In a deeply personal and passionate narrative, SELLING SUPERMAN, the highly anticipated four-part documentary series, is available now for purchase on major VOD platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play, in both English and Spanish. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Adam Schomer, the series takes audiences into a world where family secrets, comic book obsessions, and the journey to redemption collide as it captures a monumental moment in comic history, offering viewers a look at one of the most significant comic sales ever attempted.
The series traces Darren Watts’ emotional journey after discovering his father’s lifelong secret—an obsession that left behind a legacy of over 300,000 comic books, including one of the rarest treasures in the comic world: a Superman #1 comic graded 7.0, valued at over $3.5 million. This compulsive collection by Darren’s father, who lived with Asperger’s (ASD), filled every corner of their home, straining family bonds and leaving profound emotional marks. After his father’s passing, Darren is now faced with the bittersweet challenge of managing this incredible collection while confronting the pain and memories it holds.
Joined by his friend, Brian Kruger, a fellow comic book enthusiast, Darren’s story unfolds. It is both poignant and inspiring when he decides to part with his father’s collection. “SELLING SUPERMAN is more than a tale of rare comics and family secrets,” said Schomer. “It’s about what we inherit from our families and the power to shape those legacies for ourselves. Darren’s journey is one of personal heroism, as much as any story of caped heroes.”
SPLASH Magazines talks to director Schomer to learn more about his inspiration, process and how he dealt with Darren and the journey of navigating the sale of these priceless comics.
SPLASH: Tell us how did you first came to connect with Darren Watts?
SCHOMER: Darren and I played soccer together in high school. I knew his father, I knew him, and had no idea that in the background, his father was collecting comics or had this collection, nor that he had Asperger’s. And then cut to 30 years later, and we were in touch about some tech related businesses. Then about soon after that, he called me one day and said, you know, there’s this 40 year family secret… Do you think this is something worth exploring and filming? So, I flew out to Detroit, where I’m from our hometown, on a Thanksgiving weekend, and we wanted to film in Darren’s old house before it was sold. So, myself, alone with just me and my camera filmed Darren and his brother and his mom in the old house that became the real impetus and driving force behind episode one..
SPLASH: That leads into question two: what was the aha moment that said you had to do this documentary?
SCHOMER: When Darren first divulged the secret to me, then I started to wonder how comic books had
such a value, why people would pay such a price for comic books? Who were the people buying
$3 million comic books? So that was the first aha that made me think this is a great story to be
able to explore value, and specifically the value we put on things, and deeper so the value we
put on ourselves. But really, the biggest Aha is when I did that first filming in November of 2021
with Darren and his mom and his brother. It was then that I realized how expressive they were,
how deep of a story was starting to unravel, and just the beginning of complex family portrait
that might be incredibly interesting to look into. But really, you know, knowing and seeing how
emotionally available Darren was on camera, how honest and authentic they were walking around through the house and willing to talk about what had happened, that’s when I realized,
wow, this is amazing access to quite a deep story. And I really love the inner world, and I
saw a lot of opportunity to look at the inner journey we go through, especially when it comes to
conditioning and in many ways, family trauma and overcoming that.
SPLASH: Why did you feel Darren’s father, who lived with Asperger’s, gravitated to this superhero, Superman?
SCHOMER: I don’t know exactly why Darren’s father gravitated to Superman, I can kind of assume that it’s because Superman is the most powerful superhero. In my opinion, it’s somewhat indisputable. I know Darren’s father loved to talk to his college friends and debate which hero would win a fight and why, and what powers of the “cube” or Superman were better than other powers. So, I think for that reason, plus you know Superman is the first real superhero. So first super hero and Superman is the all-powerful.
And I know for Darren, I can’t say for his father, but I know Darren gravitates towards Superman
because of the moral side. He loves that Superman is really always looking to do the right thing
and to serve humanity. And Superman is also greatly conflicted when it comes to living a
regular life and having love and a wife and kids and also wanting to serve the world, and that
dichotomy, that struggle with the ideas of when do you choose your family and when do you
choose to serve the world? I know Darren really, really resonates with the morality and internal
world of Superman, so maybe his father did too.
