Hall of Heroes Museum owner Allen Stewart said the heist of 50 superhero comic books from his Elkhard, Ind., collection included several first editions with a value of thousands of dollars. 

“We live in a society where honor is a distant memory. Isn’t that right… Batman?” – The Joker in Justice League.

ELKHART, Ind. – Amid the quietude of early Sunday morning, police report thieves broke into the world’s only museum of comic superheroes, escaping with 50 rare copies of books worth thousands of dollars.

Included in the heist were first editions of Captain America, X-Men, Hulk and Iron Man, said museum director and owner Allen Stewart. Police determined the heft likely involved more than one culprit.

“We are heartbroken and sick that someone would break into our nonprofit museum and steal this valuable history that we are dedicated to preserve and share,” said Stewart.

A tourist attraction in this northern Indiana city, the museum features rare copies of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and many other iconic comic book figures.

Police dispatched to the museum at 2:02 a.m. Sunday, responding to an alarm triggered by forced entry into the back doors. They also found a smashed window in a door on the south end of the building as well as smashed display cases inside.

The villains fled the scene before police arrived. An investigation into the heist is underway, including a review of security video from nearby homes and businesses.

Stewart said the museum had hosted its annual convention earlier this month, with over 100 vendors attending. He said the irreplaceable comic books were not insured.

“The collection is very, very expensive to insure,” he said. “We are a small nonprofit and we don’t have the funding to insure.”

A superhero comic book collector from his youth, Stewart opened the museum 23 years ago in his backyard. As the collection grew, he moved it into the present location on the city’s north side.

“They stole history,” he said of the thieves. “They didn’t just steal stuff.”