2025 Comic Book and Collectibles Scandals, Crimes, and Lawsuits

Attorneys spend most of their time reading. Recently some of the articles that came across my desk intersect with my writing. Here are a few of the most recent legal events that impact the GoCollect community.

WWE wrestler Logan Paul was granted a temporary injunction for an auction he won from Heritage Auctions. The item he won was a piece of the United Center Floor signed by NBA HOFer Michael Jordan. At issue appears to be the provenance of the item as the actual floor played on by the NBA great. In an ESPN article Heritage states:

"We stand behind every item that we sell," Heritage said, reiterating that the floor was acquired directly from the Bulls. "This lot would not have been included for sale at auction unless we were fully confident in its authenticity."

The ESPN article further states that:

In emails found in court records, Heritage's director of sports auctions, Chris Ivy, acknowledged there is "no such documentation ... matching the court to the 1998-99, 1999-2000 or 2000-2001" seasons and that photo-matching company Sports Investors Authentication was "unsuccessful because the attempted photo matches were only to the Bulls logo itself, not the wood grain -- which is what PSA used for their provided photo matches."

As everyone reading this knows, buyers should always inspect an item to best protect themselves from bidding on something that could potentially be a fake or lack proper provenance. Here Paul said he was not given enough time to research it. Heritage disputes that claim. That said, an auction house's reputation is at risk if they sell improper items after they attest to their authenticity.

Here the issue seems to be if this was part of the floor that Jordan played the championship games on; was some extra floor piece; a part of the floor from an early design; or a segment of a practice surface that was owned by the Bulls that never seen real game action.

This attorney has been involved with the sale of original comic book art with a few auctions houses for clients. Even though pages were from certain issues and were original, the mere fact the pages could have been done by someone other than the named artist was reason enough to not attribute it to that said artist. This practice comes from the art world where a work can thought to be from a great master, or from one of his students who trained directly under him. Auction houses have to be careful. Reputations take years to build but can be gone in a second. Regardless of the winner, both parties will end up hurt as a result of what comes out from this case.

This attorney has been in court and has had to pound the table to bring attention to the high value of collectibles compared to other assets. He has also seen certified financial planners and insurance agents spend a bulk of a meeting discussing items worth around a total of $10k and ignore collections worth $150k and more. Most people do not realize collectibles are worth major dollars. Thieves are not that naive. Many of you reading this column either have seen or know of someone who has been a victim of theft. Collectible theft has been on the rise the last few years. There are reasons for this trend.

Collectibles are valuable and yet not unique. Two X-Men #1s can be both worth tens of thousands and yet if removed from the graded holder would be hard to identify. This makes proving that an item was actually the one stolen very hard. Then there is the fact that people make locating where these valuable items are stored very easy. Stores have to display items to the buying public. Hobbyists also are starting to make it simple for criminals to find their goods as well. Most people proudly display on Facebook their proud collectibles. What they do not realize is that embedded in those pictures is data people can use to trace where those pictures were taken. It's like ringing the dinner bell for hungry criminals, and they are getting more and more desperate.

In Buck County, two Michigan men plead guilty in May of this year to a violent robbery of a comic book store three year ago. The employee was pushed off a ladder as he attempted to show them a comic they requested to review. He then was violently beaten as part of the robbery. A video of the assault can be found on this link. In the NBC Philadelphia article, the reporter writes the owner was in business since 1985 without incident. Times are changing.

A few months ago Fox 2 Detroit produced an article with video of a burglar robbing the Comics and More store in a Michigan suburb. The station reports the individual stole items including 11 graded books in August 2025. A few days later the owner indicated on his Facebook page that the store was closing because "...I just can't do it anymore.". A month earlier a store in Indiana had several thousands of dollars stolen for the second time in a year!

The hobby is not a lucrative one for many. Vendors work hard for very little profits. Crime is only adding to the problem. Many times when things like this happen the hobby community rushes to support the victims as a sign of solidarity. In the case of Comics and More that was too little too late. Comic book store owners are always thought of as the guy from The Simpsons. They are instead dedicated to a hobby they love. The could probably make more money doing something else, so show them a little love while it still may be possible. Finally, if you know anything about these or other crimes talk to local law enforcement. Our hobby can only handle so much.

