Ed Piskor dead

[James Cameron]

My heart goes out to his family.

https://twitter.com/CTropes/status/1774891424364040250

Ed's note (potentially VERY triggering, read with caution) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1.../preview?pli=1

If anyone doesn't know, he was embroiled in controversy recently due to accusations of grooming. I'm not currently up-to-date on all the controversies, but there were many. Still, I used to tune into his podcast for many years, and I appreciated his work as a comic historian. I still don't know all the details of what he did but it is always sad for someone to die in this manner.

[thwhtGuardian]

Man, it's terrible that he felt his only way forward was to end his life and I feel for his friends and family. I had heard about the grooming claims, but even if it's true death isn't the answer.

[ed2962]

I literally was just about to post about this...

It seems cartoonist/comic book artist Ed Pisker took his life today. It seems it was due to the pressure of being accused of grooming/being a sexual predator. His partner Jim Rugg broke up with him and he had an art show cancelled, and of course there was the social media stuff. he admits that it was stupid to be talking to an underage girl on the internet, but denies that he had any sexual interest in her. He posted his goodbye note on Facebook.

[Mister Mets]

This is messed up on many levels.

My condolences to his friends and family.

I liked what I've read of his comics (Hip Hop Family Tree, X-Men: Grand Design) and his commentary on Cartoonist Kayfabe was interesting.

It seems obvious he was struggling with mental health issues, and couldn't see a path forward after the reaction when some serious mistakes were publicized.

Sometimes, this is how online pile-ons end.

And it seems Comicsgate people are taking advantage of the tragedy to go with their narrative.

[FFJamie94]

Yeah, this is just a miserable situation overall.
I feel for the family and the victims he spoke to that led to all this.

The whole thing is kind of complicated, I feel like the comicsgate lot will take this the wrong way and begin harassing the victims in this.
Erm, **** those guys.
I've seen People celebrating his death, again, **** those guys.

I feel like we need to be very carful with how we handle ourselves online, because sadly, People take social justice in their own hands and it can potentially lead to things like this.
I do think calling out the victims in your suicide note is also an incredibly shitty thing to do, in kind of puts the guilt on them. I really hope they don't have to live with that and don't think they are the ones at fault here.

I really wished this wouldn't be the outcome of the situation. I remained pretty quiet on it all week because really, I feel like talking to this contributes to the toxic discourse online.

Like yeah, Ed was probably a shitty Person, but I don't think the outcome should have been death.
I do believe in second chances, and if the Victims didn't want to forgive, that's their own choice.
I believe that People can change, at least reflect and learn and that would have been the best outcome from this.

I'm saddened all round and hope everyone gets peace from this.

But I know **** will hit the fan and the comicsgate crowd will use this to win points.

[Refrax5]

Yeah, this is just a miserable situation overall.
I feel for the family and the victims he spoke to that led to all this.

The whole thing is kind of complicated, I feel like the comicsgate lot will take this the wrong way and begin harassing the victims in this.
Erm, **** those guys.
I've seen People celebrating his death, again, **** those guys.

I feel like we need to be very carful with how we handle ourselves online, because sadly, People take social justice in their own hands and it can potentially lead to things like this.
I do think calling out the victims in your suicide note is also an incredibly shitty thing to do, in kind of puts the guilt on them. I really hope they don't have to live with that and don't think they are the ones at fault here.

I really wished this wouldn't be the outcome of the situation. I remained pretty quiet on it all week because really, I feel like talking to this contributes to the toxic discourse online.

Like yeah, Ed was probably a shitty Person, but I don't think the outcome should have been death.
I do believe in second chances, and if the Victims didn't want to forgive, that's their own choice.
I believe that People can change, at least reflect and learn and that would have been the best outcome from this.

I'm saddened all round and hope everyone gets peace from this.

But I know **** will hit the fan and the comicsgate crowd will use this to win points.

It's unfortunate. The accuser's post came across as "I'm not trying to cancel him, but he's a horrible monster that should be canceled." I get that what he did was wrong, but it was basically a rant about what a disgusting monster he was and it made me wince. The other stuff he was accused of were sleazy and unethical, but not a capital offense. I'm not trying to badmouth the victims or minimize anything, but it was a pretty out-for-blood statement and I wish she would have been a little more measured. No one should be harassing her, though.

I also don't want to sound like I'm defending his behavior because of course it's wrong, but I feel like people have no sense of nuance and even the suggestion of mercy or second chances are met with scorn and I don't think that's a good thing. Most human beings are flawed and have some kind of skeletons in their closet or have done regrettable things and it's just a matter of degree. When we dehumanize people to such a degree that we just see some monster, I feel like we've lost perspective.

