A Ballarat comic collector has gone through one of the most devastating experiences anyone within the industry could go through.
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Angus Cattanach, 47, discovered on Friday evening that thousands of dollars worth of his expansive comic collection had been stolen in a heartless act.
Mr Cattanach only realised something had happened when going to check on his property after his father in law said he was having trouble locking the shed at his Redan property.
"Our house is being renovated, so while that's been going on we're staying in a unit out in Sebastopol," he said.
"We didn't have enough room to take all of our stuff with us, so we thought it would be safe in a lockable garage at our property. When I got there to get some of my tools I noticed they were gone, as well as almost all of my comics. I just about died when I saw that."
Mr Cattanach, an Ambulance Victoria employee, said the discovery hit him harder than people might think because of the emotional attachment he had to the comics, which include rare X-Men runs from the 1960s.
"I deal with crisis situations and have struggled with PTSD in the past. I found my hobby has been something that has helped me maintain my mental health," he continued.
"Unfortunately I got quite badly injured two years ago... collecting has been something that has been something to keep my mind off everything.
"In those last two years, I've spent quite a lot of time and money tracking down some quite rare comics... it's been an everyday thing for me. When I saw that they were gone, I just felt absolutely shattered.
"It was something that I had a real passion for, something that I'd grown up doing from the age of around 12. My X-Men collection was almost complete. I was saving up for the last issue I needed."
Mr Cattanach has begun estimating the value of his collection, which has already reached over $6,000 after assessing only 30 per cent of what was stolen.
He is hoping that the size and rarity of the collection, which includes comics such as Saga and Transmetropolitan, will potentially make it easier to spot if someone tries to sell them.
Mr Cattanach is offering a $1000 reward for the return of the collection.
Anyone with any information can contact Mr Cattanach at smeggly@protonmail.com.
