Recently, the head of security at Florida State University’s Strozier Library was arrested for allegedly stealing almost 5,000 rare comics, estimating at more than $100,000 in value. The comics stolen from the library’s collection include titles from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Disney, along with many obscure underground publications and pulp magazines.
The Robert M. Ervin Jr. Collection was originally donated to the Strozier Library by Robert M. Ervin Sr. and Frances Anne in 1981. Including a wide range of rare comics detailing the medium’s history, the collection was among the most expensive items owned by the school.
Originally reported by the Tallahassee Democrat, Todd Peak who is the head of security at FSU’s Strozier Library was arrested in connection to allegedly stealing 4,996 rare comics from the collection in 2020. Police believe that he sold many of the missing comics throughout the past two years to private buyers and a comic book shop in Crawfordville, Wilde Comics and Gaming. Peak has been charged with grad theft of more than $100,000, fraud, dealing stolen property, and sale of stolen property on the internet. He was released on bail last Saturday. The missing comics from the collection include 1,200 titles from the 1950s-1970s, featuring titles from Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Disney, pulp magazines, underground comics, and foreign comics, spanning across the superhero, fantasy, and horror genres.
Police reports haven’t specified how the rare comics were stolen, as they had been protected by a chain link fence with a padlock. However, as the head of security for the library, Peak had access to one of four keys to the collection. Following the theft, the suspect reportedly used online message boards to communicate about selling rare comics that had been among those stolen. Many buyers started to notice that Peak’s listed comics had many in common with the Strozier Library collection. At the moment, police have recovered 2,843 comics matching those from the school.
Around June 2020, it was believed that Peak had received thousands of dollars for comics he allegedly sold. Peak had previously posted on various Facebook pages that he wanted to reduce the size of his comic book collection, revealing many of the same titles as those reported missing. The specific comics contained a German edition of Mickey Mouse and rare Batman issues. Detectives discovered that Peak had also utilized a company known for grading valuable comics’ condition. Police also accessed Peak’s Google search history, discovering that he had made 448 searches regarding the price value of the stolen comics between April 2020 and January 2021.
Source: Tallahassee Democrat