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Ed Piskor

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Edward R. Piskor Jr. (July 28, 1982 – April 1, 2024) was an American alternative comics cartoonist. Piskor was known primarily for his work on Hip Hop Family Tree, X-Men: Grand Design, and the Red Room trilogy. Piskor also co-hosted the YouTube channel Cartoonist Kayfabe with fellow Pittsburgh native cartoonist Jim Rugg. In March 2024, Piskor was accused via social media of sexual misconduct. Piskor died on April 1, 2024, at the age of 41, hours after posting a suicide note via social media, defending himself against the allegations leveled against him.

Ed Piskor
Piskor wearing a hat, hoodie, and glasses
Piskor in 2017
Born(1982-07-28)July 28, 1982
Homestead, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedApril 1, 2024(2024-04-01) (aged 41)
Munhall, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Area(s)Artist
Notable works
Awards
Official website Edit this at Wikidata

Early life and education

Edward Piskor was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, on July 28, 1982.[1] He was fascinated by comics throughout his childhood. He was a great fan of mainstream comics such as The Amazing Spider-Man, but his interest in alternative comics developed rapidly when, at the age of 9, he saw a documentary that featured Harvey Pekar reading one of his American Splendor stories. Important influences included Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Robert Crumb, Daniel Clowes, Chris Ware, Kim Deitch,[2] Gilbert Shelton, and Frank Miller.[3]

After finishing high school, Piskor attended The Kubert School for a year, which he characterized as a mixed experience.[4] Returning to Pittsburgh, Piskor established contact with other local area cartoonists, including Jim Rugg, Paulette Poullet, Pat Lewis, Tom Scioli, and Mark Zingarelli.[3]

Career

Piskor talks Wizzywig at the 2013 Notacon
Piskor discussing his method and love of comics in 2016

In 2003, Piskor started collaborating with Jay Lynch on comics for Mineshaft, while working on his own minicomic Deviant Funnies, first published in 2004.[5] In addition, Piskor's autobiographical minicomic Isolation Chamber was published in 2004–2005.[6]

During this period, Piskor began working with Harvey Pekar, his first major task being illustrating stories of American Splendor: Our Movie Year (2004), which elaborates Pekar's experience after the release of the American Splendor movie.[7] Piskor also illustrated Pekar's graphic novel Macedonia, about "a young female student that travels from the USA to Macedonia in order to try and understand how the country has survived the break-up of Yugoslavia without spiraling into civil war as its neighboring nations did."[3] Pekar described their collaboration as "...one of the best working relationships I've ever had".[8] Macedonia was released in 2007 through Villard Books.[4][2] Piskor further worked with Pekar on The Beats: A Graphic History, published in 2009.

From 2008 to 2011, Piskor published Wizzywig, his own comic book series about a prodigy who becomes fascinated with social engineering, phone phreaking, and eventually computer hacking.[9][10][11] The collected Wizzywig was published by Top Shelf Productions in 2012.

Piskor's Eisner Award-winning series Hip Hop Family Tree is a historical account of hip hop culture and the artists that have shaped the genre.[12] The project began in January 2012, serialized by Piskor on the website Boing Boing as a one-page "semi-regular ongoing feature,"[13] running, mostly weekly, until December 2015. Hip Hop Family Tree was collected and published by Fantagraphics in four books from 2013 to 2021.

From 2017 to 2019,[14] Piskor wrote and illustrated X-Men: Grand Design,[6] a three-volume series focusing on the history of the X-Men, for Marvel Comics.[15]

In 2020, Piskor began serializing a graphic novel titled Red Room on his Patreon page. The complete story was published over three volumes published by Fantagraphics from 2021 to 2024.[16]

In January 2024, Piskor started posting a daily comic strip online, Switchblade Shorties, which followed the (mis)adventures of five mischievous girls in the 1990s. Serialization was left unfinished with Piskor's death.[17]

Cartoonist Kayfabe and comic historian

Piskor and Jim Rugg discussing Cartoonist Kayfabe in 2019

The Cartoonist Kayfabe YouTube series, created by Piskor and Jim Rugg, significantly impacted the comic book community by revisiting classic comic books, discussing the processes and stories behind them, and featuring notable figures from the industry. (The term "kayfabe" is generally to refer to the portrayal of staged events within the world of professional wrestling as real, including the presentation of competition, rivalries, and personas. Piskor and Rugg shifted that approach to the comics industry.) Cartoonist Kayfabe has amassed over 1,800+ videos in its library since its creation.

Cartoonist Kayfabe excelled in engaging with pivotal comic creators, thus preserving and celebrating the history of comics through rich, detailed discussions. This approach not only educated viewers about comic book artistry and storytelling but also celebrated the legacy of influential comic book series and their creators.[18] One of the standout achievements of the series was bringing together Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird for commentaries [19] on their iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics.

