Local news station 3News reports that two thieves broke into a storage unit in Las Vegas and stole over a hundred thousand dollars worth of comic books.

This included a run of Spider-Man from Amazing Fantasy #15 to Amazing Spider-Man #170, and the first appearances of Venom and The Punisher, owned by local comic book collector Daniel Ballard.

He told the station that "I cried you can still hear me. I cried for like 2 or 3 hours."

Some of the comics also belonged to Critical Care Comics, a charitable organisation in which member cosplay as superheroes and hand comic books out to children in hospitals.

The suspects sawed their way into the unit and local comic store owner Steven Riddle of Velvet Underground Comics says he believes the thieves knew the comics were in there.

The car used is described as a dark 4-door Saturn or a Nissan and this is a shot of one of the suspects released by police.

Anyone who knows or suspects anything is encouraged to call crime-stoppers at 7002-382-5555.