Mentally disabled man robbed of his epic Superman collection

Via Newsarama and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the story of 48-year-old Mike Meyer, a mentally disabled man who was robbed "of about 1,800 of his favorite Superman comic books, some dating to the 1950s," and cherished collector’s items including lunch boxes, an old-time radio, a Monopoly game and television set.

All of these sentimental treasures had one thing in common: they were Superman-themed. Mike purchased his first Superman comic book for about 20 cents in 1974, and has since collected nearly every single issue to the present—along with many other items devoted to his favorite comic-book hero.

If there is a Superman, I hope he reads Boing Boing and will come help Mike get his collection back. Snip:

Meyer said mostly only his friends and family knew of his collection, but he also made the mistake once of telling someone less trustworthy: a guy named Gary whom he worked with at the Hardee’s on Madison Avenue in 1991. Meyer said he ran into Gary recently while at Kyle’s Baseball Cards and Comics in Granite City. Gary asked Meyer whether he still collected Superman items and asked to see the collection. Meyer first gave an excuse, but then Gary called him later saying he was in the neighborhood and hoped to stop by.
“He just kept talking like a salesman,” Meyer said. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Meyer said he let Gary into the house that day and gave him a quick tour. Gary asked to see “my most precious comics,” Meyer said.
The next night, Gary was back again, asking whether Meyer would let Gary’s girlfriend watch some of his Superman movies. Meyer said while he and the girlfriend watched, Gary disappeared for a while. Meyer noticed the theft two days later, on the morning of Aug. 24, and called police. All he knows is that Gary has dark hair, a goatee, is about 35 and drives a silver or gray car.

Describing Superman to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mike said, “He uses his powers not to benefit himself, but to help others, and “He’s the champion of the oppressed.”

Photo: Emily Rasinski of post-dispatch.com.

(thanks, Patrick Hassell)

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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http://www.facebook.com/Theismisacrime Stephen Bullock

Some humans are pure scum. I hope this man gets his collection back. I know if someone acted like my friend just to steal my collection of Magic: The Gathering I would be hurt and furious.
Jonny Burnham

we should start a donation thingy!
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RHG2QORT54PKZY4LHHVHBOZBZY Abe Lincoln
  
  Give this man a cigar. My thoughts exactly. While I don’t have anything close to the collection this fellow had I have a few old SM comics collecting dust that I would be more than happy to donate. Anyone have a line on an address?
  
  Update: http://getsatisfaction.com/superman (although it looks as though others beat me to it)
http://twitter.com/alexissantos Alexis Santos

We now know that the devil “has dark hair, a goatee, is about 35 and drives a silver or gray car.”

The dude who stole from Mike has no heart.
http://www.thatdrew.com drew olanoff

Lets get him his stuff back. I will donate! I will help!
- http://twitter.com/archivallady Bags Unlimited
  
  me too! lots of people on FB have said the same thing,
http://twitter.com/_BluShine Mark

Hm… perhaps we could get Mike a police sketch artist?
Snig

I hope some citizen with a bat finds Gary before Superman does.
- http://twitter.com/alexissantos Alexis Santos
  
  @Snig BATman? Eh? Eh?? No . . . that was lame.
- http://twitter.com/SingnWhlchrDude Vin Reilly
  
  “Hello Gary. I am Bat Man,” he said.
- corn_troll_io
  
  >I hope some citizen with a bat finds Gary before Superman does.
  
  Or Batman.
- jrobie
  
  You mean some sort of bat-man?
http://www.thatdrew.com drew olanoff

Lets do this.

http://www.getsatisfaction.com/superman
ROSSINDETROIT

If it’s true as the story says that Mike and Gary were concurrently employed by Hardees 20 years ago it shouldn’t be hard to identify the guy.
- fnarf
  
  Employee records are unlikely to go back that far, especially if it was a franchise operation. There’s currently no Hardee’s on Madison Avenue in Granite City, though there is one in the town. Did it move, or close? Someone in the county courthouse might have records of who the business licensee was, but that person could be dead or living in Australia.
  
