Interview: The Family of ED PISKOR talk SWITCHBLADE SHORTIES

It’s undeniable that in the relatively short time he was a professional, Ed Piskor certainly left a mark on the world of comics. From his early work with underground comix legend Harvey Pekar, to serializing Hip Hop Family Tree and bringing an auteur’s vision to the Big 2 with X-Men: Grand Design and beyond, Piskor was known for his meticulous detail and passion for the form. In addition to his work on the page, Piskor cultivated a loyal online following as co-host–along with fellow Pittsburgh cartoonist Jim Rugg—of the Cartoonist Kayfabe YouTube Channel; this following continues to grow even after his passing earlier this year. 

Switchblade Shorties, a webcomic that ended up being Piskor’s final work, displays his signature voice and unique understanding of comics as a formidable storytelling medium. Initially released in weekly installments on his Instagram, the project allowed Piskor to play in a different sandbox, one that was more like the Sunday Funnies of yore, where he drew from a more playful pace than his previous works.

Switchblade Shorties is now being brought to market via a crowdfunding campaign on Zoop. To coincide with the launch of the campaign,  Comics Beat sat down with Ed’s family—his mother Diane, brother Bobby, and sister Justine—as they share the journey of bringing Switchblade Shorties to readers. In the interview, the family—in their capacity as the representatives of Ed Piskor’s Legacy—discusses the challenges and emotional complexities of releasing his final work, the decision to partner with Zoop to crowdfund the publication, and how they’ve remained committed to honoring Ed’s fiercely independent spirit. 

AJ FROST: Switchblade Shorties was such a deeply personal project for Ed, and releasing it posthumously must have been a difficult decision for the Piskor family. What was the driving force behind the family’s decision to move forward with publishing it now?

Justine Cleaves: Firstly, it was about honoring his wishes. But also, we kept hearing from people, “When is it coming? When is this book going to be released?”

Diane Piskor: It was one of the last things in his directives to us—to get his book out there. That was something he really prided himself on, and he spent a lot of time working on it.

Bobby Piskor: Yes, he left notes for us, and we didn’t want to wait. The world has really been asking for the book, and since it’s complete and his final work, we want the world to see it and read it.

FROST: The process of getting any project out into the world can be challenging, but doing so while staying true to Ed’s unique vision must have added another layer of complexity. Can you walk us through how you navigated the journey of releasing Switchblade Shorties? Specifically, how did partnering with Zoop help ensure that Ed’s original creative intent was honored? 

Diane: We weren’t getting the kind of offers we expected from other publishers—they weren’t coming close to what we felt Ed deserved. Our attorney suggested we talk to Zoop, and we even consulted Jim Rugg about it. Jim said he wished Zoop had been around when he was crowdsourcing his earlier work. It seemed like a much better partnership than other crowdfunding sources.

Bobby: The biggest thing about this release of Switchblade Shorties is that our family retains the rights. For us, it just wouldn’t feel right to hand it over to someone else. We’re handling everything in-house, even if it feels like we’re diving into the deep end with this project.

Justine: But Zoop has been great. This is our first time doing any type of publishing, and they’ve handled so much. That was a major selling point for us.

Diane: They really have been a big help throughout the entire process. With other platforms, you’d need to find different people for each step, but Zoop took over all those steps. Since Ed did everything himself, it felt like we were honoring him by choosing a publisher that could handle the entire process as he would have.

FROST: Independent ownership of creative work has become a more prominent issue in today’s landscape. Why was it particularly important for your family to retain 100% ownership of Switchblade Shorties, and how does that decision reflect Ed’s own principles?

Bobby: One of the most important aspects of releasing this project is to honor my brother’s legacy and showcase his work. He was always fiercely independent, always called his own shots. We wanted to keep his philosophy alive—it’s still so important.

