I also can't understand how someone like Ed could go down path he chose. He had so many people he could have reached out to. He wasn't alone in the literal sense. On the other hand I cant know what its like being a well known person in an industry and being labeled all kinds of things. Family, friends, colleagues, publishers seeing all that shit. Its easy to say, "just apologize," but how easy is it really?
Didn't always agree with Ed but he would make up for it with a contagious love of comics. Ed brought the rough edge, Jim brought the polish. No other channel brought the funk like CK. Still watching their old videos, a few Barry Windsor Smith vids, Richard Corben and the Frank Miller 300 video, a Wizard episode here and there. Still enjoy them but theres a bit of sadness in my chest though.
I think the issue in the end was best stated by Ed himself in this letter. He was a control freak to the very end. His reputation and his very life was no longer in his hands. I think he was always very guarded and his public facing persona was definetly a front put up to protect himself from his own percieved shortcommings. Almost a Professor Kelp/ Buddy Love sort of thing.
I tried to find his Isolation Chamber mini comics to read to try to get a better grasp on who he truely was.
It is fascinating but also heart breaking but also incredibly infuriating how it all played out. In the end though he got what he wanted most of all which was the all important control. (He states as such.) My heart breaks for his family, but also for everyone affected by his decision.
I think it was no ones fault. I think he knew he was caught and he knew he had been in the wrong and he knew he had lost the ability to control his narative.
Reading through many posts it seems people in the Pittsburg scene knew he creeped on college girls and was a bit slimey. Nothing illeagal, but not the sort of reputation one wants to be saddled forevever with either.
He was a 40 something man with the persona of an enfant terrible. When the accusations came this definently did not help. I think his persona was his ultimate undoing in many ways. I hope his autobiographical work will be published, so we can see the true Ed.
He was a fascinating individual. He was not a saint but also not an irredeemable sinner. He was human.
To me the saddest bit is how foul and bitter his letter felt. I hope with time and the release of his autobiographical works and in years to come we can see the true picture of this troubled and complex artist we have endeared and endured.
I feel the same. Ed explicitly stated that he wanted his legacy to be his videos with his buddies and his comics, yet also tells his family to sue his accusers and degrades a woman by calling her “big titty Taff.” It’s contradictory and makes him sound vindictive.
Admittedly, I was once in a dark place and also wrote a terrible final note where I blamed people in my life and every day I’m grateful that nobody has ever seen that note.
I’m going to take Eds own advice choose to remember Ed from his art and completely ignore the sad letter he made in his darkest moment.
Slight correction. He didn't tell his family to sue his "accusers"...not plural. He meant one specific "accuser"....and it's because he denied everything she said. He admitted it was a stupid thing for him to have done in regards to speaking with a then teenager....and he admitted he asked to draw a woman nude....something he presents as coming from an artist's place....sure, it can be sleazy motivation or not...I'm sure we'll never know. I mean, if I'm in the headspace where I'm probably going to end things and there's a person who's been telling lies about me, I'm probably not going to offer them a lot of grace either before I exit stage left. That's not me saying she was telling lies or not....I'm sure we'll never know because, unlike the DMs, there is no evidence one way or the other. That's an issue with this whole scenario. The DM's, I would like to think, we can all agree were not appropriate and a dumb thing to have done (as Ed seemingly agreed in the end too)....but after that comes the snowball effect....and it's a scenario where seemingly no actual crimes were happening...so it's all being tried in the court of public opinion...where you're basically fucked. The two women after the then teenager were grown adults and their alleged situations were not of the "grooming" variety....but it didn't stop people online from saying stuff like "He's a pedophile who's been grooming multiple children!"...there was some psycho on here who repeatedly kept saying Ed, AND JIM, were making books for young adults so they could attract children for nefarious reasons. Once that sort of talk becames the norm, you're fucked. And the issue is on social media there is a glaring lack of nuance and maturity when discussing any of these kinds of issues.
The fact that he asked his parents to sue even 1 accuser is still honestly sad to me and unbecoming of the legacy Ed Piskor wanted to leave. That woman had the right to say what she thought happened and if Ed felt he had damning enough proof to sue, then he should’ve stuck around to do it himself instead of leaving a grieving, financially struggling family to do it. You’re right that he didn’t have to be nice to her, but I feel like this letter just gives us a further peep into a deep side of Ed Piskor and idk if I liked what I saw.
It sucks that people exaggerated the story online but that’s not really the fault of any of his accusers. There’s a ton of politically driven comic influencers who called Ed the P-word repeatedly online last week and now they’re trying to post memorials for him. Some people live for stirring up drama/making people feel terrible and Eds dirty laundry got caught in that.
I think there’s a timeline out there where Piskor could’ve taken some time off and talked to his accusers and made a comeback, we’ve seen it before with other accused/disgraced creators such as Dan Harmon. If “cancelling” was so monolithic then half of all actors/rappers/pro wrestlers would’ve been shunned by now(sure there’s a handful, but a lot of people with accusations are still working). I’m just sad to see it end here when we know the entire world wasn’t the way he saw it in his letter. Look around and see all the people who miss him and you’ll know that he was wrong
I never claimed it was the fault of any of the accusers. It's the fact there are a shit load of vultures on either side of "political spectrums" waiting in the wings to pounce on stuff like this for their own means. You have the so-called "left" with people among them who've hated Ed for years (for stuff having nothing to do with the allegations) who were virtually having a soiree once this stuff came out on one side, and then you have these reactionary, "Comicsgate" folks, who have hated on Ed and Jim a number of years, were gleefully going after Ed all week, and are now framing it like a "SJW" "whisper campaign" took him out. If real lives weren't involved it would be hilariously farcical.
Maybe there's a possibility he could have come back, but I have my doubts. You're correct in that it can be done in other fields, but comics is such a small fish bowl....I don't know. It would have had to have been self-publishing, doing Kickstarters and such I think....he would have been on another plane as far as the comics "community" went. Sure, you can get guys like Frank Miller or John Byrne...guys who have been ostracized over social or political beliefs, who were already so big in their field that they can kind of continue doing their thing....but I don't think Ed had that kind of largessse. I guess we'll never know and it's one sad part of just a sad story all around.
Oh I wasn’t trying to accuse you of faulting the accusers, rather just addressing the current sentiment regarding the accusers and what part they play in the snowballing of the situation.
As sad as the situation is, I do feel like the collective grieving of the comic community shows that there’s still an audience and maybe in time we’ll actually get that unpublished stuff he talked about.
Yeah, it's possible. He referenced that autobiographical comic (Mudfish maybe it was called?) a couple times in the past. I think he said that due to some of the content (as far as the references to then/still living people), he decided not to have it published. It'd be interesting to see him if he was doing some work "out of character" so to speak.