  I think tracking the stolen goods is going to be a better bet, alas. Hopefully Gary is a shithead and will take them down to the nearest comic and collectible store ASAP.
  - Bevatron Repairman
    
    @FNARF – The company may not know who worked there, but I guarantee the IRS does. Finding out who Gary is won’t be that hard, although finding him might.
    - fnarf
      
      Um, it’s against the law for the IRS to release or even look for that information, unless they’re doing their own investigation into tax fraud.
      - Sean Nelson
        
        True that. If the IRS starts bending the rules here, they risk losing their income from all criminals and dissidents.
  - EvilSpirit
    
    Another approach for tracing employees at a given Hardees 20 years ago might be yearbooks from the local high schools. Far from certain, but not a bad bet.
http://twitter.com/ethicalcannibal Ethical Cannibal

There’s got to be some community thing we can all do to help?
- http://www.thatdrew.com drew olanoff
  
  http://www.getsatisfaction.com/superman – come help us!
franko

i hope local comic book store owners are on the lookout, and help him find his comics. also, check pawn shops, ebay, and craigslist!
Vanessa Garcia

what is going on in that wallpaper?
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=575770327 Kathryn Charging
  
  It looks like the world in different angled positions… I like it.
RJ

Maybe the cool kids of Anonymous would be willing to help a bit. There are anons everywhere, after all. Even in Granite City. Surely someone among them could throw Mike a bone. At least find Gary’s full name. If someone can find Gary’s full name, then word can be passed on to Mike or to the cops in Mike’s area.
- Lobster
  
  They might, and they have it in their power. On the other hand, people claiming to be from Anonymous have also picked on people like Mike before. Really depends on who you get.
knoxblox

Yup, (Christ…) Gary’s an asshole. I sure hope the comics dealers who see Gary aren’t assholes, too.
ROSSINDETROIT

Do it the easy way. Mike’s employment records lead to the dates he worked at Hardees. A police complaint and warrant turn up the names of teenagers named Gary who worked with him.
Then the shark tank.
- http://borborygmist.influxofdust.com/ Wayne Dyer
  
  Don’t even need cameras, story reports that Gary worked at the Hardees as well. If they’ve got the records going back that far (doubtful) then they may have an ID.
  
  Edit: Oops, this post was the one that mentioned it, was going to reply to an anonymous post below. It was a long day.
Hosidax

The comic collectable community is very tight and (mostly) honorable. I would bet once Mike gets the word out to his friends and fellow collectors – especially the ones he buys from - “Gary” will be found pretty quickly. At that point Gary might wish the police had found him first. There is nothing more dangerous than an angry comic book geek…
- Guest
  
  Yep. Mess with my comix, and PAY THE PRICE. Which is exorbitant.
That_Anonymous_Coward

Gary was in the house, given what he did here one has to image his fingerprints are already in the system. It can not be that hard to actually find this bastard.
Gary is in the area and so is his girlfriend, someone has to know who the hell they are and they should come forward.

Has anyone started watching the CL postings in this area for Superman stuff?
- Lobster
  
  I think you watch too much CSI. It’s not that simple.
http://www.internetsuccess4you.com/ Sally K Witt

I feel so sad for this sweet man. How awful that we can’t protect everyone from bullies and thieves. I don’t have anything with Superman on it, or I would find a way to get it to him. I will pray that the people that do have collections will share with him.
Leonhart von Stahlmann

That is the worst thing one can do….the fucking worst…
- humanresource
  
  … thief ever?
http://watercooler.iridesco.com/ EvilPRGuy

This makes me sad and sick. I’m thinking if enough people get the word out, there is nowhere that this guy can hide. My brother in law manages a comic shop in STL, I just passed this along to him and asked him to get the word out. Clearly this poor excuse for a human isn’t a collector. He’s going to try and sell these items, and if the word is out there, he is going to get nailed. If there is any justice in the world Mr. Meyer will have his items returned, and “Gary” will end up with some comics style justice. I’m hoping The Punisher finds “Gary” before Superman though…
- zombiebob
  
  Wow, if it disgusts a guy with the handle EVILPRGUY, you KNOW it was a dastardly deed!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=121505862 Iain Mauricio Blanco

a cowardly and superstitious lot.
Scooter Jackson

Seems like if there was ever a time for Superman to take a lesson out of Batman’s book, and curbstomp a douchenozzle, this is that time….
http://www.sriplaw.com/ Joel Rothman

Robbed? No. Burgled? Yes.