Many of you reading this know DC Comics cancelled the Red Hood series after the first issue was sent to stores. The action was a result of the comments of the book's writer Gretchen Felker-Martin. She made a comment on the death of Charlie Kirk that were in opposition of DC Comics standard of conduct when it comes to violence. DC Comics made the comic subject to a voluntary recall with retailers receiving credits for the book.

This was not a good thing for the comic book industry, and it has nothing to do with what aisle of the political spectrum you sit. Comic books rarely make news on the mainstream media. The old saying that any publicity is good publicity is not always accurate. This story generated nothing but bad press for the hobby and people in it when mentioned by news outlets.

Reports came out of people trying to cash in on the notoriety of the issue by buying and then attempting to resell them at a profit. This is bad if you are on the left because this book was cancelled as a result of a person saying something using her first amendment rights and yet lost her job. She will not see any of that money from these type of sales so it does not help her. On the right, people were profiting from a book that was only significant because of association with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. People can try to make a buck, but the appearance of this level of greed was not a good attribute to be affixed to the comic book community.

Gretchen Felker-Martin's actions should also be reviewed here absent a political component. People are allowed the right to speak what they want without governmental interference under the first amendment. That does not protect employers from taking action because an employee's actions could impact them. Gretchen's statements appear to have been made without thought or concern of how her actions would impact DC Comics. It is a major company that could deal with the fall out. That is not where the industry suffered the most.

The one factor that people have ignored when reporting on this incident is the impact her decisions have had on others tied to the series. Inkers, pencillers, colorists, comic book store staff, distributors, and others depend upon a book being published to make money. How many tied to the series turned down other jobs to work on this one? They may not be able to make rent or pay bills because they are not going to receive payment for this work. Others may have hoped this work would be the resume builder for other projects. Now that potential is gone.

In the past the comic book industry has withstood congressional hearings, near bankruptcies, and other calamities. That was when comic books were a major part of Americana. Comic books are now a niche form of entertainment. Many industry professionals do not make a lucrative career doing what they love. Their lives depend on projects not being cancelled. GoCollect readers love the hobby. It cannot endure negative press when it receives such limited exposure as it is. The hobby is a fraction of what it once was so any negative factors could hurt it beyond recovery.

Comic book stores have enough problems with retaining good employees and running a profitable store. Now retailers are starting to leave the hobby because of crime. Supporting them only when they are victims is like putting a band aid on an amputation wound. Others not effected by crime are reaching the age of retirement or sadly passing on. One store open for maybe three stores that close if the hobby is lucky. Places where people of different views bonded over a shared interest may soon go the way of the dinosaur if hobbyists are not careful.

Non LCS retailers who utilize sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms regularly report being the victim of bad transactions. The dispute between Heritage and Paul is one that could cause even more problems for the hobby for those that want to avoid DIY auctions. Their case will expose people to problems that may have never seen the light of day. This testimony will only damage the hobby even for auction houses not involved in the dispute. The reason is major auction houses like Heritage may have a standard of conduct they try to adhere through the use of industry professionals, but what about those smaller ones. If Heritage got duped how can you trust a much smaller auction house with limited resources.

These and more incidents seem to not impact the GoCollect reader. That belief is a major misconception. The comic book and collectibles hobbies are at a fragile period. Gone are the days when you could find retailers in every town. Now hobbyists choices may ironically be more limited than one would expect. The collectibles market has survived scandals and negative press before but the most recent outlook is not inspiring.

The community needs to unite now more than ever to once again support the hobby. If a person or an individual is a victim of a theft make it known so it will be harder to sell those items. Support the retailers in your area now while they are thriving rather than when they are hanging on for survival. Finally, industry professionals realize that your actions have consequences for not only you but others. Your actions and comments could have negative for others who are part of your profession. Take it from an attorney who sees how other's actions in the legal community has impacted our status in the community.

"You have a right to say what you think in court, but remember you will walk away free and clear while it is your client who will end up doing the time or paying the fine."

Law School Professor