‘Shopping for Superman’ Doc Trailer About Comic Book Shops Closing

‘Shopping for Superman’ Doc Trailer About Comic Book Shops Closing

by Alex Billington
April 1, 2025
Source: YouTube

“This is all I’ve got.” An official trailer is available for a documentary film titled Shopping for Superman, created by filmmaker Wes Eastin. It’s premiering soon – on Free Comic Book Day at a film fest in Columbus, Ohio. An in-depth look at the history of comic book shops and how they and the people that run them continue to make a difference. Through interviews with the shop owners themselves, the doc film explores the cultural significance and ever evolving relevance of your amiable neighborhood comic shop. After a 75% industry contraction, floundering sales, superhero fatigue, and online competition, can our heroes survive? Through the evolution of comics, bolstered by the shop owners, local communities gained access to secure spaces for individuals having a crisis of identity, a place that promoted literacy & critical thinking in areas where those things are sparse. Audiences will see, first-hand, just how necessary their support is in keeping these shops open & available for future generations. This sounds like a troubling look at the state of comics shops today and how they need us (to keep buying) to keep them around. Save them! Comics shops are legit.

Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Wes Eastin’s doc Shopping for Superman, direct from YouTube:

The documentary feature Shopping for Superman, guides viewers through a 50-year journey revealing the origin story of their amiable neighborhood comic shops and the people fighting to keep their doors open. Since it began, the retail comics industry has contracted by over 75% with more shops closing every month. After five years of diminished sales, a global pandemic, and the digitization of retail shopping dominating the markets, Shopping for Superman asks the question: “Can our local comic shops be saved?” Be inspired by this film. Shopping for Superman is directed by American filmmaker Wes Eastin, making his first feature after after many other low films, and episodes of “Equals Three” and “Top 6” previously. Produced by Danielle Benedict, Eva Casey, Jake Casey, Molly Coffee, Jessica Imoto Harney. The project was funded with a Kickstarter last year. The film will premiere on Free Comic Book Day at the Cinema Columbus Film Festival in May coming up next month. For more info or to pre-order a BR, visit the film’s official site.

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