And this Gary must be stopped. It should be easy to catch him. Alert the local comic stores and pawn shops. Check ebay for auctions.

Gary will regret the day he messed with boingboing the rest of his life….
Shawn RIchardson

I’m going to watch the puppy again after reading this.
milkman

More than hoping Gary gets caught, I wish I wasn’t surprised by this story. It just seems to be the norm any more. I really hope he gets his comics back – that’s just fucked up…mentally challenged or not.
- zombiebob
  
  I think it’s worse because he is mentally challenged. Because he is an easier target, and according to Mike’s cousin who posted on the article, Mike is a nice guy who’s only fault is being too trusting (obviously). This isn’t the Savannah, and Mike isn’t a limping gazelle who slows down the herd. Gary however is clearly a hyena.
http://www.facebook.com/jamiesueaustin Jamie Sue

Man… You just don’t fuck with someone’s geekstash. That is so uncool. It shouldn’t take police more than a few phone calls to figure out where the first (most likely, most valuable) comics were offloaded since I’m sure that some of Mike’s items were probably very rare. After that finding such an epic shithead like Gary shouldn’t be that tough. In the meantime if we could somehow get a list of lost items we could check our own stashes for matches to donate to Mike.
- Mark Dow
  
  From the article, it sounds like a Captain Action figurine with Superman
  costume (circa 1966) would be a good start.
Aaron Justice

Ah.. this is a true bummer. So we keep an eye out for old superman items and lots coming from his area on ebay? He needs to get the word out to local comic shops too.
SomeGuyNamedMark

That collection should buy a lot of meth I guess

Watch Ebay and Craigslist
Offlogic

Both thumbs, his gonads and return of the stolen goods should even things up.
Brainspore

Superman may be a dick, but he’s got nothing on Gary.
http://twitter.com/TurtleFarmer Sarah Asher

I wonder if Gary’s considered how Superman would have reacted?
That_Anonymous_Coward

Someone should contact Kyle’s Baseball
Cards and Comics in Granite City where he ran into Gary, and see if they have cameras.
http://profiles.google.com/anne.speck anne speck

We can also contact people who sell superman collectables on eBay, etc. and let them know about Gary.
Spriggan_Prime

Dear Gary,
may you spend eternity sucking molten lead through an iron straw.
- Guest
  
  I’m stealing this curse from you, and using it often.
  - Spriggan_Prime
    
    Actually it’s from Dave Sim
    
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Sim
zombiebob

If there is any sort of punishment for evil deeds after we die, the guy who did this is going to suffer tremendously. Clearly a sociopath. I don’t hate all criminals, some have a certain honor, but those who take advantage of easy targets… old frail people, disabled folks… they are nothing more than savage animals that need to put down. And to the soon to be poster who is going to say that that statement is unfair to the animal kingdom: sit and spin. You know what I mean.
- http://twitter.com/SingnWhlchrDude Vin Reilly
  
  Worse than savage — they are rabid
http://twitter.com/alogicalfallacy Jim Thatcher

So, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have some old superman stuff lying around.
Why don’t we send it to Mike?

I’m not one for vengeance and all that, but this is a guy who was profoundly betrayed. Let’s show him the world doesn’t entirely suck.
JhmL

Geld the Goatee.
dronboddly

Same thing happened to me.
Halloween Jack

A couple of things need to be addressed here:

1) With all respect to drew olanoff, focusing on raising money to replace his collection probably isn’t the best idea in the world right now. Who would be the first person to offer to sell those items, probably at a steep discount?

2) Speaking of which, “watching eBay and Craigslist” isn’t the most practical suggestion in the world; right now, eBay has 105,172 Superman-related items for sale.