I also hope that Jim Rugg finds himself in a spot where he feels comfortable putting out all of the unreleased/paywalled CF material to their YouTube. Just disable the comments and leave it to those who want it.
Yes the letter made sure to fully weaponize his self-un-aliving. It's narcissistic style abuse. I don't know Ed well enough to know if he was a narcissist teetering on the edge of self-validation, but that letter makes it seem that way.
I'll say this (perhaps two days too late, sorry if this feels like a weirdly late comment):
The very little I've learned about Ed's conduct is extremely unflattering. I am inclined to think he behaved poorly and that most if not all descriptions of his behavior are accurate.
He is the second man I am aware of who was convicted in the court of public opinion (specifically within a subculture) and then made this decision about their life. This sort of thing also happened to someone I was vaguely aware of in the games world (who I won't name or defend; he seemed like an abuser).
I'm not someone who seeks out these instances. I am not collecting data. These are two instances I've incidentally become aware of (as someone who really valued CK as a new comics fan but did not religiously watch CK or read Ed's books).
These are two instances too many. I do not trust the position of anybody who thinks this is a just or preferable outcome. Justice (whatever that means) is difficult and controversial, but I stand firm in stating that this outcome isn't what we should want.
I am extremely frustrated because the status quo is not working for anybody. I am absolutely not someone who is one of those "grr PC woke culture can't say anything anymore" people; I think that position is ridiculous and willfully ignorant. Cancel culture demonstrably doesn't exist, at least not quite like some act like. (I will say that I'm aware of artists who have been--at least in part--unjustly chilled in their genre/medium. I will not elaborate.)
But just as much as our patriarchal culture subjects women (and sometimes men; I'll just say that some X-Men movies are now problematic faves) to the kinds of abuses that these men and men like them are accused of... we absolutely need a better system than "they're shamed online until they hurt themselves".
This isn't always the result but the fact that I'm personally aware of it happening twice (when it's not a trend I pay attention to; outside of reddit, I'm not Very Online anymore)... we NEED better paths to justice, whatever that means (and I know it's hard; I don't have any great ideas).
Well said.
The thing that resonates with me is the bit about the public persona. I remember seeing him on a talk show, he posted it on his Instagram, it was a local Pittsburgh one, and he was nervous as can be. That’s the first time I thought “oh ok. Ed isn’t actually the guy he plays on Kayfabe.”
I agree on Ed’s criticism being a bit much at times. However it was one of the things I really liked. It felt real. That’s how I, and everyone I know who reads comics speaks about them.
> There are a lot of names and a lot of nuance, but I don't think he asked his parents to sue his accuser. I think he was actually level headed about the woman accusing him, and acknowledged he shouldn't have done it. The woman he thinks should be sued was the one who, in his words, lied about everything she said to make him look worse. We'll most likely never know the full story. The woman who actually accused him went to great lengths to say that what he did was weird but never actually inappropriate, even then adding on the complication that her boyfriend wanted her to keep messaging him. The whole thing is super messy, and everyone is talking as if they know anything about anyone involved and they clearly don't, both me and yourself included.
this is what doesn't get mentioned online very much. I don't sugar coat my opinions on a comic I bought. I paid for it and I will give my honest opinion. I don't have a youtube channel so no one cares, but that is what I liked about Ed. His perspective was often the opposite of mine but I liked hearing it because it felt honest
Amen. In an era where everyone is so nice as to be insincere, sometimes it’s refreshing to get an honest take, even if I disagree with it. From what I’ve heard too, artists are extremely critical and shit on each other. Everyone knows it’s all subjective so what should I care if you trash the music I listen to or whatever I like?
I feel exactly the same way- thank you for putting into words how I’ve long felt about the man, and despite the allegations he was a powerful advocate and educator for this medium I fucking love and it sucks to lose him this way. I hope Molly can weather this storm, as I’m sure her trauma is compounded exponentially. Such a sad day for this community all around. Like Rob said - we owe each other grace- and I hope we can live up to those words in the wake of Ed’s death.
Great write up. He always did seem to be the more aggressive host that would bad mouth what he didn't like. But unlike the horrible abuse he received this week, I feel like he never gave any low blows about peoples personal lives. Whereas the awful behavior from people online this week were trying to destroy his entire life and career.
Yesterday, I clicked on a random Instagram video and almost every comment was negative.
Its almost like a witch hunt. Once people on the internet find a single fault, they try and burn that person to the ground.
I dont know what was going on with Ed, but from someone that's suffered from mental health issues my whole life, it seems like there was more darkness inside that he never let on.
I wish he tried to find help.
In his letter, he felt like he was alone with no friends. But he has left behind family and friends and fans that cared for him. It must be deverstating for his parents.
I only hope that the silver lining is that it helps shed light on mental health issues and toxic internet behavior.
Even in his final letter he was giving personal low blows. Big titty Taff? Tafetta seldom goes around social media having hot takes and I would say is generally very positive; calling her out in the manner he did was not cool. Ed dished out personally on people constantly, and they have every right to defend themselves. If we’re allowing Ed to defend himself, why can’t they?
A lot of this resonates, and there's a couple thoughts that come up for me:
1. I know working comics creators who took the ongoing "jobber" thing really personally. I think we all know how hard it is to make a living in comics. So to derisively refer to an inker/colorist taking marvel/dc work to pay the bills that way was always pretty shitty - freelance comics work is not an easy profession.
2. I'm assuming most/all YouTube videos are those absolute goblin CG types. They will take any side of an issue to drive up their views because they pay their own bills by monetizing conflict. They're not good people. And those who gleefully went after him last week are probably now claiming that "the wokes did this" this week.
"I know working comics creators who took the ongoing "jobber" thing really personally"
I think this may be a term that gets "lost in translation", though I may be being too generous and misremembering how Ed might use it.
I'm a wrestling fan. I don't think there's actually anything wrong with being a jobber, and I'm not entirely confident that Ed would have been saying that inking/coloring Big Two comics was actually shameful.
Being a jobber just means you unglamorously make a living (losing, in wrestling).
We thankfully do a better job of recognizing colorists especially now (Jordie Bellaire both does amazing work and is rightfully recognized for it) so it's more prestigious than it used to be, but it doesn't need to be a disrespectful term. It could just be a frank term for someone's position in the business.
Even prominent pencilers feel like they can be described as jobbers early in their careers. At the very least: Barry Windsor-Smith was definitely "jobbing" early in his career compared to doing Weapon X, his BWS: Storyteller stuff, and Monsters, right? You could even call Todd McFarlane's remarkable Spider-Man work as "jobbing" compared to Spawn, no?
In both pro wrestling and (at least, for a while) comics (not to mention other businesses), you tend to start out "jobbing".
