Brian and Michael
Brian really does have a point when he is comforting Michael in his shop, Michael would care more about a comic book character than Jason Kemp-because he has known him his whole life, even though he is just a character, he has been an important part of Michael's. It is a sad fact of life, that is it easier to care about someone/something you've known for 20+ years, regardless of its level of realness than it is to care about someone you've never met-even if they are more real than the former.