The world of comic books is a battleground for good against evil.
"It's black and white," said Ron Killingsworth, co-owner of Collected Comics and Games in West Fort Worth.
And right now, Killingsworth could use a hero.
"When I came through the front door, I could see all the way through and I knew something was wrong," said Killingsworth, showing how his store’s back door was left wide open.
Someone pried open the back door and made off with up to $7,000 worth of comic books.
"Anything that was over $100 in our glass cases for comics," said Killingsworth.
He had recently snapped photos of the whole stolen selection, including antiques and major characters.
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"I had books that went all the way back to the 40s," Killingsworth said. "One of the books that was taken was the first appearance of Deadpool."
The theft is a blow to the whole comics community.
"They're not just taking from the store, they're taking from the customers, they're taking from the people that enjoy these things as well," said customer David Uehlein.
He and his friends play the card game Magic the Gathering every Friday night at Collected Comics and Games.
Just like comic books, Uehlein said, "It takes the world and allows it to seem less real for a second."
But since there's no masked man coming to the rescue now, Killingsworth is setting up surveillance cameras, barring the store’s back door and hoping someone may recognize and return the stolen books for a classic comic ending.
"There's a fantasy where good wins," Killingsworth said.
He added that one of his customers spotted a few of the stolen comics on the resale site Offer Up. He's working with Fort Worth police to try to get them back.