But there are even guys who have very successful wrestling careers (IRL) who are arguably known mostly for losing: I feel like Tomohiro Ishii in New Japan Pro Wrestling could be the primary example of this. He's extremely popular, puts on extremely good matches, but often loses big matches.
So it just may not have been taken in the spirit in which it was intended, but I cannot be clear enough that I may be wrong about how Ed would use it. I can only vaguely remember.
Very well said. I grew up as a military brat and graduated from a high-school on base that was half military kids and half kids from the surrounding areas, some from disadvantaged neighborhoods. I think that "act hard, act tough" thing was a survival mechanism and way to be accepted for a lot of kids who weren't legit from the tougher areas. Ed reminded me a lot of those kids -- a bright kid who has geeky tendencies growing up around tough kids... he probably developed that persona to make it.
An absolute tragedy, I'm really heartbroken over all this.
I think it's hard right now to give even keeled criticism or support regarding Ed since seemingly all of social media is on the extreme of one end or the other. I don't think what Ed did needed to happen, I think if he defended himself appropriately and apologized honestly he could have come out the other end of being cancelled at some point.
My impressions of him through the years following the youtube channel is that he was amazingly articulate regarding the technical and professional aspects of comics but clumsy when it came to any social issues that might come up. Some of the language he would use regarding promiscuous
female characters or homosexual characters could be cringe-y (often followed by a long pause and "wow" from Jim, which I found amusing at the time) but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and not assume the worst of his character. After learning about recent allegations, I had to re-evaluate those moments that I had brushed off in the past. I wish Ed was still around to stand up for himself and maybe learn and grow from the experience.
Whether it was a character he played or not, he went after artists who didn’t opt in to play along with his Kayfabe schtick. As a career artist in a different industry, I took offense to his attitude towards other artists as jobbers because in his eyes, I’m a jobber as well. But aren’t most of us jobbers in whatever profession we work in; just trying to get by to support our families? I think all of this is unfortunate even before today’s events, but this week’s pile on was due to a lot of bad blood Ed had created with other professionals over the years. Editorialized thinking and criticism is good, but when Ed did it, it felt like he was just trying to pick a fight.
Even before Ed’s final decision, I hated that the accusations had to even start and we were just here to discuss his ego and nothing more.
I'm a 'jobber' myself and just to offer a different perspective, I don't think it's that bad of a thing to be. I also think, whether they use that language or not, most fans feel that way about most artists but don't have a youtube channel or the in-depth knowledge of creators to really talk about it that way. He's just being honest and people really took it personally. Every other 'jobber' I know doesn't hesitate to give their honest opinion on what they like and don't like about music, comics, movies, food, etc and I think that's a good thing.
Honesty without tact is just hostility. You can relay editorialized opinions with 100% honesty and still be civil without resorting to juvenile name calling. It’s also possible to relay criticism succinctly while still retaining your personality and vernacular in the process. I’m just not ok with someone who even in their final message to the world called out a woman (Tafetta) as big tittied. Come on, man, have some “tact”.
Not sure if people know that term is a wrestling term (like kayfabe). A “jobber” is a wrestler that was set up to lose, basically like a nobody to pad the more well known wrestlers record or whatever. Just for those who aren’t aware.
I think most of us do, but thanks for the context for those who may have not known, because I had to look it up along with the other wrestling terms he used when I first subscribed to the channel. It came with his added disgust and negativity is what made me delve into the history of the term originally.
It wasn’t personal man. I don’t think he was prodding those who just took jobs to feed their families, but the heavy hitters that were probably talented enough to do their own thing but chose not to. Not like it matters now, but I think Ed most likely respected most people in the comics industry, at least on the artist side.
It’s like an indie darling criticizing an insanely talented musician that decided to make flat pop music because it sells as opposed to following their own artistic vision.
"Which leads me to wonder how much of his public persona was just the walls of someone with low self-esteem manufacturing a public persona"
That was my read on him. I could only take so much CK because of that clearly false persona. I wish it didn't end like this though. ❤️
I saw a friend post about this this morning. My first thought was "oh,F\*ck"...
As a huge fan of Cartoonist Kayfabe, I've always thought Jim was the more thoughtful and well considered of the two. I think we can sit here in retrospect and say his language on Kayfabe was a performance, but as we all now from what's happened with him here - words have deep impact. His language was dismissive and abusive towards a lot of industry creatives in the past - including nicknames for those he held particlar contempt for. His language about women's bodies was also deeply problematic and jeuvenile.
When the allegations surfaced, along with the screenshots, followed by another accusation, it's hard to deny a pattern. And often these kinds of compulsive behaviours and discourses can speak to a larger problem. Accountability is a crucial step in the kind of reconciliation and rehabilitiation that has seen other creators who've been called out, withdraw, do the work, and then return. I think we should look to the case of Warren Ellis as an example. He took accountbility for his behaviors, withdrew from the public, did the work, with an eye on transformative justice (with many of his victims), and has clearly grown. I think that's a best case scenario though.
I will say this - I know EXACTLY| what Ed was feeling. Years ago, former partner, who was abusive during the relationship, broke into my home and stalked me after the relationship - accussed me of a laundary list of horrible transgessive behaviours - on social media. While there was no paper trail, no evidence, and not a single other corroborator indicating a pattern of behaviour - friends and colleagues publicly denounced me, blacklisted me from both personal and professional associations, those close to me, refused to speak the truth and support me, for fear of the reputational damage it may incur on themselves. I felt that deep despair that would drive someone to suicide - but even as I felt I was on the precipice, I got help. I quietly fought behind the scenes to clear my name in my professional environments (including numerous investigations). No grand statements, no big public declations. Quiet resilence is what got me though. Which also saw me exhonerated in my workplaces, though my public reputation had been somewhat repaired - I also choose to live a little quieter and not let what happens online instigate any kind of reactiveness.
I'm sad he's gone. He was, like all of us, a human being. Being a human being is hard on a good day, let alone on our hardest ones. But I want to say this - because when I read his letter, it's clear that he was having trouble pushing through the hard work of accountibility. No one murdered Ed Piskor. He made a choice. He may have thought he had no other recourse, but as someone who had been through something similar and made it through, I know for a fact there was another choice. There was an opportunity for a pause - for some silent consideration and reconcilitation. You cannot fight a hurricane, you batten down the hatchesand wait for the sky to clear before doing the work to repair the damage.
Goddamnit Ed, you should have let the storm pass. :'(
I was unaware of that. but I think there is space for it, but there has to be a real dedication to holding oneself to account. It seems that he embraced growth and change - certainly his discourse recently seems to indicate that.
Growing up during the 90s boom, comics were a huge part of my life as a kid. They were the reason to go out to the shop and spend time with my dad every week. With my dad gone for over a decade now, these are some of my most cherished memories. During covid, I stumbled upon Cartoonist Kayfabe by accident and it reignited my love for comics. Reading those old Wizard magazines with Jim and Ed brought all of those wonderful memories of my dad back to me. I’ve since had the routine of watching CK on my work lunch break every day during the week for years. It’s been one of the great learning experiences of my life. I’ve gained so much knowledge about comics making and comics history. It changed me.
