Invincible Comics in Modesto, California was robbed twice in the same week. The comic shop was first robbed around 5 a.m. local time on February 23rd.
Invincible Comics reported at the time “nothing major was stolen.” In a Facebook post, they indicated the robber stole “an arm full of “INVINCIBLE COMICS” logo shirts & tried to steal our hats that he dropped all over the shop.”
The robber also busted their glass door as you can see in the photos below.
The store would have the door repaired by 11 a.m. on the 23rd. However, just two days later on February 25th the shop would be hit again. In a Facebook post, Invincible Comics reported, “This time the burglar had an accomplice, brought bags stealing more shirts/hats, & hit our glass case taking a small fortune in graded books.”
They implored their followers to “be on the lookout for these items & spread the word in our wonderful geek community to other shop owners that someone might be trying to sell these items to them.”
Fox 40’s Kay Recede revealed security camera footage of the break-in:
Two break-ins, just days apart, happened at Modesto’s “Invincible Comics”, a family owned store on Orangeburg Avenue. The owner tells us the burglars made off with rare, autographed comic books worth thousands of dollars. The evidence one burglar left behind at 5:30. pic.twitter.com/8k45HbqYOr
— Kay Recede FOX40 (@KayRecede) February 25, 2019
They posted pictures of the damage done to the store’s door as well as the glass case.
They also included photos of a number of comics that were stolen:
A 9.8 CGC graded Amazing Spider-Man #301
A 9.8 CBCS graded Spider-Gwen #1 Adam Hughes retailer incentive cover signed by Adam Hughes, Jason LaTour, and Robbi Rodriguez
A 9.0 CBCS graded Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 signed by Neal Adams
A 9.8 CBCS graded Amazing Spider-Man sketch variant signed by Humberto Ramos, Nick Spencer, and Ryan Ottley
A 9.8 CGC graded Amazing Spider-Man #362 signed by Mark Bagley
A 9.6 CBCS graded Batman #608 signed by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair
A 9.8 CBCS Graded Despicable Deadpool #287 signed by Stuart Sayger
Following the second break in, owner Sean Beck posted an emotional video to Facebook, where he indicates he was in Hawaii when the shop was robbed. In the video, Beck said, “If people look at our past posts, all of our posts, we always had hashtags to them. We put #InvincibleComics. And we always put #GodIsGood and #PHIL413, which stands for Philippians 4:13. We always honor God in all that we do. And we always will. As a man of faith it would be wrong of me to only praise God in the good. I always praise God even in the storm.”
Invincible Comics reported they recovered Amazing Spider-Man #301 and indicated they had provided a license plate to Modesto PD of the potential perpetrators. They indicate “this book as well as the Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen # 134 were listed on Ebay, Letgo, & Offer Up. They instructed their followers to call Modesto Crime Stopper at 521-4636 or 866(60)-CRIME if they have “any information regarding the burglary &/or the whereabouts of the stolen merch.” They also included the police report #MP19-005564.
Sean Beck, Invincible Comics’ owner, spoke to Fox 40 about the recovery of the $1400 Amazing Spider-Man comic, “I know it’s just a book but it’s so much more than that, it’s a violation.” He indicated that he’s received help from people all over the world to track down the stolen comics saying, “Really, really sweet seeing our geek community gathered together.”
Beck also revealed how they recovered the Amazing Spider-Man #301. He indicates that one of his friends, a retired police officer, actually met with the sellers of the book. He described the event, “They got a little nervous, he confronted them about this being a stolen book and they took off.” Fox40 indicates the sellers fled in a white Mustang and left the Amazing Spider-Man #301 behind while they fled the scene.
Good news! The owner of a Modesto comic book store contacted FOX40 Tuesday and said he got the most expensive comic back. As we’ve reported, Invincible Comics was burglarized 2x over the weekend. Today, Sean Beck shares how the $1,400 comic made its way back to him. Story at 5:30 pic.twitter.com/3dnhY1yjBN
— Kay Recede FOX40 (@KayRecede) February 27, 2019
Beck will also be adding more security features to his shop to ensure the store’s safety as well as that of his customers. Beck also notes that he’s willing to forgive the burglars saying, “Start clean, start a new slate. I’d be more than happy to meet with them and pray with them.”