The Death of Socrates and What We Athenians Should Do About It

One argument that will surely trigger me in 2024 and beyond goes something like: “For all we know, Ed suffered from depression and was already suicidal.” If you have the temerity or foolishness to run this notion past this 62-year-old cartoonist, you had best be on the other side of the table and prepared to run like hell and disappear into the crowd when you do so. And make sure somebody’s ready to capture all this on their smartphone, too—the video will surely go viral.

The Comix Beat-Up Complete Guide to Outing Your Groomer!

For decades, comix beat-up has been your source for finding out who will be rebooting West Coast Avengers six months from now! But we’re much more than that—

Ed Piskor and Figure Drawing

Jim Rugg and Ed Piskor discuss the importance of figure drawing in my work (transcribed from Cartoonists Kayfabe videos):

Read It and Weep: Collected Writings, April 2024

I’ve posted a number of times on social media since the passing of Ed Piskor (1982-2024) and have written a couple pieces for publication elsewhere. Several people have commented that they have found my words consoling, although I want to stress that I wrote purely for my own personal, selfish, therapeutic reasons—to help me process this awful tragedy and loss. For what they may be worth, I’ve gathered them here for the record:

F is for CKRS

It’s all too easy to blame some abstract, toxic social media for recent events. That notwithstanding, this is what I wrote down in my private journal last year (August 31, 2023) about one very specific, concrete element within that toxicity:

Writing on Ed and Life

It feels like I've written about 10,000 words since the passing of Edward R. Piskor, Jr. (1982-2024) on April 1, and it's only April 12, less than two weeks. I've been gratified to hear from several people, both friends and strangers, who have found some comfort in those words. Of course, I've been writing for completely selfish reasons, to process my own feelings about the tragedy.

You Want a Piece of Me? The Art of the Transactional

“You want a piece of me?”

Perhaps the most hilarious moment in Seinfeld is when Frank Costanza, played by the great Jerry Stiller, asks Elaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “You want a piece of me?” Even funnier is the blooper reel of outtakes as Jerry repeatedly delivers the line to Julia, who can’t keep from cracking up.

Toxic Alan Fans and Their Disappointing Discourse

The author of X-Amount of Comics: 1963 (WhenElse?!) Annual assails the paucity of critical debate surrounding the work ...

Convoluted Comics & Stories: Retroactive World-Building the Megaton Man Universe!

My former publisher recently remarked on how I should have ditched my convoluted storylines and just focused on hit-and-run spoofs of industry trends back in the day. That advice comes about forty years too late, since I have since fallen down the rabbit hole of continuity and retroactive world-building.

"Aaargh!" Denis Kitchen Speaks Out!

Below are some select correspondence from my collection concerning the history of Megaton Man, particularly issues surrounding Megaton Man #11, a crucial turning point in the series and narrative. Scholars are encouraged to explore the Kitchen Sink Papers at Columbia University (which I have not consulted) for a fuller context.