FROST: Crowdfunding campaigns can serve as a powerful tool for amplifying a creator’s legacy, particularly when they have such a dedicated following. What do you hope to achieve with this campaign—not just in terms of raising funds, but in shaping and preserving Ed’s legacy as an artist?

Diane: So many people have been asking about this project, and their sincerity shines through. They genuinely loved his work. As I said—and maybe I’m biased as his mom—not many people could do what he did: writing, drawing, and hand-lettering the whole thing himself.

Bobby: He was a master craftsman, and I want people to remember that. He played by his own rules and put in countless hours to create the best comics he could. No one could match his work ethic. I’ve said this in past interviews, but it still holds true: you couldn’t get Ed to just come to Sunday dinner—he’d have soup with our dad and then go right back to work.

Diane: He’d take the soup in a bowl and go right back to work!

Justine: I hope people remember him for the amazing artist and inspiration he was. He loved sharing his knowledge of comics. I hope no one forgets him.

FROST: Every project inevitably comes with its share of obstacles, and I imagine this one was no exception. What were some of the major challenges the family faced when deciding to move forward with the release of Switchblade Shorties, and how have you worked to overcome them?

Bobby: Unfortunately, we’re still dealing with some negative attention. It’s sad that people are acting that way, but Eddie was an artist who worked hard on these stories. Switchblade Shorties is unique among the projects he worked on, and we hope people will see that in the different styles and unconventional page layouts he drew. It’s not like anything else he did.

Diane: It’s a landscape book, which is unusual in itself.

Justine: I knew about his Instagram account where he published the stories every week, but I didn’t realize that each week he’d narrate and explain his process. It’s been hard to read through it all emotionally.

FROST: Many in the comic book community are incredibly supportive, especially when they feel a deep connection to the work of an artist like Ed. What kind of response and support have you received from that community since announcing the release of Switchblade Shorties?

Bobby: We hosted the Eddie P. Memorial Con in August, where we announced Zoop’s involvement in getting this book published. We had a panel with about 75 people in the audience, and the video later got 4,000 views and a lot of likes. The support for this project has really been overwhelming.

Justine: And everyone congratulated us when we announced the project! Honestly, we can’t wait for people to actually hold the book in their hands.

Diane: There’s simply been so much positivity around the publication of this book.

FROST: When I had the chance to interview Ed over the years, we talked a lot about the personal connections readers form with a creator’s work. Now that he’s no longer here to speak about Switchblade Shorties himself, what message do you think he would want readers to take away from it? And what do you personally hope readers will gain from experiencing this book?

Justine: Switchblade Shorties was Ed’s passion project. Looking through his sketchbooks, you could see it was something he had been working on for a long time. I think, in his mind, he was approaching this as a more laid-back project, just exploring his art and having fun with it. If you listen to his Instagram narrations, you can hear that he was really enjoying himself.

Bobby: This is different from his other work. Not to say he didn’t enjoy writing about hip hop, or the X-Men, or the Red Room stuff, but this one was just pure fun for him. You can see that he was having a good time thinking about and playing with these characters.

FROST: It’s clear that Switchblade Shorties is just one part of Ed’s broader creative legacy. What can you share about your family’s plans for preserving and continuing to share Ed’s work and his story in the years to come? How do you envision his influence continuing to grow in the comic world?

Justine: We can’t say too much at the moment, but there’s definitely more to come.

Bobby: Yes, we have a lot of different projects in the works, but we can’t talk about all of them yet. What we can say is that there will be more conventions and more projects down the road.

Diane: We’re never going to let people forget his name.

Bobby: It’s important to remember that Ed was a human being. We don’t want that to get lost in all of this. Words matter, and they can hurt. Our takeaway from all of this is that we all need to be kinder to each other.

FROST: Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences with this project. It’s evident how much care and dedication has gone into releasing Switchblade Shorties. I appreciate your time.

The crowdfunding campaign for Switchblade Shorties begins September 24. The Family of Ed Piskor’s Instagram account can be found here.