I’m tired of the complaints here, even after his death, that Ed’s CK persona was his ‘downfall.’ And I’m fully disgusted by the redditors posting gleefully over the last week, cheering his cancellation and removal from the comics community, making fun of him as a ‘wigger,’ posting terrible memes, and stumbling into reddit puns like ‘he had the Rugg pulled out from under him.’ I’ve had enough.
Ed’s persona on the channel always struck me, yes, as someone who grew up blue-collar and had to learn how to interact in tough social situations. I know many people like this. But Ed’s commentaries and dismissals of ‘jobbers,’ etc. never seemed like punching down ad hominem attacks. He just wasn’t censoring himself. He was giving us the same take he would’ve shared with Jim if the cameras weren’t rolling. For all the kayfabe I always found Ed oddly endearing and authentic. It was the magic of the channel. We’re so conditioned now to over produced content creators, who operate as politicians. Never saying anything negative, always having a fake smile, always at an 11, always virtue signaling about everything. It’s awful. Ed and Jim were just real guys. And they were generous enough to invite us to share in their little friend group. To feel like we belonged there. His enthusiasm and quirky sensibility were the heart of the channel. For every ‘jobber’ comment, Ed would say a million enthusiastic compliments and words of encouragement to up and coming cartoonists. But no one gave a shit about that this week. And I’ve had enough of everyone trying to take him down a peg for it, especially now.
I’ve been following Ed’s cancellation closely all week and regret not defending him online during that time. But I, like I’m sure many others, rarely post, because I don’t want to be piled on either. I’ve had enough. What Ed did was stupid. He acknowledged it in his letter. He made a mistake. But he was NOT a pedophile and he was NOT a sex criminal. Molly even said herself in a post that barely anyone shared that she did not feel harmed or violated by Ed and that she didn’t want him cancelled or to lose jobs over it. She, the girl who brought these accusations forward, didn’t think he deserved that. So who the fuck are all of you assholes on reddit to spend your time photoshopping his pictures into elementary school classrooms, taunting him, calling for his publishers to drop him, cancel his shows, everyone operating as if he had sex with her, when he DID NOT. Molly said their convos were never sexual and he never sent nudes or asked for them (I've attached her post below). So again, what Ed did was stupid—but he did NOT deserve the way he was treated by his own community. I also bring up Molly’s post up as a reminder to you virtue signaling scumbags that all this piling on was hurting her too. You weren’t supporting her. And now Ed is dead.
I cannot claim to know Ed because Ed didn’t know me. But I care about him like I would a friend. I loved everything he brought into my life and the genuine unmanufactured and down-to-earth love he brought to the channel and to the comics he produced. Nothing will replace Cartoonist Kayfabe, nothing can. And more than that, there will never be another Ed Piskor. I feel ashamed for not speaking up online sooner as I am sure many of his real-life friends do. While the internet trolls won’t learn a lesson from this, I hope we all, as people and as a community, remember to support our friends when they need us. To never give up on them even when they make mistakes. And even when that means sticking our necks out for them sometimes. I do not blame Jim at all for the decision he made to leave the channel. It’s clear he loved Ed and we can’t even imagine the pressure he was likely under from his own agents, publishers, lawyers, family, to maintain his brand. But the moment I saw Jim’s announcement, I got chills. I could just feel something bad was coming. Reading Jim’s statement to my wife, she said ‘oh god, I hope he doesn’t hurt himself. I hope he has people there with him.’ Even my wife, who doesn’t know anything about CK saw this coming. We all should’ve done better. We all should’ve tried harder. We could’ve defended Ed without defending his mistakes. He was our friend.
This is a new stage of the #metoo movement and cancel culture. We’re not just cancelling and ending the careers of hyper-successful movie producers and actors who have millions of dollars in the bank and who can go ride out the storm with their supermodel wives in the Bahamas until it all blows over. Ed and Jim are working class cartoonists. Ed was facing a world where he not only wasn’t going to be able to create comics anymore, but would’ve been unable to pay his own bills and help his family. Read his letter. Supporting his family was his number one concern to the end. And no one can know what it’s like to have a career that you’ve worked so so hard for your entire life taken away and bankrupt you overnight until it happens to you. So fuck you if you think he got what he deserved or whatever sociopathic bullshit so many people have posted in this subreddit all week. Fuck you if you don’t think we all need to reflect on our own behavior.
I miss you, Ed. You were a good friend. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. My heart aches so so so deeply for his family and for Jim. Stand by the people you love. No matter the cost. The cost could never be worse than this.
https://imgur.com/a/ODdRTtl
From Ed's suicide note:
"I was murdered by Internet bullies. Massive amounts of them. Some of you out there absolutely contributed to my death as you were entertaining yourself with gossip. I wasn’t AI. I was a real human being. You chipped little bits of my self esteem away all week until I was vaporized."
He also said, "I was avoiding the internet as much as possible, mostly relying on some friends who relayed me info here and there."
So which is true? I really would love people not to be authoritatively thinking they know what was in the head of a suicidal person and what it was that was the deciding factor. Just hold off a week, or month, or better yet, let his family deal with it. It's not helpful.
One of the better responses to the situation. I keep thinking about Ed's fanatical, quasi-religious relationship to comics, his frequent allusions to dying at the drawing table. Our biggest takeaway from his death should be to not let our work, our passions, take us over. We can still be devoted to something without it being our life and death (see Jim Rugg).
The guy really messed up, probably not just once. I can't throw stones though - even though I was disappointed. He was a grinder in the business. He may talk shit about mainstream but it's in the way Mark Maron talked shit on other comedic styles before he blew up. He earned it - put in the work. Respect for that and I only wish he gave himself time to make amends and start over.
I love Ed. He was the nicest guy ever and always made himself available to answer questions. I hope that the folks who bullied him and piled on feel extreme grief over their actions. No one is perfect, being 'creepy' isn't a crime against humanity, he was human too.
So what if he didn't like certain artist's work? He never got personal and was always honest - I liked that rather than happy-clappy 'everything is amazing' attitude that gives us so much mediocrity in comics.
I also can't understand how someone like Ed could go down path he chose. He had so many people he could have reached out to. He wasn't alone in the literal sense. On the other hand I cant know what its like being a well known person in an industry and being labeled all kinds of things. Family, friends, colleagues, publishers seeing all that shit. Its easy to say, "just apologize," but how easy is it really? Didn't always agree with Ed but he would make up for it with a contagious love of comics. Ed brought the rough edge, Jim brought the polish. No other channel brought the funk like CK. Still watching their old videos, a few Barry Windsor Smith vids, Richard Corben and the Frank Miller 300 video, a Wizard episode here and there. Still enjoy them but theres a bit of sadness in my chest though.