Following Piskor's death, Rugg continued to post their backlog of previously recorded discussions online for several weeks, per Piskor's request.

Allegations and death

In March 2024, cartoonist Molly Dwyer accused Piskor of engaging in inappropriate communication with her via social media in 2020 while she was 17 years old. A second cartoonist named Molly Wright accused him of offering to trade an industry contact for a sexual favor in the past. Piskor deleted both his and the Cartoonist Kayfabe X accounts. He also briefly deleted the Cartoonist Kayfabe YouTube channel before restoring it with comments removed.[20][21] The accusations led to the indefinite postponement of an exhibition featuring Piskor's art that had been scheduled to run from April 6, 2024 to August 2024.[22] On that same day, a reporter for WTAE-TV news reporting on the show's cancellation visited the homes of both Piskor and his parents. The news report that aired neglected to blur out the house numbers on either home.[23] On March 30, Piskor's Cartoonist Kayfabe co-host, Jim Rugg, announced that he had decided to end his professional relationship with Piskor as a result of the allegations.[24][25]

Piskor died on April 1, 2024, in Munhall, Pennsylvania, at the age of 41.[25][26] The announcement of his death came several hours after he posted a note online, insinuating his intention to kill himself.[24][25] In writing about the prior week, Piskor referred to the accusations, the cancellation of his art show, the loss of a $75,000 deal, Rugg's professional separation, and the news reporter showing up at his and his parents homes and broadcasting their addresses as being "too much".[27] He directly addressed Dwyer and those he felt had been waiting for this to happen.[27] In response to his accusers, he stated that the chats with Dwyer had been out of friendship and that the two times he had engaged in sexual intercourse with Wright were consensual and initiated by her.[27] Toward the end of his note, he addressed the people who had pre-judged him and spread gossip on the internet by stating, "I was murdered by Internet bullies" and naming Alex de Campi as one of those bullies.[27][28]

In June 2024, Heroes Convention featured a memorial panel for Piskor, including Rugg, Piskor's sisters, Michel Fiffe, Jim Mahfood, and Chris Pitzker.[29] The inaugural Eddie P. Comic Con was announced for the following August.[30]

Art style

Early in his career, Piskor's work was characterized as "somewhat cheeky, but very accomplished alt-comics style, utilising lots of solid blacks, careful shading and only slightly off-kilter figure work. His art bears a mature signature that wouldn't look out of place in any of the finer indy comix houses of the last twenty years."[2] His work on Macedonia was criticized for being "stiff" by some reviewers[31] but praised by others for its "stylish, crisp feel".[32]

Awards

 
Piskor in 2017

Piskor was the recipient of the 2015 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work for Hip Hop Family Tree Book 2,[33] and a 2019 Dragon Award for Best Graphic Novel for X-Men: Grand Design – Second Genesis.[34] In addition, he was nominated for a number of other awards:

Works

Piskor discussing his love of hip hop in 2016 (alongside Jaime Hernandez, discussing punk)

Collaborations

  • Tinnell, Robert; —; Saviuk, Alex (2005). Feast of the Seven Fishes. Allegheny Image Factory.
  • Pekar, Harvey; Roberson, Heather; — (2007). Macedonia. New York, NY: Villard/Random House. ISBN 9780345498991. OCLC 0345498992.
  • Pekar, Harvey (2009). Buhle, Paul (ed.). The Beats: A Graphic History. Hill & Wang. ISBN 978-0-285-63858-7. — additional writing by Nancy Peters, Penelope Rosemont, Joyce Brabner, Trina Robbins, and Tuli Kupferberg; art mostly by Piskor, with additional art by Jay Kinney, Nick Thorkelson, Summer McClinton, Peter Kuper, Mary Fleener, Gary Dumm, Lance Tooks, Jeffrey Lewis, Jerome Neukirch, Anne Timmons, and Gary Dumm.

