Jim Rugg has shared he has ended his professional relationship with Ed Piskor, who was accused of inappropriate behavior by multiple women this past week.
“In light of this past week’s shocking revelations, I find it necessary to reevaluate my professional associations to ensure they align with my values of respect and integrity,” Rugg wrote on Instagram. “Therefore, I have ended my working relationship with Ed Piskor.”
Rugg and Piskor cohosted Cartoonist Kayfabe, the popular YouTube program where they interviewed creators, explored comics history and shared insights on comic art. The channel has been active for about four years. Rugg also created several variant covers for Piskor’s comic Red Room, which was published by Fantagraphics. The publisher has stated they have no future projects in the works with Piskor.
While I can appreciate Ed’s enthusiasm for comics, Ed honestly was an embarrassment to the comic community, prior to these allegations. Constant cussing, not even reading many of the comics they looked through, constant digression into some personal experience to boost Ed’s ego, and of course putting his ignorance on display by creating his own fantasy history regarding comics/events he doesn’t understand. Maybe too much kayfabe, not enough insight.
I hope Jim can team up with Scioli for some future total recall shows.
“Constant cussing”? Seriously?
with ‘friends’ like Jim, who needs enemies?
I’m late to the party as I just became aware of Ed’s death, which is a loss to fans of the Cartoonist Kayfabe channel. What’s worse is that it appears like some close to him abandoned him before it was even clear whether he was ever really guilty of any misconduct worthy of criminal prosecution.
There’s a thing in the U.S. Constitution called due process, wherein there is a presumption of innocence until someone has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Ed (as far as I’m aware) never received any due process, and those “friends” that threw him under the bus without his having his day in court certainly contributed to Ed’s decision to commit suicide.
For the record, I’m not making excuses for Ed nor offering a defense for situations about which I have no real information or insight. I’m simply saying that the cancel culture mob is off the rails when it doesn’t afford individuals due process, when anyone’s life can be ruined by accusations which only take into account the accuser’s allegations without a chance for the accused to offer a defense.