Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Invincible Comics, Modesto, recovered stolen comics, Stolen comics

The Comic Store Sting to Recover Stolen Comics

Matthew Snyder writes more about the break-in at Invincible Comics of Modesto, California. And how one of the comics was recovered…

When Sean Beck and his wife Roxann landed in Hawaii for Aloha Con, it was more than just a convention visit. It was also a much deserved mini vacation for the both of them. With the shop in the good hands of Sean's parents, the couple were focused on a fun weekend of sun and comics. Sadly their getaway would be crushed by some terrible news back from the mainland.

After the first day of the convention, Sean was contacted by his security service on Saturday morning, 3 am Hawaii time that his shop back in Modesto, California: Invincible Comics, has been broken into. "I felt anger, disappointment, frustrated that my parents had to deal with this while I was thousands of miles away."

Luckily, nothing major was taken. The thief had taken shirts with the store logo printed on them. The thief had also attempted to take some hats, but dropped them all over the floor in the process. I asked why the thief would take items that could be traced to only one store. "It was dark and it was a quick smash & grab. He grabbed something and got out."

Hurt by the news but determined to not let it ruin his time with his wife, Sean and Roxann had a great experience at Aloha Con. Sean got to an Infinity Gauntlet VIP Signing where he and his wife met Joe Rubinstein, Ron Lim, George Perez, & Jim Starlin, and they all signed a Thanos sketch by Mico Suayan. "It was great meeting him. Mico's an incredibly kind and gracious person. And while we'll have the other sketches by Mico for sale soon, the Thanos sketch is special to me. I'm keeping it for myself."

But just as Sean and Roxann's weekend started with some bad news, it ended with even worse. Monday morning, just after midnight Hawaii time, Sean got another call from his security service. His store had been broken into yet again. But this time, in addition to stealing clothes and cap, they had taken over $5,000 of slabbed comics. This time the thief had an accomplice.

"I just felt even more frustrated" said Sean, looking back at that night. "These people don't understand how hard we've worked for this store, or the sacrifice it takes to open a small business. When it happened, there were comments on our Facebook page blaming us for the second burglary. And I take full responsibility for the slabbed comics being left out. I forgot to tell my parents to take them home for the night. I was dealing with a lot at the time."

Sean posted an emotional video in the middle of the night to the Invincible Comics Facebook page, thanking for the love and support from his customers and for his wonderful parents for handling everything back in Modesto. And as a man of faith, he had an important message he wanted to emphasize: "It would be wrong of me to only praise God in the good. I will always praise God, even in the storm."

Security footage caught the two perpetrators, but unfortunately, their faces were covered. "I wouldn't call them professionals, but they are experienced", Sean explained. Indeed, this duo has robbed many other Modesto locations. But with Sean's vigilant customer base and my article on the stolen merchandise being shared by Gail Simone on social media (and thank you, Gail), it was only a matter of time before the stolen merchandise surfaced.

And as it turned out, it only took one day. A customer called up Sean, now back in Modesto, in the afternoon the day after the incident to let him know the stolen books were on LetGo. Sean rushed to his computer and there they were. He immediately called the police, but due to an armed robbery and high speed chase in Modesto, the department told him they couldn't spare anyone at that time. But in an incredible twist, Sean's friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, was in the store at that time. And this friend was a retired police officer, who had a plan.

Sean's friend took it upon himself to set up a sting. He contacted the sellers on LetGo and agreed to a parking lot meet in the next 45 minutes. While his friend headed to the meetup, Sean drove straight to the police station to report what happened and hopefully get some backup. "I didn't want my friend to go into a potentially dangerous situation alone" stated Sean. Unfortunately, the response in person was the same: they couldn't spare anyone.

Sean's friend met the perpetrators at the scheduled time, who arrived in a white Mustang. When the two men in the car handed him Amazing Spider-Man #301 (graded at 9.8), Sean's friend started asking them questions about where they got this comic. Feeling the heat, the perpetrators quickly drove away, but not before Sean's friend recorded the license plate. He now had one of the comics in hand and a video to give to the police.

Sean was grateful to at least get Amazing Spider-Man back, although it will need to be reslabbed. But what he's most grateful for is the outpouring of support from what he affectionally calls his "geek family" since the break-in. "People have all calling all around the country and even from the UK" Sean exclaimed "They told me they're looking out for the stolen books on all the usual sites and asking what books I have for sale online."

I met one of these loyal customers in the store, Robert Mathis Freeman, pictured below picking up his pull list. "My Grandma always told me growing up that the people who run the businesses you visit are your family" he explained to me. "So Sean's my family. When I heard what happened, I immediately came by and asked how I can help."

During my most recent visit, Sean showed off his newest security measures, including a roll down security gate. These new security features were pretty expensive, however, and soon he'll be starting a GoFundMe to hopefully recuperate the cost of the new hardware and his missing comics. And when I asked him if he had any messages to the thieves, he responded in a very frank fashion:

"Turn yourselves in. Start your lives over."

Visiting the store, it was heartwarming to see in person so many customers there for Sean in his time of need, but it wasn't surprising. For many years, Sean provided the care and attention that could only come from a small business owner, and now he's receiving that same care and attention in kind.

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Pictured below are the comics that still missing. If you see these comics for sale online or have information regarding this robbery, contact Invincible Comics in Modesto, California at (209)-409-8027 or contact them on their Facebook page.

And if you're interested, Sean will soon be selling his collectibles from Aloha Con, included signed books from the Infinity Gauntlet team and sketches from Mico Suayan & Siya Oum.

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