Internet Rallies To Help Mentally Disabled Man Whose Superman Collection Was Stolen

There are times when the internet depress the hell out of me. There are other times when the internet fills my soul with delight. This is one of those times.

A couple of days ago the St. Louis Post-Dispatch told the world the tragic tale of Mike Meyer, a 48 year old, mentally disabled Superman superfan who had a large portion of his significant collection stolen by some gargantuan as$hole named “Gary,” who tricked Meyer out of roughly 1,800 Superman comic books and countless collectors items like lunch boxes, an old-time Superman radio, a Superman Monopoly game and a Superman TV all worth about $4,000 to $5,000.

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.

This is where the internet, like Superman, comes to the rescue.

More specifically, a superfriend-like alliance of Facebook and Reddit have joined forces to help a) raise money to help Meyer replenish some of his collection, and b) track down the jerkoff who stole the stuff. The Facebook page set up to help him is filled with wall posts of people documenting the stuff they’ve sent to him. It’s pretty damn heart-warming.

If you’d like to purchase something for Meyer or want to make a donation, you can send them to this address:

Mike Meyer c/o Bill Smith
7041 Kingsbury Blvd.
St. Louis, Mo. 63130

The internet is like the real-world Justice League!

(HT: Will Leitch)