Marvel to the left, DC to the right, Allen Stewart tells you as you enter the Hall of Heroes. Which way will you go first?

The Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum is a small but mighty pop culture haven, located in Elkhart, Indiana, in the north-central part of the state. Conveniently off the I80-90 toll road, the museum is packed to the rafters with screen-used props, autographed memorabilia and nostalgic collectibles from comic and cartoon franchises like Marvel, DC and Hanna Barbera, among others.

Stewart, the executive director of the institution, has been in the industry professionally for 30 years as a comic book writer, historian, and appraiser, so he knows his stuff. “I’m one of the experts on the American Pickers television series. I’m also one of the appraisers on Collector’s Call. I work for a variety of different shows as well,” he said.

Hall of Heroes began its life in Stewart’s Hall of Justice-themed garage fifteen years ago, with items from Stewart’s own collection. Now it’s a registered non-profit that has a board of directors, monthly events, its own con, and an even more expansive selection.

After paying the modest admission price, you can interact with one of the largest collections of superhero memorabilia, art, and comics in the U.S., if not the world. The collection is comprised of over 60,000 comics, over 10,000 toys and games, and over 100 pieces of animation and comic art.

This collection, which has taken forty years to build, spans the 80-year history of superheroes in comics, toys, film, and animation. Among Stewart’s favorite items on display in the museum are historically significant comic books, such as Captain America #1, Sensation Comics #1, which is the first cover appearance of Wonder Woman, and an Amazing Fantasies #15 featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man, signed by Stan Lee. Those books can only be found here and in the Library of Congress.

The museum’s Hollywood section boasts such items as the original shield used in Captain America: The First Avenger, the Shelby Cobra from Iron Man, the Hell Cycle from Ghost Rider, and a screen-used Green Lantern ring worn by Ryan Reynolds. You’ll also find a recreation of the Bat Cave from the 1960’s Batman television series featuring Adam West’s personal Batman costume.

The Hall of Heroes has something going on all the time, Stewart said. “We have our ComicCon in March, which is actually at the [Elkhart] Convention Center because it’s way too big to hold here.” Past guests for HoH Comic Con include Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), Doug Jones (Star Trek: Discovery), Emma Caulfield (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Ming Chen (Comic Book Men).

There are yearly days for each of the two comic book rivals, along with a lot more, he said. “July is our DC day, May is our Marvel day… [and] we bring artists in from DC and Marvel for those events and then we have the characters here in costume. That’s fun.

“We do our ‘Hall of Villains Haunted House’ in October; we do our ‘Santa and the Superheroes’ event in December and then we do monthly history programs or bring in guest speakers. Follow us on Facebook. You’ll see all of our upcoming events and things like that,” Stewart said.

People of all ages can enjoy the museum, but for some, Stewart says, it’s like stepping into a time machine. “What do people really love about our museum? Not only do we preserve the 80-year history here, but we take them back in time. They see all the stuff that they remember from their 
childhood… we have something for everybody here.”

You can find out the directions, hours of operation, etc. you’ll need for visiting the Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum on their website, or on their Facebook page. If you’d like to attend the 2023 Hall of Heroes Comic Con, bookmark this site. And while you can get a sneak peek at some of the fun stuff you’ll see by looking at their site, don’t worry – it’s only a fraction of all there is to enjoy in the museum.