WORKING -- Charles Henderson

-- Story by Mathis Winkler; photo by Sean Hiller

HE IS

Selling you Spiderman.

SUPERHEROES ARE BEST

Charles Henderson was 3 years old when he saw his first Looney Tunes

cartoon with Bugs Bunny. Just two years later, he started collecting

comic books.

Today, the 24-year-old is a big fan of quiet guys like the Incredible

Hulk -- guys who go out and save the world.

“They are larger than life,” Henderson said. “They right wrongs.

Persons just ordinary like Peter Parker -- he can be Spiderman and

everyone respects him.”

Henderson does discriminate between heroes, however. A faithful

follower of Marvel Comics, one of the two largest comic publishers, he’s

less inclined to admire protagonists from rival firms like D.C. Comics.

“I really can’t say that I’m a big fan of Superman,” he said. “I’m not

much of a D.C. guy. I’ve read Marvel all my life.”

FIRST EDITIONS FIRST

Henderson, who works twice a week at Superior Comics in Costa Mesa,

spends most of his time filing back issues in one of dozens of containers

that fill the center of the store.

That’s actually how he got the job in the first place, he said. The

owner was looking for someone to keep comics in order.

“We’re supposed to ask people politely to put [books] back,” he said.

“One man took all Superman [issues] out and put them back completely out

of order. That’s the reason we have filers.”

The filing system’s pretty easy, Henderson added. Earlier issues come

before later ones, with special editions or annual issues at the end of

each section.

One of the store’s biggest sellers is a book titled “Preacher.”

“It’s a story about a guy who looks for God and encounters dark things

on the way,” Henderson said. “It’s been discontinued, though, so that

will change.”

CAN’T GET ENOUGH

Henderson said he’s checked out other stores in the area, but still

prefers the one where he works. Instead of money, the owners pay him with

comic books.

“Five to 10 [books], maybe more,” he said, adding that he usually

chooses the cheaper ones for $1.25 since he can take more of those. “It

depends on how much I’ve earned.”

He also helps to color cartoons drawn by his father. The subject of

his father’s artwork, however, is a secret.

A visit to a convention at the Shrine Auditorium in Anaheim, where

comic buffs meet to exchange and sell their treasures, is something

Henderson wants to do.

And, maybe, just maybe, he’ll open his own store some day.

“My mom said that I have enough comics to open a store,” Henderson

said, adding that he has about 2,000 books stored in boxes at home. “At

some point in the future, I might.”