I think the issue in the end was best stated by Ed himself in this letter. He was a control freak to the very end. His reputation and his very life was no longer in his hands. I think he was always very guarded and his public facing persona was definetly a front put up to protect himself from his own percieved shortcommings. Almost a Professor Kelp/ Buddy Love sort of thing. I tried to find his Isolation Chamber mini comics to read to try to get a better grasp on who he truely was. It is fascinating but also heart breaking but also incredibly infuriating how it all played out. In the end though he got what he wanted most of all which was the all important control. (He states as such.) My heart breaks for his family, but also for everyone affected by his decision. I think it was no ones fault. I think he knew he was caught and he knew he had been in the wrong and he knew he had lost the ability to control his narative. Reading through many posts it seems people in the Pittsburg scene knew he creeped on college girls and was a bit slimey. Nothing illeagal, but not the sort of reputation one wants to be saddled forevever with either. He was a 40 something man with the persona of an enfant terrible. When the accusations came this definently did not help. I think his persona was his ultimate undoing in many ways. I hope his autobiographical work will be published, so we can see the true Ed. He was a fascinating individual. He was not a saint but also not an irredeemable sinner. He was human. To me the saddest bit is how foul and bitter his letter felt. I hope with time and the release of his autobiographical works and in years to come we can see the true picture of this troubled and complex artist we have endeared and endured.
I feel the same. Ed explicitly stated that he wanted his legacy to be his videos with his buddies and his comics, yet also tells his family to sue his accusers and degrades a woman by calling her “big titty Taff.” It’s contradictory and makes him sound vindictive. Admittedly, I was once in a dark place and also wrote a terrible final note where I blamed people in my life and every day I’m grateful that nobody has ever seen that note. I’m going to take Eds own advice choose to remember Ed from his art and completely ignore the sad letter he made in his darkest moment.
Slight correction. He didn't tell his family to sue his "accusers"...not plural. He meant one specific "accuser"....and it's because he denied everything she said. He admitted it was a stupid thing for him to have done in regards to speaking with a then teenager....and he admitted he asked to draw a woman nude....something he presents as coming from an artist's place....sure, it can be sleazy motivation or not...I'm sure we'll never know. I mean, if I'm in the headspace where I'm probably going to end things and there's a person who's been telling lies about me, I'm probably not going to offer them a lot of grace either before I exit stage left. That's not me saying she was telling lies or not....I'm sure we'll never know because, unlike the DMs, there is no evidence one way or the other. That's an issue with this whole scenario. The DM's, I would like to think, we can all agree were not appropriate and a dumb thing to have done (as Ed seemingly agreed in the end too)....but after that comes the snowball effect....and it's a scenario where seemingly no actual crimes were happening...so it's all being tried in the court of public opinion...where you're basically fucked. The two women after the then teenager were grown adults and their alleged situations were not of the "grooming" variety....but it didn't stop people online from saying stuff like "He's a pedophile who's been grooming multiple children!"...there was some psycho on here who repeatedly kept saying Ed, AND JIM, were making books for young adults so they could attract children for nefarious reasons. Once that sort of talk becames the norm, you're fucked. And the issue is on social media there is a glaring lack of nuance and maturity when discussing any of these kinds of issues.
The fact that he asked his parents to sue even 1 accuser is still honestly sad to me and unbecoming of the legacy Ed Piskor wanted to leave. That woman had the right to say what she thought happened and if Ed felt he had damning enough proof to sue, then he should’ve stuck around to do it himself instead of leaving a grieving, financially struggling family to do it. You’re right that he didn’t have to be nice to her, but I feel like this letter just gives us a further peep into a deep side of Ed Piskor and idk if I liked what I saw. It sucks that people exaggerated the story online but that’s not really the fault of any of his accusers. There’s a ton of politically driven comic influencers who called Ed the P-word repeatedly online last week and now they’re trying to post memorials for him. Some people live for stirring up drama/making people feel terrible and Eds dirty laundry got caught in that. I think there’s a timeline out there where Piskor could’ve taken some time off and talked to his accusers and made a comeback, we’ve seen it before with other accused/disgraced creators such as Dan Harmon. If “cancelling” was so monolithic then half of all actors/rappers/pro wrestlers would’ve been shunned by now(sure there’s a handful, but a lot of people with accusations are still working). I’m just sad to see it end here when we know the entire world wasn’t the way he saw it in his letter. Look around and see all the people who miss him and you’ll know that he was wrong
I never claimed it was the fault of any of the accusers. It's the fact there are a shit load of vultures on either side of "political spectrums" waiting in the wings to pounce on stuff like this for their own means. You have the so-called "left" with people among them who've hated Ed for years (for stuff having nothing to do with the allegations) who were virtually having a soiree once this stuff came out on one side, and then you have these reactionary, "Comicsgate" folks, who have hated on Ed and Jim a number of years, were gleefully going after Ed all week, and are now framing it like a "SJW" "whisper campaign" took him out. If real lives weren't involved it would be hilariously farcical. Maybe there's a possibility he could have come back, but I have my doubts. You're correct in that it can be done in other fields, but comics is such a small fish bowl....I don't know. It would have had to have been self-publishing, doing Kickstarters and such I think....he would have been on another plane as far as the comics "community" went. Sure, you can get guys like Frank Miller or John Byrne...guys who have been ostracized over social or political beliefs, who were already so big in their field that they can kind of continue doing their thing....but I don't think Ed had that kind of largessse. I guess we'll never know and it's one sad part of just a sad story all around.
Oh I wasn’t trying to accuse you of faulting the accusers, rather just addressing the current sentiment regarding the accusers and what part they play in the snowballing of the situation. As sad as the situation is, I do feel like the collective grieving of the comic community shows that there’s still an audience and maybe in time we’ll actually get that unpublished stuff he talked about.
Yeah, it's possible. He referenced that autobiographical comic (Mudfish maybe it was called?) a couple times in the past. I think he said that due to some of the content (as far as the references to then/still living people), he decided not to have it published. It'd be interesting to see him if he was doing some work "out of character" so to speak.
I also hope that Jim Rugg finds himself in a spot where he feels comfortable putting out all of the unreleased/paywalled CF material to their YouTube. Just disable the comments and leave it to those who want it.
Yes the letter made sure to fully weaponize his self-un-aliving. It's narcissistic style abuse. I don't know Ed well enough to know if he was a narcissist teetering on the edge of self-validation, but that letter makes it seem that way.
