Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Superman | Tagged: cgc, kickstarter, superman
What Happens When You Inherit a Multi-Million Dollar Comic Collection?
Darren Watts' father had Asperger's, leading him to collect comic books in an obsession that overtook his home, destroyed his family, and caused them great mental trauma. Following the passing of his father, Darren ihas been left with an impossibly valuable comic collection of over 300,000 comic books. This includes his father's most prized possession: Superman #1 CGC 7.0 valued at over $3.5 million and Batman #1 CGC 8.0 valued at over $1.5 million, two of the most expensive comic books of all time. Covered under blankets and over forty years of tormented family history, The Fantast Collection is the legacy of an obsessive father cut off from his family due to mental illness.
Director and producer Adam Schomer is launching a Kickstarter to fund the filming of a documentary about dealing with all this as Darren is faced with picking up the pieces of his childhood and rewriting a family legacy. i2i Productions, the documentary studio behind films such as The Highest Pass, The Polygon, One Little Pill, Heal, and the 10-episode docu-series Road to Dharma, introduces Selling Superman.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1861948680/selling-superman
Darren Watts says "I inherited over a million collectibles. Every comic, every card, every figure, toy, and book. They all have value. I begged my father not to dump them on me in his passing, but instead enjoy them as a family. Always such a hidden secret, I now intend to share them with the world. No more hiding away like Clark Kent. Superman is MY favorite hero and it's time for his collection to be recognized for what it really is and the true price we paid for it."
"It's not often that such a compelling personal story lands in your lap and sends you on such an intensive journey somewhere you never expected to go as a filmmaker," adds Director Adam Schomer. "The experience of making this film following in the footsteps of an old friend to untangle the family secrets and dynamics that define him to this day leaves me teary-eyed. Darren's willingness to share this process and face the tormented legacy of his father's collection is brave, inspiring, and life-altering. It's this overwhelming task of making peace with your family's past in order to give life a new purpose for the sake of your own future that I think we will all relate to."
Selling Superman is now funding on Kickstarter, with plans for release in 2024, with many of the collectibles from the "Fantast Collection" currently being graded by CGC, and some having already been sold through the Heritage Auctions. The film will feature experts on comics and collectibles, alongside Darren's friends and family, in a film that explores the themes of fatherhood, mental illness, and of course, the cultural and economic impacts of the comic books in his father's collection throughout history.