Name: Brett Parker
Occupation: Co-owner of Double Midnight Comics
What is the most expensive comic you have ever sold?
It was Giant-Size X-men #1 and we’ve sold two copies of it, one in better shape than the other, and I think it was about a grand. And in the grand scheme of things that’s not actually even pricey for a comic.
What would be the most epic fight between superheroes, who would win and why?
That is definitely an age old question. We get a lot of people actually calling the store, getting into fights at work, saying ‘oh my friends says the Hulk will beat Superman.’ Throughout the history, the modern history, of comics a lot of famous heroes have clashed. It’s usually in some kind of misunderstanding, then they settle their differences and then team up to take on the real threat. One of the most speculated is who would win, Hulk or Superman? And I am a Hulk guy, but I would actually have to give it to Superman just because he’d have his wits about him at all times and the angrier Hulk gets he would just sort of have blind rage and there would be a lot of times where the Hulk wouldn’t even get a chance to touch Superman. A no-holds-barred-fight with them would be insane, but I would have to give it to Superman.
Favorite superhero and why?
Mine hands down is Wolverine. I know that’s a little bit of a hacky cliche answer because everyone loves Wolverine, but I first learned about Wolverine in the third grade during an indoor recess. A buddy of mine named Damian decided to take the entire indoor recess and catch me up to speed on what was going on with X-Men comics. I had never read them but I just sat there and listened to him and he told me in detail about this character Wolverine and I heard up to “he’s got claws that pop out and pop back in,” and I was like, “Okay I’m completely sold on that.” My mom picked me up that day and I said, “Hey, can we go to this comic store that I just found out existed,” and here I am.
Top three comic books for you all-time?
That’s kind of ever changing. I’m again going to go a cliche route and put my No. 1 comic right now as Walking Dead. It is the basis of the most popular show on TV right now, but I was a fan of it long before. I’ve been reading the comic since issue one. Currently what I’m reading right now, probably Walking Dead, Wolverine and the X-Men and a lesser known comic called Deathmatch. Those are my three top titles right now.
If you could be one character for an entire day who would you be and what would you do?
I’d be Archangel. That’s the more bad-ass version of Angel. And yeah I’d fly around like a mad man.
Best superpower ever created?
The invisible guy from Mystery Men. He could turn invisible only if you weren’t looking at him. That to me is the quirkiest and most hilarious. I still to this day chuckle at that. But on a more serious note, I’m going to say Wolverine’s healing factor. He can heal from any wound and keep coming at you.
If you did not sell comics, what would you do?
I would probably be in some type of customer service field. I’m a people person. I actually like dealing with people and a lot of people don’t… It’s kind of my forte. I’m a people person.
If you were going to invent a comic, what would it entail?
It would definitely be a completely self-created world so you could have that anything goes factor. You take something like Game of Thrones or even like Lord of the Rings, anything goes, Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, an epic fantasy like that. That would definitely be the route I would go because you can develop your own history. Stuff in our world has been done so much and I guess stuff in other worlds has been done to death too, but this is one of those things where it’s your world. Something where sky is the limit.
What is the most money you would spend or have spent on a comic for your own personal collection?
I’ve definitely spent a couple hundred bucks on my X-Men collection, some of the older issues. Not even blinking ’cause it’s history.
Best sidekick?
Hands down Robin. Robin defines sidekick, Dick Grayson Robin.
Most overrated comic book hero?
Wow, you put me in the cross hairs here. That’s really hard because in owning this place I read everything. So I used to be like ‘I don’t really get Superman,’ but I’ve actually been enjoying Superman. But I could suppose that Superman could be considered overrated.
Have you ever said out loud pow or bam when you hit something?
No, but I’m going to start.
How did you really get interested in comics? Was it really that one day at recess?
It was literally that one day in third grade. That is my origin story. Every superhero needs an origin story so that is mine. Indoor recess, Damian Hill, Green Acres School, that was it. Life changing experience. Thank God for rain that day.
What made you want to take it from a level of interest to wanting to own a store?
Everybody wants to do something that they’re passionate about. Everyone wants to kind of parlay that into a career. So back in my heavy collecting days we would make the rounds to go to other stores and we’d say ‘I like how they do that here and I’d never do that if I were to ever open a store,’ and you sort of just gather these crazy notions that I could probably open a store and it would be a good idea. It just sort of formulated and our store in Manchester, it’s 11 years old now. Eleven years ago we felt there was a need for a store where we could be ourselves and the rest is history.
Guilty pleasure?
I’m a huge video gamer. I need to keep it in check. Video games are a huge guilty pleasure of mine, Nintendo specific, old school.
Hidden talent?
I’m a really solid button pusher. I can get under people’s skin real quick.
