Barrucci ’87 Turns Hobby into Lucrative Business

Not long after he started to read comics, Barrucci began earning money by selling his collection to help pay for his Prep tuition. At the age of 13, he began going to comic conventions; first in Center City, then in more distant areas of the Delaware Valley such as Mount Laurel, King of Prussia, and City Line Avenue, before eventually going up and down the East Coast. “Every weekend for five years, that’s what I did,” he said. “I was always proud to be a comic collector and to be in the industry.” He also sold some comics to his Prep classmates, even those “who would never want anyone to know that they read comics.”

Barrucci took a year off when he went to Temple University, but the lure of comics and the shows called him back. In the early 1990s, he noticed a new trend: a thirst for autographs of people in the industry. “I saw long lines of people waiting to get an autograph of a writer or illustrator, and I got the idea of selling autographed comics through the mail to reach those people who were unable to go to shows and get the autographs.”

This business boomed, which drew the attraction of bigger companies. “We had deals with Marvel and DC, and we were on QVC and the Home Shopping Network,” Barrucci says. “There was great interest in cool, collectible comic items, you just had to find the audience, and we did, especially with TV shopping.”

Trading card company Upper Deck noticed and negotiated with Marvel, who didn’t renew the license for Nick’s company. Barrucci realized that he had to pivot his company, and his success has been astounding as Dynamite became a publishing company, building a catalog by creating their own worlds or acquiring titles from other entities. According to the company’s website: “Dynamite is home to several best-selling properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Vampirella, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, Game of Thrones, SEAL Team Six and more! Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes Warren, Harris Comics, Charlton, and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, Purgatori, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt.”

“We are very fortunate to work with some outstanding creative people to create incredible characters,” says Barrucci. One work that is getting a lot of attention is “The Boys,” a new Amazon TV series based on the works of Garth Ennis and Darick Robinson, which was Amazon’s highest rated original series. “These are creator-owned characters which Dynamite publishes. We have a great relationship with Garth and Darick, and we each share in the success of the comics, merchandise and media growth.” he says. “That world was created from scratch. We laughingly say it’s a 12-year overnight success story.”

For Barrucci, he is grateful to have been able to create a career that matches his passion. “What I would say to anyone is never give up on your dreams; to always strive for more,” he says. “There are missteps and setbacks in life. Try and use them as a learning experience, and don't spend time dwelling on them. Life is full of sliding doors. One door closes, it's up to you to find the one that will open.”

And, he adds, have fun doing it. “One of my all time favorite quotes is this one by George Bernard Shaw: ‘We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing!’” he says. “Don't stop playing. Enjoy life to its fullest.”