3) Probably tapping into the hive mind near where Mike lives is the best bet. It would also be a good idea if some of the local comics fans could work together to make sure that Mike keeps his collection (if he gets it back) or what’s left of it (if not) safe in the future; he seems like an easy mark for scammers and burglars right now, and it’s not going to get easier in the future.
- Snig
  
  You can sort Ebay by zipcode, makes sense to look at the few hundred collectibles sold within a hundred or so miles of St. Louis.
cdh1971

Bet Gary rides a fixie.

Kidding. Kinda.

Seriously…even if the dealer knows about, or suspects these are stolen, there’s no guarantee the dealer will be reputable. There might be honor among nerds – but I have noticed that this sometimes takes a backseat when money or pu…er…love is involved.

Owning a comic store doesn’t make one a saint…and unlike pawnshops, comic dealers don’t have to keep records for the police. Actually – let’s hope Gary does take the hoard to a pawnshop. This way he’ll have to show ID and if asking for ID scares him away, there’s a good chance the pawnbroker will take his license plate number.
- Guest
  
  Whoa, you almost said something horribly sexist and crass! That was close… /s
pocketpan

This is a job for Jerry Seinfeld!
pushmonk

Does Kyle’s Baseball Cards and Comics in Granite City have a security camera? If so, wouldn’t that be the best place to start looking for the Gary guy?
Stephen M

lots of scum around these days http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-13861150
http://profiles.google.com/mlashcorp José Côrte-Real

Unleash the hounds of hell (4chan)
- Guest
  
  If there is any justice Gary will wake up in some British lady’s trash bin
Andrew Singleton

Any updates guys? I’ve got nothing beyond what’s already been mentioned.

Serious un-coolness going on by Gary.

Any word back from the Hive Mind on this one?

Edit: I have family that has mental disabilities. Depending on Mike’s history and functionality this could be anything as relatively light as losing an insanely rare and expensive collection, to having his whole world (or at least the security blanket he could always fall back on) has been taken away from him.

With people like this it might not matter that it’s a mondo-rare issue. It might just be that it’s Superman, or it could have associations with relatives or teachers and that could be what’s important.

This man was robbed of his world. I hope Gary has not one thing physically done to him.

I want him mentally broken. Forever.
http://www.facebook.com/phoelscher1 Patrick Hoelscher

thats terrible, hope they ll find him quick =(
http://www.facebook.com/thewilliamg William George

This is like befriending a toddler so you can punch it in the face later. Fuck, Gary.
jantina

Instead of railing against Gary, could we not do something nice for Mike? Something cheezy-sweet-simple to counter this experience. Ideas anyone? What if we each contributed one special superman-related image we make ourselves – anything, yourself acting out a superman scene or a sugarcube resembling whatever, and then print it, send it for some mental support.Would there be enough animo to pull it off?
bobbywong

Frankly, the story of this theft is either inaccurate or extremely dubious. According to the articles linked, this guy stole 1,800 comics, 100 figurines, plus “lunch boxes, an old-time radio, a Monopoly game and television set.” To steal that amount of stuff, you would have to back a pickup or van up to the door and make over 20 trips back and forth carrying out your loot. The victim lives in a two bedroom house. You would almost certainly have to walk right past him over and over again while stealing his stuff. Yet somehow Mike didn’t notice that anything was missing for two days? Whether he’s mentally disabled or not, I’m not buying his story at all.
- hassan-i-sabbah
  
  bobby wrong :(
- Guest
  
  All I know is that guys like Mike exist, and guys like Gary exist. Of course I doubt the story, this is the internet.
  
  But bobbywong, your ability to concoct details of a situation you know nothing about, details that discredit the victim, rather than waiting for or responsibly seeking better information… that ability makes you a powerful ally to the Gary’s of the world. Even if you don’t mean to help them out.
  
