Entering Fat Jack’s Comicrypt feels like flying into an issue of Superman. The comic emporium’s walls — bright red, blue and yellow — are covered in posters of Clark Kent's alter-ego and every other comic book figure imaginable. The store is packed with all things graphic — from a display of paraphernalia from the Watchmen movie to a vast collection of action figures and comic books of every genre. Each Wednesday, the store’s shelves are re-stocked with new comic books, bringing in loyal Jack's regulars on a weekly basis.
According to Fat Jack’s manager and comic enthusiast Brendan Veil, Fat Jack’s has, for many, become a “weekend ritual — there’s a habitual quality to it.” Fat Jack’s has an “extensive back-issue collection, which gives it its history.”
The store is organized chronologically, with new issues greeting you as you enter and old issues, dating as far back as the 1940s, in the back. The middle section shelves alternative and indie comics, usually created by people who have other jobs during the day. Some little-known examples of titles in this section? Mad Burgers: Comics Questioning Sanity and The Beats: A Graphic History.
Despite the stock of fresh takes on the beloved art form, Veil maintains that the most popular genre is still that of the old-school superhero. So whatever your graphic novel niche, whether you’re looking for a Hellboy figurine or a 1951 issue of Master Detective, Fat Jack’s will be your superhero, baby.
Fat Jack's Comicrypt 2006 Sansom St. (215) 963-0788
