Micro Epics and the Ed Piskor Aftermath
A new project of short fiction and the some reaction the Ed Piskor unfortunate demise.
Hello travelers!
I'm still searching for the perfect opening greeting for this newsletter.
Today, we begin to dive into what is supposed to be the regular programming of The Ardan Dispatch: news about projects that I'm developing. Additionally, there's a follow-up to the Ed Piskor situation, which will be a bit less emotional than the previous installment.
Did you noticed the name change?
I've changed the name of the newsletter from "The Vernian Times" to "The Ardan Dispatch". I liked the old name and its explicit Vernian influence. But, it tended to evoke steampunk more than any other genre. Besides that, there are some weeks where the content will not be even related to science fiction.
Something that happenned since the second week, due to the Ed Piskor situantion. There's was also the Risso interview that I published and some other in the same vein that I may publish.
Adding the Ardan surname to the title makes also makes sense from a branding prespective. It helps readers become more familiar with it. That's the reason for this small change.
Now, let's delve into some fiction.
Daily Micro Epics
I was reading a Philip K. Dick anthology when I stumbled upon a hidden gem: "The Story to End All Stories." In just a few hundred words, he crafts a tale of epic proportions.
Inspired by this, I conceived Micro Epics — a series of short stories ranging from 100 to 500 words. These tales will serve as daily warm-ups before working on longer projects. It’s also an opportunity to share fiction online while other projects are in development.
The Micro Epics will last a couple of months. Some stories will be self-contained, while others will intertwine, forming a non-linear narrative that can be explored through the hashtags used.
You can find the stories at migardan.tumblr.com, with weekly reminders posted here. Eventually, I aim to compile the results into a small edition as a zine or e-zine.
I know that most people forgot that Tumblr exists, but as a publishing tool for microblogging it’s still usefull and it’s pratical. One day I may move this project for a self-hosted site depending of the feedback that I get.
I’m also pondering if I should publish them in Twitter or not.
Here’t the list of the first Micro Epics:
There was one story where I cheated a little; it's more of a reflection on unwanted love than a real narrative. However, time was running out, and I wasn’t going to miss a deadline in the first week of the project, so I changed the approach and concept slightly.
While the focus will still be on sci-fi, there may be occasional deviations.
The Aftermath of Ed Piskor’s Demise
This week was marked by the suicide of Ed Piskor on April 1st, following what he described as a "lynching by social media." I covered the events in a previous newsletter and have another about his final statements and those of one of his brothers.
The situation affected many people, and there were numerous statements made. I want to preserve one made by Nick Pitarra, which provides a good summary of Piskor’s career, achievements, and how they unraveled within a week.
Men tend to tie themselves, and their worth, into their professions. I believe that Ed had much of his ego, persona, and worth completely tied to comics, and it was all seemingly stripped away from him in a week.
His publisher, Fantagraphics, with whom he’d found so much success, stated they have no future plans with him. Abrams canceled his $75k contract. His art exhibit dropped him. Cartoonist Kayfabe, his YouTube channel, which he worked tirelessly for years to build with Jim Rugg, seemed over. Hundreds of professionals and thousands of fans gossiped about him online. Local news reporters harassed him and his parents, even doxxing their addresses.
Factor that in with the history of how these stains on one’s name hold people back, with a very narrow road, if any, to redemption in this industry. Keep in mind that this is all happening after a long 25-year climb.
He went to the Kubert School in 2000, studied under independent underground scene greats after that, found success with Wizzywig, and real popularity with Hip Hop Family Tree. He was one of the few underground artists ever to be invited to the table at the Big Two with X-men Grand Design. He was becoming one of the prominent voices for the medium of comics, even being invited to be a keynote speaker at ComicsPro just last year. He had built up an extremely successful career many were fond of and many others were likely jealous of. On top of all that, Ed started rubbing elbows with the all-time greats that came before him, had traveled the world with legends like Geof Darrow. Having all that, identity and career, ripped from him in such a public manner, was too much.
Twenty-five years of hard work were lost in a week, and his future seemed bleak, combined with unimaginable shame, abandonment, and likely embarrassment.
These are some apesct worth considering when talking about this situation. Nick Pitarra presented them in a very politically correct way. He avoided judging those who made the situation escalate to a tragic end. Greg Smalwood on the other had, made clear his opions abou those that act as judge and jury on social media.
I've had some time to think about this and my stance is this - I'm tired of the mean and nasty holding a monopoly on boldness. If you had a hand in the bullying of Ed Piskor and are unrepentant, I will not work with you or associate with you, and I will actively discourage others from doing so. I believe strongly in forgiveness so I'm satisfied with a simple public apology. Not "I'm sorry that happened" but "I'm sorry I had a hand in it." This industry likes to hold people accountable but we're never clear on terms or atonement. Those are my personal terms.
Some people didn't like Smallwood's statements. This showed why other comic authors remained silent when the mob targeted Piskor. They knew that anyone who did not participate in the lynching would be assumed guilty. Despite, most accusations against Piskor being an exaggeration of the truth or an outright lies.
Piskor's primary offense was sending Instagram messages to a 17-year-old woman. The messages could be seen as sexual. But, they did not contain any explicit sexual content. And, there were never any explicit sexual messages or requests. The woman, who is now 21, made a point of stating that they never harmed her.
This truth is disregarded by many, who, they prefer to label Piskor as a criminal or the woman as a liar. However, everything she said was confirmed by Piskor himself. The problem lies with those who inflated the situation for personal gain.
Piskor Homages!
Several individuals have been paying tribute to Piskor, honoring his life and career. One notable homage came from Rob Liefeld, who dedicated the latest episode of his podcast to Piskor.
Whats next?
I’m working in other things, besides the Micor Epics, I don’t know if there will be any news before the next week. but, it’s probable that I’ll do a special newsletter with some reviews of comics before adopting a weekly format.
Despite not knowing Piskor, the events surrounding his death ended up affecting more than I expected. It’s probable that I’ll talk about it some more, but the plan is to start dedicating this newsletter to other subjects.
Until then here’s one of my favorite songs.
Until the next time.
Miguel Ardan