  Not that all the internet tough guy-ism helps Mike, but it doesn’t hurt.
- CSBD
  
  Gary Probably made several trips while Mike was watching the movie with Garys Accomplice
- Guest
  
  That is some epic victim-blaming right there. Shit.
- Genre Slur
  
  Hello, wise guy. Please provide evidence for the requirement of the aforementioned vehicles, as well as empirical support justifying the claim of “over 20 trips.” Almost certainly? Please provide empirical justification, with regards to the claimed victim in question. Lightweight. Go play with some mechano-reductionist biologists. ;)
  - retepslluerb
    
    Well, I’m a a reasonably strong male who collects comics. A short box will hold about 150 comics - less if they are bagged and boarded. It is possible to carry two at a time, but it’s a bit of a hassle. Things like the tv set and the radio will almost certainly be one trip each, the rest depends if there are boxed around. I don’t think that 20 trips are far off the track.
    - Genre Slur
      
      Thanks, P!
- Leonhart von Stahlmann
  
  1 reg. box = 100 issuses.
  1 walk = 2 to 3 boxes = 9 walks.
  figurines don’t weigh a lot, so even more boxes a walk.
  
  Lets assume its a total of 16walks and he has help from one guy this takes 15 – 20 min max. and that fits in any regular car. If the girl sits with the Meyer, he won’t notice 15 – 20min. of a guy handling out boxes out of a window. Especially if he’s mentally ill. People with a mental illnes can be very naive, and have a different wy to percieve things. If you had never contact to people like that, it may sound fishy, but it isn’t.
Andrew Singleton

@boingboing-9ee29303f3c07960aa0560a4a518962a:disqus Can’t speak for Mike’s condition, but having been around people with varying mental functionality pretty much my whole life. Yes. It’s real easy to keep even something like a team of movers from being noticed if you key in on the One Thing that mike likes by… oh… having a ladyfriend show interest in his hobby by being willing to sit through superman cartoons with him.
Which is an even worse gut-punch because it takes his joy at being able to share his interests and uses it to pull the rug out from under him.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000539953518 Han van der Heide

I’m with madhatter. I know people like Mike. Know a couple of Garys too :( You have to really be prepared in advance to not give in to the Garys of the world or they’ll steamroller right over you.
professor

Reading all the wishes of violence, pain, mutilation and eternal hells for Gary…. it really warms my heart!
Mister44

There is a special spot in hell reserved for that asshole.
mccrum

“Gary, I’m Superman. Look, I don’t typically cockpunch people because that’s more of a Batman thing but I think I’ll make an exception here.”
ultranaut

I hope boingboing posts a heartwarming follow up on this story very soon
RobDobbs

Let’s get the 4chan league of America on the case!
Ari B.

Has anybody been in touch with DC Comics?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1125999602 Nathan Cross

Hmmmm.. dark hair and a goatee eh? I don’t think there is need to look any further. There are sketches a-plenty out on the Google…

http://www.wildsound-filmmaking-feedback-events.com/images/superman_zod.jpg

Kneel before “Gary”!

In all seriousness, I’m very sorry this happened. This Gary dude is obviously total scum, and I hope they catch him.
KimberlyClarke

Mike has the best wallpaper I’ve ever seen. It looks like it’s showing the stages of Pangea breaking up. How cool is that? Hope Superman does similar to Gary when he finds him.
- penguinchris
  
  +1 on the wallpaper, I would really like to know where that came from – I’m a geologist :)
  
  Also, +1 on ultranaut’s comment hoping for a heartwarming followup. By “heartwarming”, I think this would be appropriate: http://youtu.be/owZPspxJ4jw?t=58s (with Gary’s heart).
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1125999602 Nathan Cross

“Kneel before Gary? Not bloody likely.”
Genre Slur

Well they did qualify it — in my world, a ‘good’ beating involves down pillows, and forced inhalation of shortbread. Much more palatable than a ‘bad’ beating.
Ethan

There’s a facebook page that someone has put together for putting together a collection for Mike http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=244103278966028

I also noticed that the reporter who wrote the original article has her email address at the top of it–so I supposed a motivated someone could contact her about doing something for Mike.
PlutoniumX

I sent this link to @JimLee:twitter and @DCComics:twitter last night, but I am just a comic fan, and I am sure they get a ton of mentions everyday.
Leonhart von Stahlmann

