This Friday, December 23, 2022 at 7PM EST/4PM PST, the Original Art Experience Show hosted by Nick Barrucci will be featuring a diverse range of original comic book artwork for sale and auction, with all proceeds from select pieces going to benefit comic store Fat Jack’s Comicrypt of Philadelphia, which is in need of assistance.
Fat Jack’s Comicrypt is coming up on nearly 50 years of continuous business, ranking as one of the country’s oldest and most celebrated direct market comic book stores. Owner Mike Ferrero grew up reading and collecting comics, buying doubles to keep top condition copies and for trading, which was fortuitous as he began a journey that as a collector he never imagined he would take. Later he was able to start one of the first direct market comic stores in the country when the first brick and mortar location for Fat Jack’s opened in 1976 at 20th and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia’s historic Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Over its history, Fat Jack’s has expanded, moved, and even gotten into distribution for periods, at one time boasting five locations. Today the two storefronts are located in Philadelphia on Sansom Street and in Oaklyn, New Jersey.
A who’s who of industry luminaries on and behind the printed page have frequented the store such as Matt Wagner (Batman, Grendel), Bill Willingham (Fables), Michael Avon Oeming (Powers), Shelly Bond (Vertigo, Black Crown), Diana Schutz (Dark Horse), Bob Schreck (DC Comics, Dark Horse), and Dynamite Entertainment and Dynamic Forces owner Nick Barrucci, among others. Many major names have come through the store for signings and events as well.
Fat Jack’s can use the help of fans and those in the industry, as the staff have set up a GoFundMe to raise funds to stay afloat through struggles brought on by cashflow halting in the wake of pandemic related business shutdowns. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia area has already lost some retailers over the last couple years, as the city had more stringent mandates for the mostly commercial center of the city, restricting and depressing foot traffic and retail sales. Most recently the acclaimed and cherished Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse closed shop. More information can be found, or to directly contribute, people can check out the official GoFundMe page.
If more comics and art fans in the community can help, it would be great to save this historic retailer, the employees, and the fans in the community so everyone can continue selling, buying, and enjoying comics.
On offer for this show will be a range of original comic art pages, covers, and sketch pieces. Front and center is an inked page by the legendary Jae Lee featuring Wolverine and the Punisher tangled in combat, as well as an incredible Captain America commission, with all funds from these sales going to Fat Jack’s. The cover to the just recently released Amazing Spider-Man #13 by superstar Spidey hall of famer John Romita Jr. will also be featured. A selection of four pages from Brave and the Bold #135 by Jim Aparo are included from Nick Barrucci’s private collection, with all sales from the Aparo pages going to Fat Jack’s as well. As well as covers to Dynamite’s Vampirella and Red Sonja titles done by artist Jaime Biggs in homage to iconic Todd McFarlane covers. Sketch covers and even more surprises will also be included for fans that tune in this Friday.
The EXP, or the Comic Shopping Experience, is a network of entertainment and sales shows broadcasting live 7 days a week. They have partnered with Comic Book Creators, Publishers, and Local Comic Shops from around the country to bring comic book and pop culture fandom to computer screens and mobile devices everywhere.
This special episode of The Original Art Show airs on The EXP, December 23, 2022 starting at 7pm ET / 4 pm PT and can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Fat Jack’s Comicrypt is Philadelphia’s oldest and best comic specialty store, and has locations in Center City Philadelphia at 2006 Sansom Street & 521 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn NJ 08107 (856) 858-3877. For more information, visit www.comicrypt.com.