually, a problem for someone, and not in the abstract or as a joke I occasionally make.  Someone will wind up with a few thousand Superman comics if I don't sell them.  And while I know the value of most of them - is there a point at which I cash out, and how? 

Do I start selling Wonder Woman and Enemy Ace?

And, am I ignoring things I should be doing?  And how can I better manage an "addiction"?  

I know I have some tendencies that make no sense.***  Note the 20-plus years of blogging when *nobody cares*.  Collecting is certainly an aspect of that.  

Watching an episode of Hoarders in 2008 or so was kind of a revelation.  This doc pushes that need for self-awareness of some not-great tendencies even further to the front.  I mean, Jamie has just said to me recently "when you get an idea in your head, it is almost impossible to stop you".  And that is true.

No one is going to feel they're in a treasure trove going through this many years of collecting.  I worry about the burden to myself and others.

*But I'm also aware of the scale of collecting I'm on.  I do collect a lot - but I've seen the collections that require additional buildings and represent 100's of thousands of dollars.  That ain't me.

*for the record, I would never, ever even allow myself to be interviewed by the local news, let alone agree to a doc to be made about my personal life.  Seeing someone come to the realization of what was going to be seen was a bit painful.

***note that for some reason I watched almost all Lacey Chabert's movies because Randy thought it would be funny.