Is it really impossible to get this story to the TV and to get something going, so he gets his stuff in any pssible way back? I’m mean I’m in Germany. I’m just thinking to contact any American or anybody who knows americans so they could spread the word. I don’t know, but this story was one of the most sad stoies I have heard this year. Yeah I know: disatsers, wars and politics. But that is everyday catastrophy. But stealing comic books, things that matter to the heart, even for some of us, who aren’t mentally ill, they can mean a huge lot, from a mentally ill guy….That has just reached a point, where I think: THAT is too much. I mean come on!
http://twitter.com/preston_ preston

For someone to do something like this, they’ve already shown themselves heartless. I can’t say I’d have a heart about anything evil that happened to “Gary”.
http://www.facebook.com/yontengyatso Patrick Larson

If Gary called him, he could just look up the number, find his address and release the pit bulls.
Ethan

One of Mike’s relatives posted on Facebook that they were able to identify Gary from a high school year book.
anotheraaron

It’s “Gerry” folks. “Gerry Armbruster.”
- Ethan
  
  Yeah, I’ve seen that mentioned a couple of places… But I’m a little hesitant to jump on repeating the name until I have more confidence that it’s accurate. Do you have any knowledge (beyond word-of-mouth) that this is the actual culprit?
  - mccrum
    
    Can’t talk, getting my cockpunching fist ready!
    
    Questions are after actions, haven’t you ever seen the show 24?
EH

Need dox on the gf.
SoylentG

Has 4CHAN heard about this yet?
http://www.facebook.com/dcadams Chris Adams

I know alot of people have been following the story of and helping out Mike Meyer whose Superman collection was tragically stolen. My friend and renown poet, Millicent Accardi wrote a poem about it:

Saving Superman

He had only been wearing the cape
His whole life, searching tall buildings
For the gift of flight, to steel that secret
Space of strength. He had loved Superman
As a boy and then, with the Kryptonite
That fate sometimes brings, he had kept
In touch with his heart, with the heat
Of the moment to act to save that screaming
Lady tied to the railroad track. He imagined being
A hero outside his room, somewhere
He could make a difference. He had every
Edition of the tales, from the day Clark Kent
Was born to the day he nearly died
At the hands of enemies. He cherished every
Page and every graphic comic book
Panel that he read at night before he dreamed
Of leaping tall buildings and growing up.
He clutched the blue lunch box as he drifted
Off to sleep. His eyes fluttered over
Gotham City on the Monopoly board,
By his side, the old radio with its worn
Buttons,
Frayed from too many broadcasts.

By Millicent Accardi
antonio dueñas

That’s sad.I hope he will recover his collection.
General Specific

Some people are just scum. I’m sad for Mike, and I really hope he gets his stuff back.
peabo

I think that the idea of having a donation drive for Mike is a great idea, he is a true fan and i really feel for him. Death to Gary! I hope 4Chan finds him!
http://twitter.com/AwesomeRobot AwesomeRobot

If anyone would like to make a donation to Mike please let me know – I’ve gotten in touch with a friend of his via the author of this article and I have an address for donations.
peabo

Gerry Armbruster is the fiends name!
- Spriggan_Prime
  
  Gerry Armbruster sounds like the perfect villian’s name!
  
  “Gerry Armbruster now prowls the dark night as The Grey Arm-Buster!”
peabo

The police have also been notified, looks like the they found him pretty quickly. Win for Mike!
Noah Benjamin

is this his facebook?: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002331745240

It doesn’t say much about him but but most of his friends are from Missouri.
psykomyko

I just added this story to my website to spread the word:
http://alldaycomics.com/2011/09/08/be-a-super-hero-help/
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XMANY4EY7CADUG3Q5CRJHECUQI Bob

I really don’t know what kind of ambulatory piece of s–t you have to be to rob a mentally disabled person, period, but to steal the things he loves most. Jesus, that is lower than low. If they catch this guy and he gets sentenced to jail time I hope the authorities tell the other inmates what he did. I’d imagine he’d get the same welcome they reserve for child molesters. I really hope Meyer gets all or at least some of his collection back. Assuming the thief will try to peddle any this pilfered collection dealers, let’s hope they narc on him.