“I slept through it,” Winsett laments. “I just plain didn’t hear it. I don’t live that far away. If I’d woken up like I should have, I could have been here maybe in time to catch the guy.”
The guy in question — and it was just one guy, wielding what looks to be a crowbar — had smashed in the glass front door of Time Warp, at 3105 28th Street in Boulder. He'd then proceeded to smash the front display case, too, where the store's most valuable books are normally kept. The thief took them all, a haul worth somewhere around $14,000 in total — with one curious exception: a copy of 1977’s Heavy Metal #1, which for some reason he left behind.
It wasn’t just a snatch-and-grab: The burglar took the time to gather up assorted comic-related valuables before heading to where the store kept its cash deposits and petty cash overnight; he stole that money, too, amounting to almost $300.
According to Winsett, the store is only now waking up to the reality of the damage that’s been done and starting to make a list of the losses incurred in the attack. Local collectors and retailers are already volunteering to keep an eye out for the stolen books so that if the perpetrator attempts to sell any of them, they’re more likely to be caught.
Little is known about the burglar himself; video evidence from the store provides some detail, and surveillance recordings of the shopping center that houses Time Warp is currently under review. So far, all that’s been reported is that he drove a white car, but hopes are high that the license plate might be visible on one of any number of local cameras.
“This could not have come at a worse time,” Winsett says. Not only has it been a lean year for sales, but the store was gearing up for a major event on Saturday, July 29, when comedian/actor/pop-culture icon Brian Posehn was scheduled to greet fellow nerds and sign copies of his new Image collection, Scotch McTiernan Versus the Forces of Evil.
“That event is most definitely still on, come hell or high water,” Winsett promises. “Not only are we super excited to host Brian Posehn, but the store needs to draw all the crowds it can now to help us weather this sudden storm. We were already expecting a big turnout — now we’re hoping as many of our friends that can come out make a point to do it.”
Comic Book Store Burglary from City of Boulder on Vimeo.
The break-in news is still fresh, making the rounds of the Time Warp family of fans and former employees; the Boulder Police Department has released the video in hopes of getting tips to the miscreant. And there’s already talk of starting a GoFundMe to help Time Warp rebuild from this loss, in hopes that the community rallies around Winsett and the store much in the way it did when Mutiny Comics had its financial challenges last year.“Wayne [Winsett] is such a good human,” says longtime Time Warp customer and friend Rita Rollman. “This is going to be a devastating financial hit. I want to spread the word to everyone. I want them to buy everything.”
"I started buying comics from Wayne when I was ten years old," says Denver comics artist Scorpio Steele. “I became a Time Warp employee when I was seventeen. Now I consider him one of my best friends and love him like a father. Comics stores engender community and a sense of family, so when someone steals from a comics store, they harm the community, too.”
The most current list of books stolen from Time Warp Comics include:
- Marvel Family #2 ($75)
- Whiz Comics #117 ($120)
- Punisher #218 (Photo Variant, $170)
- Black Panther World of Wakanda #1 (1:25 variant cover, $70)
- X-men #2 (vol.1, $200)
- X-Men #12, $375)
- Silver Surfer #1 ($725)
- Aquaman #29 ($220)
- Conan The Barbarian #1 (volume 1, $150)
- A-Force #2 - CGC 9.8, Blue Label, #1601175008 ($400)
- Amazing Spider-man #122 - CGC 6.0, Blue Label, #3893247003 ($360)
- Amazing Spider-man #361 - CGC 9.6, Blue Label ($240)
- Amazing Spider-man #363 - CGC 9.8, Blue Label ($200)
- Daredevil #168 - CGC 6.0, Blue Label, #2010734006 ($245)
- Doc Savage #2 - CGC 9.4, Blue Label, #3697561005 ($300)
- Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 - CGC 9.8, Blue Label, #4151535007($250)
- Ms. Marvel #1 - CGC 9.8, Blue Label, #1259255004 ($335)
- Spider-man #11 - CGC 9.8, Yellow Label Signed by Stan Lee #1284253016 ($1600)
- Stray Dogs #5 - CGC 9.2, 5th Printing 1:25 cover, Yellow Label Signed Fleecs and Forstner ($65)
- Ultimate Fallout #4 - CGC 9.8 Yellow Label, Signed by Bendis & Pichelli, #4022386002 ($575)
- What If? #10 - CGC 9.0, Blue Label, #2020919002 ($300)