SPLASH: Did making this documentary change you?
SCHOMER: Yeah, absolutely every documentary is like a pilgrimage, meaning any journey or challenge that when approached correctly with an attitude to learn and grow from it… then yes it will always change us. And in this case, I was put to some great tests of in terms of leadership. And so for me it was important to remember that what we were doing was not only going to make for a good movie that would be entertaining, but also a movie that would help people, that would help them look at what they give meaning to and maybe change how they relate to their own families.
So, I had to remember that, because even though Darren struggled a lot with the making of the
film, I knew deep down that any pilgrimage, any journey like this that goes into the unboxing of
old wounds, is going to be challenging but worth it. I myself have been on many pilgrimages on
motorcycles in India with masters and teachers and facing death quite often. So I’ve been there
myself, and in this case, I had enough experience to realize, even though challenging, I felt that
this would be good for Darren. In the end, it brought things up, probably quicker than he was
used to it, brought things up in a public way while he was going through that, which is very
difficult and very courageous of him. And so I learned very much how to lead a pilgrimage. So
this changed me in that way, in terms of another level of leadership.
This also changed me in terms of my empathy. It changed my ability to really relate to those
going through stress and anxiety, it changed me in terms of even more clearly seeing how our
family conditioning can create the stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves and the way
we see life. It very much clarified and opened my eyes to how huge of an impact our society
and our family has on the glasses with which we see the world.
SPLASH: What would you like audience members to take away from the film?
SCHOMER: I would love them to, you know, of course, number one, be engaged and entertained. But that’s never the reason I make a film. I make a film because I have something to say and I’m have something I want the audience to look at within themselves. I kind of want to put a mirror up to them. And so, I’d like audience members to be inspired to look within to question the stories they have of themselves, to question the value they hold on themselves, and to question a lot of the beliefs they inherit from society and their parents. And I’m not saying those things are wrong, but to I’d like people to look at those things and look at what they value and reassess, yeah, to assess what’s really important. I want people to realize that it does matter when we take time to tell someone we love them, to give them attention. It matters when we stop to hear them, understand them, and to know that that form of love is important. So, if we can pause and give that to someone at a time we normally wouldn’t, then we start to realize, you know, that we value people, we value relationships. We value love, perhaps more than the everyday achievements.
About Adam Schomer
Adam Schomer is an award-winning documentary filmmaker known for exploring deeply emotional, spiritual, and transformational themes in his work. His storytelling often sheds light on hidden stories that challenge our perceptions of life while taking us on adventurous personal journeys. He is well known for producing the #1 iTunes Best-Seller and Netflix hit documentary, HEAL (2017), producing WOMEN OF THE WHITE BUFFALO (2022), directing the award-winning documentary THE HIGHEST PASS (2012), the docu-series THE ROAD TO DHARMA (2020), THE POLYGON (2014), ONE LITTLE PILL (2015), and the soon to release FINDING PEACE (2025)
About i2i Productions
i2i Productions is known for going to extreme lengths to follow stories that empower us. Feature documentaries include the award winning THE HIGHEST PASS (2012), THE POLYGON (2014), ONE LITTLE PILL (2015), WOMEN OF THE WHITE BUFFALO (2022). In addition to the #1 iTunes Best-Seller and NETFLIX hit, HEAL (2017), i2i Productions produced the stunning DocuSeries, THE ROAD TO DHARMA (2020) and its companion online course for Living a Life of Freedom. Their newest doc series SELLING SUPERMAN (2024) will be followed by the feature documentary adventure to Iceland with famed monk Mattiue Ricard, FINDING PEACE (2025). i2i Production’s mission is to Unite Through Wisdom and Entertainment: www.Livingi2i.com
Link to trailer here: SELLING SUPERMAN Trailer
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