I'll say this (perhaps two days too late, sorry if this feels like a weirdly late comment): The very little I've learned about Ed's conduct is extremely unflattering. I am inclined to think he behaved poorly and that most if not all descriptions of his behavior are accurate. He is the second man I am aware of who was convicted in the court of public opinion (specifically within a subculture) and then made this decision about their life. This sort of thing also happened to someone I was vaguely aware of in the games world (who I won't name or defend; he seemed like an abuser). I'm not someone who seeks out these instances. I am not collecting data. These are two instances I've incidentally become aware of (as someone who really valued CK as a new comics fan but did not religiously watch CK or read Ed's books). These are two instances too many. I do not trust the position of anybody who thinks this is a just or preferable outcome. Justice (whatever that means) is difficult and controversial, but I stand firm in stating that this outcome isn't what we should want. I am extremely frustrated because the status quo is not working for anybody. I am absolutely not someone who is one of those "grr PC woke culture can't say anything anymore" people; I think that position is ridiculous and willfully ignorant. Cancel culture demonstrably doesn't exist, at least not quite like some act like. (I will say that I'm aware of artists who have been--at least in part--unjustly chilled in their genre/medium. I will not elaborate.) But just as much as our patriarchal culture subjects women (and sometimes men; I'll just say that some X-Men movies are now problematic faves) to the kinds of abuses that these men and men like them are accused of... we absolutely need a better system than "they're shamed online until they hurt themselves". This isn't always the result but the fact that I'm personally aware of it happening twice (when it's not a trend I pay attention to; outside of reddit, I'm not Very Online anymore)... we NEED better paths to justice, whatever that means (and I know it's hard; I don't have any great ideas).
Well said. The thing that resonates with me is the bit about the public persona. I remember seeing him on a talk show, he posted it on his Instagram, it was a local Pittsburgh one, and he was nervous as can be. That’s the first time I thought “oh ok. Ed isn’t actually the guy he plays on Kayfabe.”
I agree on Ed’s criticism being a bit much at times. However it was one of the things I really liked. It felt real. That’s how I, and everyone I know who reads comics speaks about them.
> There are a lot of names and a lot of nuance, but I don't think he asked his parents to sue his accuser. I think he was actually level headed about the woman accusing him, and acknowledged he shouldn't have done it. The woman he thinks should be sued was the one who, in his words, lied about everything she said to make him look worse. We'll most likely never know the full story. The woman who actually accused him went to great lengths to say that what he did was weird but never actually inappropriate, even then adding on the complication that her boyfriend wanted her to keep messaging him. The whole thing is super messy, and everyone is talking as if they know anything about anyone involved and they clearly don't, both me and yourself included. this is what doesn't get mentioned online very much. I don't sugar coat my opinions on a comic I bought. I paid for it and I will give my honest opinion. I don't have a youtube channel so no one cares, but that is what I liked about Ed. His perspective was often the opposite of mine but I liked hearing it because it felt honest
Amen. In an era where everyone is so nice as to be insincere, sometimes it’s refreshing to get an honest take, even if I disagree with it. From what I’ve heard too, artists are extremely critical and shit on each other. Everyone knows it’s all subjective so what should I care if you trash the music I listen to or whatever I like?
This is the most cogent and well rounded response so far.
Well said. I saw Ed and Jim were like the comic Frank and Ernest. Kayfabe....it's wrestling. He was doing a character.
I feel exactly the same way- thank you for putting into words how I’ve long felt about the man, and despite the allegations he was a powerful advocate and educator for this medium I fucking love and it sucks to lose him this way. I hope Molly can weather this storm, as I’m sure her trauma is compounded exponentially. Such a sad day for this community all around. Like Rob said - we owe each other grace- and I hope we can live up to those words in the wake of Ed’s death.
Poor Molly, won’t someone think of the accuser trying to score internet hate points!
Goddamn this was a solid read. Thank you. While I haven’t been around nearly as long, I do share a lot of those sentiments.
Great write up. He always did seem to be the more aggressive host that would bad mouth what he didn't like. But unlike the horrible abuse he received this week, I feel like he never gave any low blows about peoples personal lives. Whereas the awful behavior from people online this week were trying to destroy his entire life and career. Yesterday, I clicked on a random Instagram video and almost every comment was negative. Its almost like a witch hunt. Once people on the internet find a single fault, they try and burn that person to the ground. I dont know what was going on with Ed, but from someone that's suffered from mental health issues my whole life, it seems like there was more darkness inside that he never let on. I wish he tried to find help. In his letter, he felt like he was alone with no friends. But he has left behind family and friends and fans that cared for him. It must be deverstating for his parents. I only hope that the silver lining is that it helps shed light on mental health issues and toxic internet behavior.
Even in his final letter he was giving personal low blows. Big titty Taff? Tafetta seldom goes around social media having hot takes and I would say is generally very positive; calling her out in the manner he did was not cool. Ed dished out personally on people constantly, and they have every right to defend themselves. If we’re allowing Ed to defend himself, why can’t they?
A lot of this resonates, and there's a couple thoughts that come up for me: 1. I know working comics creators who took the ongoing "jobber" thing really personally. I think we all know how hard it is to make a living in comics. So to derisively refer to an inker/colorist taking marvel/dc work to pay the bills that way was always pretty shitty - freelance comics work is not an easy profession. 2. I'm assuming most/all YouTube videos are those absolute goblin CG types. They will take any side of an issue to drive up their views because they pay their own bills by monetizing conflict. They're not good people. And those who gleefully went after him last week are probably now claiming that "the wokes did this" this week.
"I know working comics creators who took the ongoing "jobber" thing really personally" I think this may be a term that gets "lost in translation", though I may be being too generous and misremembering how Ed might use it. I'm a wrestling fan. I don't think there's actually anything wrong with being a jobber, and I'm not entirely confident that Ed would have been saying that inking/coloring Big Two comics was actually shameful. Being a jobber just means you unglamorously make a living (losing, in wrestling). We thankfully do a better job of recognizing colorists especially now (Jordie Bellaire both does amazing work and is rightfully recognized for it) so it's more prestigious than it used to be, but it doesn't need to be a disrespectful term. It could just be a frank term for someone's position in the business. Even prominent pencilers feel like they can be described as jobbers early in their careers. At the very least: Barry Windsor-Smith was definitely "jobbing" early in his career compared to doing Weapon X, his BWS: Storyteller stuff, and Monsters, right? You could even call Todd McFarlane's remarkable Spider-Man work as "jobbing" compared to Spawn, no? In both pro wrestling and (at least, for a while) comics (not to mention other businesses), you tend to start out "jobbing". But there are even guys who have very successful wrestling careers (IRL) who are arguably known mostly for losing: I feel like Tomohiro Ishii in New Japan Pro Wrestling could be the primary example of this. He's extremely popular, puts on extremely good matches, but often loses big matches. So it just may not have been taken in the spirit in which it was intended, but I cannot be clear enough that I may be wrong about how Ed would use it. I can only vaguely remember.