People can't just get away with whatever they want, but I feel like a lot of people just get off on hating people and justify it by going "Oh, they deserve it." Whether that's true or not, I just hate cruelty. There's got to be a line where seeking accountability doesn't become something like what happened to Ed Piskor. Someone doing a bad thing isn't an excuse for the rest of us turning into bloodthirsty animals. There are people responding to this with happiness and I think that's just as wrong and sick as anything else.

I'm honestly surprised this hasn't happened more often. Justice and revenge are not the same thing and I wish our society would learn that. This guy should have done his best to make amends, get help, and live a better life. He shouldn't be dead.

It's all just so horrible and upsetting.

[thwhtGuardian]

It's unfortunate. The accuser's post came across as "I'm not trying to cancel him, but he's a horrible monster that should be canceled." I get that what he did was wrong, but it was basically a rant about what a disgusting monster he was and it made me wince. The other stuff he was accused of were sleazy and unethical, but not a capital offense. I'm not trying to badmouth the victims or minimize anything, but it was a pretty out-for-blood statement.

I also don't want to sound like I'm defending his behavior because of course it's wrong, but I feel like people have no sense of nuance and even the suggestion of mercy or second chances are met with scorn and I don't think that's a good thing. Most human beings are flawed and have some kind of skeletons in their closet or have done regrettable things and it's just a matter of degree. When we dehumanize people to such a degree that we just see some monster, I feel like we've lost perspective.

People can't just get away with whatever they want, but I feel like a lot of people just get off on hating people and justify it by going "Oh, they deserve it." Whether that's true or not, I just hate cruelty. There's got to be a line where seeking accountability doesn't become something like what happened to Ed Piskor. Someone doing a bad thing isn't an excuse for the rest of us turning into bloodthirsty animals. There are people responding to this with happiness and I think that's just as wrong and sick as anything else.

I'm honestly surprised this hasn't happened more often. Justice and revenge are not the same thing and I wish our society would learn that. This guy should have done his best to make amends, get help, and live a better life. He shouldn't be dead.

It's all just so horrible and upsetting.

I don't think there was anything wrong with the victims comments, but the vitriol from the peanut gallery was terrible and Piskor evidently felt it keenly.

[Mister Mets]

It's unfortunate. The accuser's post came across as "I'm not trying to cancel him, but he's a horrible monster that should be canceled." I get that what he did was wrong, but it was basically a rant about what a disgusting monster he was and it made me wince. The other stuff he was accused of were sleazy and unethical, but not a capital offense. I'm not trying to badmouth the victims or minimize anything, but it was a pretty out-for-blood statement.

I also don't want to sound like I'm defending his behavior because of course it's wrong, but I feel like people have no sense of nuance and even the suggestion of mercy or second chances are met with scorn and I don't think that's a good thing. Most human beings are flawed and have some kind of skeletons in their closet or have done regrettable things and it's just a matter of degree. When we dehumanize people to such a degree that we just see some monster, I feel like we've lost perspective.

People can't just get away with whatever they want, but I feel like a lot of people just get off on hating people and justify it by going "Oh, they deserve it." Whether that's true or not, I just hate cruelty. There's got to be a line where seeking accountability doesn't become something like what happened to Ed Piskor. Someone doing a bad thing isn't an excuse for the rest of us turning into bloodthirsty animals. There are people responding to this with happiness and I think that's just as wrong and sick as anything else.

I'm honestly surprised this hasn't happened more often. Justice and revenge are not the same thing and I wish our society would learn that. This guy should have done his best to make amends, get help, and live a better life. He shouldn't be dead.

It's all just so horrible and upsetting.

I don't think the accuser did anything wrong. She described encounters that she experienced that were sketchy and wrong. It's more about the response from others, and the lack of grace or the possibility of forgiveness.

I don't think there was anything wrong with the victims comments, but the vitriol from the peanut gallery was terrible and Piskor evidently felt it keenly.

Agreed.

[Refrax5]

I don't think the accuser did anything wrong. She described encounters that she experienced that were sketchy and wrong. It's more about the response from others, and the lack of grace or the possibility of forgiveness.

Agreed.

She just kept saying stuff like how he was a "fucking sex pest" and "likes little girls" and using really incendiary language. There was a lot of vitriol and condemnation there. Maybe it was warranted, but I felt weird about it even before Piskor died. I'm not saying it's her fault or that she isn't entitled to her feelings, but she really laid into him. Her comments, deserved or not, were about as harsh as anything else I saw.

[Mister Mets]

She just kept saying stuff like how he was a "fucking sex pest" and "likes little girls" and using really incendiary language. There was a lot of vitriol and condemnation there. Maybe it was warranted, but I felt weird about it even before Piskor died. I'm not saying it's her fault or that she isn't entitled to her feelings, but she really laid into him. Her comments, deserved or not, were about as harsh as anything else I saw.

