Step through the door of World of Superheroes – tucked away in a warehouse on Holbrook Industrial Estate – and you’re immediately greeted by a life-size figurine of Groot, the popular character from the Guardians of the Galaxy comic books and films. 

It’s just one of many pieces of striking memorabilia filling the two-storey space – you can also see statues of Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Superman, Hulk and The Thing as well as helmets from Iron-Man and Star Lord (comic book fans will know exactly what I’m talking about) – I even spotted a set of Wolverine’s claws. 

But the core of World of Superheroes is comic books. In fact, at present the warehouse, which is no too far from Crystal Peaks and easily accessible from Sheffield city centre and close to the tram network, is home to around 300,000 different comic books. These range from classic varieties to modern interpretations. These cover mainly American (DC and Marvel) comics as well as everything in between.

Owner Steve Eyre has been a lifelong collector of comic books but decided to turn his hobby into a business in 2020. Working with his children Alex and Holly, Steve has been buying up collections and then selling them on either as one-off pieces or in bundles via World of Superheroes’ online shop or through their dedicated eBay site. Such is the breadth of their collection and reputation, World of Superheroes deliver all over the world.

Alongside the comic books, original artwork has grown massively in popularity (and price) and includes everything from storyboards to posters. Steve has just taken receipt of some Judge Dredd artwork which is unusual in that it is a complete story – usually these pieces only appear as individual pages. 

Steve has some original paintings by storyboard artist Robert Bailey, who previously worked with George Lucas of Star Wars fame, as well as work by John Higgins and signed pieces from Stan Lee, Siegel and Schuster and Bob Kane.

In the warehouse you’ll also find some exclusive work by Sheffield designer and illustrator, Mute, whom Steve commissioned to create five DC and five Marvel artworks.

To complement and promote the business, World of Superheroes attend around 30 UK-based comic book conventions each year, the most recent of which was in Liverpool and attended by 40,000 people per day.

The warehouse is open to visitors by appointment and Steve is happy to give people a tour. Part shop, part gallery, for fans of comic books, it’s truly out of this world.