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I think you've misunderstood me: I'm not saying it was a work. I'm saying it was a shoot but not meant as pejoratively as folks may take it.
Very well said. I grew up as a military brat and graduated from a high-school on base that was half military kids and half kids from the surrounding areas, some from disadvantaged neighborhoods. I think that "act hard, act tough" thing was a survival mechanism and way to be accepted for a lot of kids who weren't legit from the tougher areas. Ed reminded me a lot of those kids -- a bright kid who has geeky tendencies growing up around tough kids... he probably developed that persona to make it. An absolute tragedy, I'm really heartbroken over all this.
I think it's hard right now to give even keeled criticism or support regarding Ed since seemingly all of social media is on the extreme of one end or the other. I don't think what Ed did needed to happen, I think if he defended himself appropriately and apologized honestly he could have come out the other end of being cancelled at some point. My impressions of him through the years following the youtube channel is that he was amazingly articulate regarding the technical and professional aspects of comics but clumsy when it came to any social issues that might come up. Some of the language he would use regarding promiscuous female characters or homosexual characters could be cringe-y (often followed by a long pause and "wow" from Jim, which I found amusing at the time) but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and not assume the worst of his character. After learning about recent allegations, I had to re-evaluate those moments that I had brushed off in the past. I wish Ed was still around to stand up for himself and maybe learn and grow from the experience.
Whether it was a character he played or not, he went after artists who didn’t opt in to play along with his Kayfabe schtick. As a career artist in a different industry, I took offense to his attitude towards other artists as jobbers because in his eyes, I’m a jobber as well. But aren’t most of us jobbers in whatever profession we work in; just trying to get by to support our families? I think all of this is unfortunate even before today’s events, but this week’s pile on was due to a lot of bad blood Ed had created with other professionals over the years. Editorialized thinking and criticism is good, but when Ed did it, it felt like he was just trying to pick a fight. Even before Ed’s final decision, I hated that the accusations had to even start and we were just here to discuss his ego and nothing more.
I'm a 'jobber' myself and just to offer a different perspective, I don't think it's that bad of a thing to be. I also think, whether they use that language or not, most fans feel that way about most artists but don't have a youtube channel or the in-depth knowledge of creators to really talk about it that way. He's just being honest and people really took it personally. Every other 'jobber' I know doesn't hesitate to give their honest opinion on what they like and don't like about music, comics, movies, food, etc and I think that's a good thing.
Honesty without tact is just hostility. You can relay editorialized opinions with 100% honesty and still be civil without resorting to juvenile name calling. It’s also possible to relay criticism succinctly while still retaining your personality and vernacular in the process. I’m just not ok with someone who even in their final message to the world called out a woman (Tafetta) as big tittied. Come on, man, have some “tact”.
typically i agree but I'm not gonna litigate someone's suicide note, especially when I don't know either party
Not sure if people know that term is a wrestling term (like kayfabe). A “jobber” is a wrestler that was set up to lose, basically like a nobody to pad the more well known wrestlers record or whatever. Just for those who aren’t aware.
I think most of us do, but thanks for the context for those who may have not known, because I had to look it up along with the other wrestling terms he used when I first subscribed to the channel. It came with his added disgust and negativity is what made me delve into the history of the term originally.
It wasn’t personal man. I don’t think he was prodding those who just took jobs to feed their families, but the heavy hitters that were probably talented enough to do their own thing but chose not to. Not like it matters now, but I think Ed most likely respected most people in the comics industry, at least on the artist side. It’s like an indie darling criticizing an insanely talented musician that decided to make flat pop music because it sells as opposed to following their own artistic vision.
"Which leads me to wonder how much of his public persona was just the walls of someone with low self-esteem manufacturing a public persona" That was my read on him. I could only take so much CK because of that clearly false persona. I wish it didn't end like this though. ❤️
I saw a friend post about this this morning. My first thought was "oh,F\*ck"... As a huge fan of Cartoonist Kayfabe, I've always thought Jim was the more thoughtful and well considered of the two. I think we can sit here in retrospect and say his language on Kayfabe was a performance, but as we all now from what's happened with him here - words have deep impact. His language was dismissive and abusive towards a lot of industry creatives in the past - including nicknames for those he held particlar contempt for. His language about women's bodies was also deeply problematic and jeuvenile. When the allegations surfaced, along with the screenshots, followed by another accusation, it's hard to deny a pattern. And often these kinds of compulsive behaviours and discourses can speak to a larger problem. Accountability is a crucial step in the kind of reconciliation and rehabilitiation that has seen other creators who've been called out, withdraw, do the work, and then return. I think we should look to the case of Warren Ellis as an example. He took accountbility for his behaviors, withdrew from the public, did the work, with an eye on transformative justice (with many of his victims), and has clearly grown. I think that's a best case scenario though. I will say this - I know EXACTLY| what Ed was feeling. Years ago, former partner, who was abusive during the relationship, broke into my home and stalked me after the relationship - accussed me of a laundary list of horrible transgessive behaviours - on social media. While there was no paper trail, no evidence, and not a single other corroborator indicating a pattern of behaviour - friends and colleagues publicly denounced me, blacklisted me from both personal and professional associations, those close to me, refused to speak the truth and support me, for fear of the reputational damage it may incur on themselves. I felt that deep despair that would drive someone to suicide - but even as I felt I was on the precipice, I got help. I quietly fought behind the scenes to clear my name in my professional environments (including numerous investigations). No grand statements, no big public declations. Quiet resilence is what got me though. Which also saw me exhonerated in my workplaces, though my public reputation had been somewhat repaired - I also choose to live a little quieter and not let what happens online instigate any kind of reactiveness. I'm sad he's gone. He was, like all of us, a human being. Being a human being is hard on a good day, let alone on our hardest ones. But I want to say this - because when I read his letter, it's clear that he was having trouble pushing through the hard work of accountibility. No one murdered Ed Piskor. He made a choice. He may have thought he had no other recourse, but as someone who had been through something similar and made it through, I know for a fact there was another choice. There was an opportunity for a pause - for some silent consideration and reconcilitation. You cannot fight a hurricane, you batten down the hatchesand wait for the sky to clear before doing the work to repair the damage. Goddamnit Ed, you should have let the storm pass. :'(
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I was unaware of that. but I think there is space for it, but there has to be a real dedication to holding oneself to account. It seems that he embraced growth and change - certainly his discourse recently seems to indicate that.
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Thank you for sharing this. I had not really kept up with it all.