She's 20 years younger than he is. She should be afforded at least all the grace any of his supporters feel he merited.

This is really ugly.

I think the comics community could learn to do better, but this isn't about a young woman who told her truth and who should be allowed to do so.

I like a piece that was written about the death, and what it means.

https://atomicjunkshop.com/ed-piskor...what-happened/

It’s been confirmed by multiple sources that Ed Piskor is dead at 41. Piskor, whose most notable creation was probably Hip Hop Family Tree, also did X-Men: Grand Design for Marvel, as well as Wizzywig and Red Room, the latter a very detailed and often disturbing look at internet murder sites. Allegedly, he committed suicide, but it does not seem that’s official yet. So, Piskor is dead, and that’s a shame.

However … it’s the circumstances that led to his death that are controversial, and why many (male) comic creators are tweeting about it. I didn’t know Piskor, so I don’t feel the tragedy of it all – I’ve often said that I don’t get the emotional outpouring that accompanies the deaths of people we don’t know and who have very little real impact on our lives – but I get why so many people who did know him are distraught, especially if it is, in fact, suicide. Last week, Piskor was a darling of the indie comics scene. Then, allegations of sexual impropriety surfaced over the weekend, and now, he’s dead. A cartoonist accused him of grooming her when she was 17 (she’s 21 now), then another said he asked for a blowjob in exchange for his agent’s phone number. Jim Rugg made a statement that they would no longer be doing their YouTube videos together. Then Piskor posted a long “suicide note” on Facebook. It is certainly something to read. Piskor defends himself a bit, turns his baleful eye on several creators who he believes had it out for him, and bemoans his fate. He says he was “murdered by Internet bullies,” among other things. It’s a tough read.

This is a complex situation, made more so by the anger on both sides. As usual, things are difficult to parse, but the internet forces everyone into an either/or position, with nuance left on the side of the road. If Piskor really did commit suicide, as seems likely, then it’s clear there was a lot more wrong in his head than just this. Men have been accused of this kind of behavior for many years now, and even if it’s true, most of them manage to not kill themselves. Piskor’s note is written by someone who is obviously depressed, and I can’t imagine his family didn’t know he was suicidal even before this. I’m not saying that it’s partly “their fault,” but it’s clear from his note that this is something stemming at least from the COVID year, if not earlier. Piskor was, it seems, clinically depressed, and these accusations might have pushed him over the edge, but it doesn’t seem like it was all that difficult to get him there. It’s awful, but it’s clear that he was not all right, even before this happened.

Many people are angry about the “mob mentality” that “killed” Piskor. Yes, a “mob mentality” is awful, and mobs do horrible things. This stuff came so quickly that I haven’t seen much in the way of calling for Piskor’s head, even if it happened. I don’t spend hours on the internet looking for this kind of stuff. An art exhibition of his work in Pittsburgh (near where he lived) was canceled after the allegations came out, and according to Piskor, he was about to sign a lucrative deal with Abrams, which also evaporated. So that sucks for him, of course. But … he doesn’t really deny the allegations, does he? Well, the blowjob-for-favors thing he denies, claiming he would never do it, and he says the woman who made them initiated sex with him twice, but that was the extent of their relationship. It’s definitely he said/she said, and Piskor is correct in saying that women are capable of lying about this kind of stuff. But with the other stuff … he doesn’t deny it, just claims it was innocent. He says it was during COVID and he was lonely, and he was goofing around with her. But … he found out she was 17 and kept communicating with her, and as someone who has used the internet a lot, he should know that tone is very hard to translate across instant messages. I don’t understand how younger people, who have been using the internet for half (or more) of their lives still don’t understand its pitfalls. There are things you just don’t do, and Piskor – even if he was depressed because it was COVID and he was isolated – should have known that. He can claim “innocence” in his intentions even if he admits to writing the things he did, but that’s a tough thing to sell. On the other hand … is the girl herself completely innocent? Yes, she was 17, but 17 in 2020 is a lot different than 17 in, say, 1950, and she engaged with Piskor, presumably knowing who he was and how old he was. The minute he became “creepy,” why didn’t she disengage? I’m not saying she’s at fault, any more than Piskor’s family is at fault for not knowing he was suicidal, but if she didn’t like what Piskor was saying to her, she had the option of not communicating with him. I know it’s not that easy. I know, first-hand, how the trauma of sexual harassment can mess with a young woman’s psyche. But it’s not like she couldn’t avoid Piskor. She certainly could. And it also does not seem that Piskor ever actually met her. Internet harassment is a strange beast, because nothing Piskor did seemed to rise to any criminal level, and his defenders will argue it didn’t even rise to “harassment” level. Still, he was being creepy. He probably should have known better.