Solo projects

References

  1. ^ Comics Buyer's Guide #1650; February 2009; page 107
  2. ^ a b c "Macedonian Star: An Interview with Ed Piskor". Ninth Art. Interviewed by Matthew Craig. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c "Nexus Spotlight – Ed Piskor". Comics Nexus. Interviewed by Iain Burnside. June 11, 2006. Archived from the original on June 13, 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Pekar, Piskor, and a Preview of Macedonia". Sequart. Interviewed by Rob Clough. June 9, 2006.
  5. ^ "The Ed Piskor Interview". Features. The Comics Journal. Interviewed by Marc Sobel. January 28, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Heater, Brian (March 16, 2018). "Ed Piskor's Marvel-ous New Book: X-Men: The Grand Design is Eisner Award–winner Ed Piskor's first superhero title". Publishers Weekly.
  7. ^ Knudde, Kjell (April 2, 2024). "Ed Piskor". Lambiek Comiclopedia. lambiek.net. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  8. ^ Trevor Soponis (April 24, 2007). "War, Politics & Peace in Macedonia". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  9. ^ Heater, Brian (January 1, 2008). "WIZZYWIG Volume 1: Phreak by Ed Piskor". The Daily Cross Hatch. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009.
  10. ^ Mautner, Chris (February 22, 2008). "Weekend reviews: 'Wizzywig Vol. 1: Phreak'". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008.
  11. ^ Nisen, Jeremy (October 17, 2011). "Ed Piskor: Comics Artist Talks About Wizzywig, his Hacker-Culture Graphic Novel". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  12. ^ "HIP HOP FAMILY TREE". Fantagraphics.
  13. ^ Piskor, Ed (January 10, 2012). "Brain Rot: Hip Hop Family Tree, DJ Kool Herc Spawns A New Culture". Boing Boing.
  14. ^ "Marvel Comics Asks Retailers to Hold on to Ed Piskor's Corner Box". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. December 15, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  15. ^ Johnston, Rich (July 28, 2017). "The X-Men's Origins Retold In 8 Page Preview Of Ed Piskor's X-Men: Grand Design". Bleeding Cool. Avatar Press. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  16. ^ Balkam, Ryan (May 18, 2020). "Creating An Outlaw Comic (Ed Piskor's RED ROOM)". The Comic Lounge. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  17. ^ Piskor, Ed (April 1, 2024). "Switchblade Shorties". Webtoon. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  18. ^ Stone, Sam (November 15, 2023). "Dynamic Duos: Ed Piskor & Jim Rugg Celebrate Five Years of Cartoonist Kayfabe". CBR.
  19. ^ Popkin (January 26, 2023). "Peter Laird does a once-in-a-lifetime interview about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the Cartoonist Kayfabe YouTube channel". Boing Boing.
  20. ^ Chiu-Tabet, Christopher (March 25, 2024). "Ed Piskor Accused of Grooming a Teenager". Multiversity Comics.
  21. ^ Staff, Beat (March 25, 2024). "Multiple women accuse cartoonist Ed Piskor of grooming and misconduct". The Beat. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  22. ^ Deto, Ryan (March 26, 2024). "Pittsburgh Cultural Trust postpones cartoon exhibit amid sexual misconduct allegations". TribLive. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  23. ^ Cipriani, Marcie (March 26, 2024). "Well-known Pittsburgh cartoonist's show postponed over sexual misconduct accusations". WTAE. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Roe, Mike (April 1, 2024). "Ed Piskor, 'Hip Hop Family Tree' Comic Book Artist, Dies at 41". TheWrap. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c Hoffer, Christian (April 1, 2024). "Ed Piskor, Hip Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design Artist, Reportedly Passes Away at Age 41". ComicBook. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  26. ^ "Obituary – Edward R. Piskor, Jr". Savolskis - Wasik - Glenn Funeral Home, Inc. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  27. ^ a b c d "Ed Piskor, Hip Hop Family Tree Comic Book Artist And Podcast Host, Dies at 41". Tripwire Magazine. TheWrap. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  28. ^ Piskor, Edward R. "Facebook note". Google Docs. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  29. ^ "HEROESCON: Guest List". Heroes Convention. n.d. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  30. ^ Johnston, Rich (June 11, 2024). "The Eddie P Comic Con to be Held in Pennsylvania in Ed Piskor's Honour". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  31. ^ Ray Olson (May 15, 2007). "Macedonia". Booklist.
  32. ^ "Macedonia". grovel.org.uk. December 1, 2006. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  33. ^ a b Wheeler, Andrew (July 11, 2015). "2015 Eisner Award Winners: Was This The Best Ever Year for the Eisners? (Hint: We Won An Award)". Comics Alliance.
  34. ^ a b "2019 Recipients – The Dragon Award". Dragon Con. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  35. ^ "CLEVELAND and WIZZYWIG nominated for Eisner Awards!". Top Shelf Productions. April 16, 2013.
  36. ^ a b Wheeler, Andrew (July 26, 2014). "2014 Eisner Awards: Full List Of Winners And Nominees". Comic Alliance.
  37. ^ Cavna, Michael (September 14, 2014). "SPX: SMALL PRESS EXPO: And your 2014 Ignatz Award winners are..." Comic Riffs. The Washington Post.
  38. ^ Asselin, Janelle (April 22, 2015). "2015 Eisner Award Nominations Announced". Comic Alliance.
  39. ^ a b Brown, Luke (July 23, 2016). "Brilliant Art, Tremendous Stories and Daring Creators: The 2016 Eisner Award Winners [SDCC 2016]". Comics Alliance.
  40. ^ "Eisner Award Recipients 2010-Present, San Diego Comic-Con International". Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
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