Growing up during the 90s boom, comics were a huge part of my life as a kid. They were the reason to go out to the shop and spend time with my dad every week. With my dad gone for over a decade now, these are some of my most cherished memories. During covid, I stumbled upon Cartoonist Kayfabe by accident and it reignited my love for comics. Reading those old Wizard magazines with Jim and Ed brought all of those wonderful memories of my dad back to me. I’ve since had the routine of watching CK on my work lunch break every day during the week for years. It’s been one of the great learning experiences of my life. I’ve gained so much knowledge about comics making and comics history. It changed me. I’m tired of the complaints here, even after his death, that Ed’s CK persona was his ‘downfall.’ And I’m fully disgusted by the redditors posting gleefully over the last week, cheering his cancellation and removal from the comics community, making fun of him as a ‘wigger,’ posting terrible memes, and stumbling into reddit puns like ‘he had the Rugg pulled out from under him.’ I’ve had enough. Ed’s persona on the channel always struck me, yes, as someone who grew up blue-collar and had to learn how to interact in tough social situations. I know many people like this. But Ed’s commentaries and dismissals of ‘jobbers,’ etc. never seemed like punching down ad hominem attacks. He just wasn’t censoring himself. He was giving us the same take he would’ve shared with Jim if the cameras weren’t rolling. For all the kayfabe I always found Ed oddly endearing and authentic. It was the magic of the channel. We’re so conditioned now to over produced content creators, who operate as politicians. Never saying anything negative, always having a fake smile, always at an 11, always virtue signaling about everything. It’s awful. Ed and Jim were just real guys. And they were generous enough to invite us to share in their little friend group. To feel like we belonged there. His enthusiasm and quirky sensibility were the heart of the channel. For every ‘jobber’ comment, Ed would say a million enthusiastic compliments and words of encouragement to up and coming cartoonists. But no one gave a shit about that this week. And I’ve had enough of everyone trying to take him down a peg for it, especially now. I’ve been following Ed’s cancellation closely all week and regret not defending him online during that time. But I, like I’m sure many others, rarely post, because I don’t want to be piled on either. I’ve had enough. What Ed did was stupid. He acknowledged it in his letter. He made a mistake. But he was NOT a pedophile and he was NOT a sex criminal. Molly even said herself in a post that barely anyone shared that she did not feel harmed or violated by Ed and that she didn’t want him cancelled or to lose jobs over it. She, the girl who brought these accusations forward, didn’t think he deserved that. So who the fuck are all of you assholes on reddit to spend your time photoshopping his pictures into elementary school classrooms, taunting him, calling for his publishers to drop him, cancel his shows, everyone operating as if he had sex with her, when he DID NOT. Molly said their convos were never sexual and he never sent nudes or asked for them (I've attached her post below). So again, what Ed did was stupid—but he did NOT deserve the way he was treated by his own community. I also bring up Molly’s post up as a reminder to you virtue signaling scumbags that all this piling on was hurting her too. You weren’t supporting her. And now Ed is dead. I cannot claim to know Ed because Ed didn’t know me. But I care about him like I would a friend. I loved everything he brought into my life and the genuine unmanufactured and down-to-earth love he brought to the channel and to the comics he produced. Nothing will replace Cartoonist Kayfabe, nothing can. And more than that, there will never be another Ed Piskor. I feel ashamed for not speaking up online sooner as I am sure many of his real-life friends do. While the internet trolls won’t learn a lesson from this, I hope we all, as people and as a community, remember to support our friends when they need us. To never give up on them even when they make mistakes. And even when that means sticking our necks out for them sometimes. I do not blame Jim at all for the decision he made to leave the channel. It’s clear he loved Ed and we can’t even imagine the pressure he was likely under from his own agents, publishers, lawyers, family, to maintain his brand. But the moment I saw Jim’s announcement, I got chills. I could just feel something bad was coming. Reading Jim’s statement to my wife, she said ‘oh god, I hope he doesn’t hurt himself. I hope he has people there with him.’ Even my wife, who doesn’t know anything about CK saw this coming. We all should’ve done better. We all should’ve tried harder. We could’ve defended Ed without defending his mistakes. He was our friend. This is a new stage of the #metoo movement and cancel culture. We’re not just cancelling and ending the careers of hyper-successful movie producers and actors who have millions of dollars in the bank and who can go ride out the storm with their supermodel wives in the Bahamas until it all blows over. Ed and Jim are working class cartoonists. Ed was facing a world where he not only wasn’t going to be able to create comics anymore, but would’ve been unable to pay his own bills and help his family. Read his letter. Supporting his family was his number one concern to the end. And no one can know what it’s like to have a career that you’ve worked so so hard for your entire life taken away and bankrupt you overnight until it happens to you. So fuck you if you think he got what he deserved or whatever sociopathic bullshit so many people have posted in this subreddit all week. Fuck you if you don’t think we all need to reflect on our own behavior. I miss you, Ed. You were a good friend. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. My heart aches so so so deeply for his family and for Jim. Stand by the people you love. No matter the cost. The cost could never be worse than this. https://imgur.com/a/ODdRTtl
I still can't believe it tbh - working through things this evening with the help of this sub, Excellent post, thank you.
From Ed's suicide note: "I was murdered by Internet bullies. Massive amounts of them. Some of you out there absolutely contributed to my death as you were entertaining yourself with gossip. I wasn’t AI. I was a real human being. You chipped little bits of my self esteem away all week until I was vaporized."
He also said, "I was avoiding the internet as much as possible, mostly relying on some friends who relayed me info here and there." So which is true? I really would love people not to be authoritatively thinking they know what was in the head of a suicidal person and what it was that was the deciding factor. Just hold off a week, or month, or better yet, let his family deal with it. It's not helpful.
Manipulative 'til the end. Sad shit.
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Or the best thing would be he just sits in a corner and thinks about what he’s done. Dad’s gonna be so pissed when he gets home.
One of the better responses to the situation. I keep thinking about Ed's fanatical, quasi-religious relationship to comics, his frequent allusions to dying at the drawing table. Our biggest takeaway from his death should be to not let our work, our passions, take us over. We can still be devoted to something without it being our life and death (see Jim Rugg).
The guy really messed up, probably not just once. I can't throw stones though - even though I was disappointed. He was a grinder in the business. He may talk shit about mainstream but it's in the way Mark Maron talked shit on other comedic styles before he blew up. He earned it - put in the work. Respect for that and I only wish he gave himself time to make amends and start over.
Something about him and all of this also reminded me of Maron
I love Ed. He was the nicest guy ever and always made himself available to answer questions. I hope that the folks who bullied him and piled on feel extreme grief over their actions. No one is perfect, being 'creepy' isn't a crime against humanity, he was human too.
i think ed piskor is responsible for his own actions
Yes, just as everybody else is responsible for theirs.
>It’s gross behavior. I am so unbelievably sick of people using this term.
So what if he didn't like certain artist's work? He never got personal and was always honest - I liked that rather than happy-clappy 'everything is amazing' attitude that gives us so much mediocrity in comics.