This is the horrible power of the internet. It connects us, sure, but it also gives rise to this kind of behavior, and it’s hard to disengage. If Piskor was clinically depressed and introverted, as it seems he was, the internet would have been a place where he could connect without being too vulnerable, which is a valuable thing. However, it’s far too easy to “joke” on-line and have it come off very poorly, if indeed you are joking. Also, Piskor writes in his note about his life being ruined, but it seems that he could have stopped going on-line for a while and everything would have blown over – this kind of thing does, especially if there’s no outright criminal behavior and the dude is just being creepy. But that seems like it wasn’t an option because of his own neuroses, which got wrapped up in an internet culture that is not terribly well-equipped to deal with shades of gray. People are calling Piskor a “predator,” which seems a bit extreme. His defenders are claiming he did nothing wrong, which also seems extreme. All I know is that a troubled and talented cartoonist is dead, and a young woman he made feel very uncomfortable might feel guilty about it and might become a target herself of the “mob mentality” – a different mob, to be sure, but with the same intent. Nothing good comes from this.

Here’s one of the stories about the allegations, and here’s a story about his death, which includes a link to his suicide note. It’s a tough read, if you do head on over there. This whole situation sucks, doesn’t it?

[Refrax5]

She's 20 years younger than he is. She should be afforded at least all the grace any of his supporters feel he merited.

This is really ugly.

I think the comics community could learn to do better, but this isn't about a young woman who told her truth and who should be allowed to do so.

I like a piece that was written about the death, and what it means.

https://atomicjunkshop.com/ed-piskor...what-happened/

I didn't say she shouldn't be afforded the same level of grace. I'm just saying that she was saying stuff just as ugly as anyone else's and that one person's bad behavior--and it was bad behavior, so please don't lump me in with his "supporters"---doesn't mean that some restraint isn't warranted.

I'm not defending him or condemning her. I'm just saying that, when I see the absolute rage and lack of empathy from people online, I'm not surprised this kind of thing happens. Me wishing rehabilitation over revenge doesn't mean I'm supporting his behavior.

I just think that the people supposedly seeking justice or accountability have very frequently crossed a line themselves. Again, one person's bad behavior doesn't excuse bloodthirsty mob action. Nobody should be driven to suicide. The guy was a sleazebag, no doubt, but he wasn't Jeffery Dahmer.

I also disagree with the articles assessment that things would have blown over and minimizing the effect of internet hatred on the human psyche. We all know that if a past impropriety comes out, especially if it's sexual in nature, that's it for the person's career and reputation. That person will be called a monster and be a pariah. I also resent the comment that it's only men tweeting about it and what that insinuates.

What he did was wrong. Very wrong. But what the enraged people seeking "justice" did was wrong, too. Both things can be true. I don't want the victims to be driven to suicide either. No human being deserves to be treated that way, guilty or not.

[HsssH]

Feels like we have whole justice system to avoid such things.

[thwhtGuardian]

I didn't say she shouldn't be afforded the same level of grace. I'm just saying that she was saying stuff just as ugly as anyone else's and that one person's bad behavior--and it was bad behavior, so please don't lump me in with his "supporters"---doesn't mean that some restraint isn't warranted.

I'm not defending him or condemning her. I'm just saying that, when I see the absolute rage and lack of empathy from people online, I'm not surprised this kind of thing happens. Me wishing rehabilitation over revenge doesn't mean I'm supporting his behavior.

I just think that the people supposedly seeking justice or accountability have very frequently crossed a line themselves. Again, one person's bad behavior doesn't excuse bloodthirsty mob action. Nobody should be driven to suicide. The guy was a sleazebag, no doubt, but he wasn't Jeffery Dahmer.

I also disagree with the articles assessment that things would have blown over and minimizing the effect of internet hatred on the human psyche. We all know that if a past impropriety comes out, especially if it's sexual in nature, that's it for the person's career and reputation. That person will be called a monster and be a pariah. I also resent the comment that it's only men tweeting about it and what that insinuates.

What he did was wrong. Very wrong. But what the enraged people seeking "justice" did was wrong, too. Both things can be true. I don't want the victims to be driven to suicide either. No human being deserves to be treated that way, guilty or not.

What I’m saying is that in no way shape or form should the women who accused him be lumped in with the nuckledraggers online looking for “justice “. Lumping victims in with population has a potential chilling effect on potential victims who have every right to feel comfortable coming forward to say their piece even if it is confrontational and ugly.

[Billy Batson]

Self-reflection and proper public discourse is dead. RIP Ed.

[Surf]

Damn. The kayfab dude with the videos, aw man I like a bunch of those. Wtf...