EP# 233: The Making of a Comic Empire: John Beardsworth's Personal Triumph

What makes John Beardsworth with Berzerk Comics a good neighbor?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to transform a childhood dream into a flourishing business under the sunny skies of Port St. Lucie? John Beardsworth, the enthusiastic owner of Berzerk Comics, joins us to share his incredible journey from a comic book aficionado to the proprietor of a burgeoning local comic haven.

Step inside the vibrant world of Berzerk Comics, where an array of classic and contemporary comic books, action figures, and pop culture statues await fans of all ages. John enlightens us on the evolution of comics, crushing the stereotype that they're simply child's play, and sheds light on the adult community that cherishes them. His personal tale of overcoming adversity with the help of his beloved superheroes reminds us all of the restorative power found within the pages of a good comic book. Join us for a heartening conversation that celebrates the resilience and joy found in following one's passion and the solace offered by the heroes of our childhood.

To learn more about Berzerk Comics go to:
https://berzerkcomics.com/

Berzerk Comics
(772) 530-3079

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Garfield Bowen.

Speaker 2 0:14

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you looking for comic books? Well, we may have something closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, John Burtworth, with Burtzert Comics. John, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3 0:28

Good Thanks, garfield, appreciate you having me on.

Speaker 2 0:32

Listen, we're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your company.

Speaker 3 0:37

So we're Burtzert Comics. We're located in Port St Lucie. We're a local comic shop.

Speaker 2 0:53

We're located in Port St Lucie. We're a local comic shop. We sell stuff like comic books, pops, statues, action figures, just all ages entertainment.

Speaker 3 0:57

Wow, where in Port St Lucie are you? I don't remember seeing you when. So we're relatively new. We just had our grand opening last Saturday.

Speaker 2 1:08

It went really well. We're in Lexington.

Speaker 3 1:09

Plaza, which is near the.

Speaker 2 1:10

Social Security office in town. How did you get into this business?

Speaker 3 1:14

So about 15 years ago a local comic book shop owner named Keith Mallow basically asked me if I could help him out. And I helped him out for about 15 years and learned about the industry and how to run a shop and you know he taught me a lot. So you know I've been doing it for a while.

Speaker 2 1:39

Why comic books?

Speaker 3 1:41

I've always had a passion for comic books and superheroes and now that the movies are so big and everything, it's a little more mainstream than when I was a kid, but I've always been fascinated with it's an American art form. It's something that's a little different than everything else now my nieces.

Speaker 2 2:00

They're like serious about this stuff here if I mess this up, you got to help me out, because they're going to be listening to this now. Now I know there's Batman, robin, superman, and some of them are Marvel characters. And then there's somebody else there's DC. Yeah, you got to pick a side.

Speaker 3 2:22

You used to have to pick a side. Now I think it's a little more. You can cross the streams a little bit.

Speaker 2 2:30

What are some of the myths and misconceptions of the industry?

Speaker 3 2:34

The comics are just for kids. I mean, I'll be honest with you, the vast majority of my clientele are people that are adults. I wish more kids were into it. I think there's a lot of different types of media now that might draw kids away from uh reading and reading comic books in general. But uh, you know it's, it's for everybody really.

Speaker 2 2:55

So when you're not busy running your business, what? What does John like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 3:01

Uh, well, my business is fun. Um, I read comic books. Uh, I watch movies. Uh, I like to watch sports, I like to play sports. Um, I mean, luckily we live in florida here, so, uh, you know, just going outside and being in the sun is not too bad, sometimes too so yeah, the weather is uh beautiful here.

Speaker 2 3:22

you know, I'm from new, from New York, and it's yeah, I'm from New Jersey.

Speaker 3 3:27

You can't beat the weather.

Speaker 2 3:29

Walking outside. You're on vacation, right? Yes, sir, let's change gears a little bit. Life often does us curveballs. Let's talk about one hardship, one challenge, something that you've been through, and you can look back to that and say you're better and stronger because of it. What comes to mind?

Speaker 3 3:46

uh, back in the late, you know 2000s, uh, you know 2009-ish, I hurt my back and neck and uh, had to get back surgery. Uh, you know, I was walking around like, uh, like the hunchback of notre dame. It was rough and, uh, you know, I got super depressed. I didn't want to leave my house and, uh, you know, luckily, stuff like like pop culture was always there for me. Like you know, I could always watch movies or read, um, and I kind of rediscovered my passion for that when I couldn't get around so good.

Speaker 3 4:20

And then I wound up getting back surgery and, uh, when I got a little bit better from that, uh, you know, I jumped right into life. I, you know, I I wanted to spread that whole, uh, the awareness of, uh, comic books. And, and you know, like I jumped right into life, you know, I wanted to spread that whole the awareness of comic books. And you know, like I said, they've always brought me joy and if I can spread that hobby with other people, you know, that's what I'm going to do it, provided some downtime for you to take a deeper dive in that.

Speaker 2 4:47

It did Interest.

Speaker 3 4:48

Yeah, I was always very active and then, when I hurt myself or when I was hurt, it made me reevaluate everything.

Speaker 2 5:02

I want you to tell our listeners one thing from this interview that they should remember about Berserk Comics.

Speaker 3 5:12

One thing. I'll tell you what we have Berserk Comics. We're a tight team. I think we're all on target of wanting to put a smile on your face. You come into the shop. We want you to find something that you enjoy. We want you to find something that you enjoy. You know like that legitimately wants to make you smile and laugh, and you know we want you to have a good time.

Speaker 2 5:42

That's the one thing that I would want people to know about Berserk Comics. We have our listeners here that want to reconnect with getting back into comics. There's some people that want to explore and see what it's all about, and they have this one word on their lips, and that's how how can they get more information on berserk comics?

Speaker 3 5:58

well, uh, you can go to our web page at berserkcomicscom. Uh, you can always give us a call, uh. 772-530-3079. Uh, we'd love to hear from anybody. If we can get something that you want, you know, always stop by at our store. We'd love to see you. Want to give your address?

Speaker 2 6:17

one more time.

Speaker 3 6:19

Absolutely, it's 6823 South Federal Highway, port St Lucie, florida, 34952. And that's in Lexington Plaza.

Speaker 2 6:29

Well, John, I really appreciate having you on the show. I wish you and your business the very best moving forward. I appreciate it, Garfield.

Speaker 1 6:37

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Port St Lucie. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpportsaintluciecom. That's gnpportsaintlucycom, that's gnpportsaintlucycom, or call 772-362-3840.