For any of you who grew up on comics between the 70’s to the 90’s might have stopped by Variety comics. For decades, this shop on Western and Wilson on the northside of Chicago was the area comic book shop. Even those who didn’t read or collect comics were familiar with them due to the oversized murals on the outside of their store.

Every so often one of the mural pieces would be retouched, or opted for a different superhero – all inspired from a cover of a comic book.

The previous owner has since passed away, but his daughter has taken up residence in the same space. She now runs an arts and boutique store selling things from crystals to handmade jewelry. They have events every so often from art exhibitions to spoken word. I was there for one such event when I saw these panel pieces sitting at the back of the store. Apparently after the death of her father, when the comic book store was closed, she decided to salvage and save these mural pieces before they were stolen or vandalized. I took a few photos from my phone to share with everyone (so please excuse the quality as the location and lighting was very difficult).

 

Viable Studios