Rolling Stone: "Ed Piskor is the Next Big Thing in Books"

Rolling Stone just announced something that we have known for a long time: Ed Piskor (our own Brain Rot cartoonist) is a hell of a talented cartoonist. I have an advance copy of his upcoming book, Wizzywig: Portrait of a Serial Hacker, and it is a masterpiece.

I'm going to be interviewing Ed on Gweek when his book comes out. For now, here's the publisher's description:

They say "What You See Is What You Get"... but Kevin "Boingthump" Phenicle could always see more than most people. In the world of phone phreaks, hackers, and scammers, he's a legend. His exploits are hotly debated: could he really get free long-distance calls by whistling into a pay phone? Did his video-game piracy scheme accidentally trigger the first computer virus? And did he really dodge the FBI by using their own wiretapping software against them? Is he even a real person? And if he's ever caught, what would happen to a geek like him in federal prison? Inspired by the incredible stories of real-life hackers, Wizzygig is the thrilling tale of a master manipulator - his journey from precocious child scammer to federally-wanted fugitive, and beyond. In a world transformed by social networks and data leaks, Ed Piskor's debut graphic novel reminds us how much power can rest in the hands of an audacious kid with a keyboard.

• [benher]

  Good for you Piskor-san! 

  Can’t wait for a A1-sized poster of the Hip Hop Family Tree! According to some people on some websites that claim that according to some studies you are going to be making these right? ;)

• [hughstimson]

  Hip Hop Family Tree is the best comic I’ve read since Cerebus the Aardvark. Actually it’s better. If Wizzywig is coming from the same brain bucket then I would imagine it’s some fine work.

  I’m still wandering around contemplating on the notion that Afrika Bambaata both ran a murderous brooklynite gang AND was influenced by krautrock and Gary Numan. What a world!

• [noah django]

  DUDE, Ed, you’re twenty-nine?  Dog, I figured you for my age (add approx a decade,) what with your interest in stuff everyone seems to have forgotten.  Why do you care about a bunch of old-man stuff, youngbuck?  Anyhow, it seems odd to me, but please don’t stop.  As I’ve said before, fantastic work.

• [Maggie Koerth-Baker]

  Woo-hoo, Ed Piskor! Keep up the good work, dude! 

• [puppybeard]

  Sounds like a cool book, but didn’t John Draper discover the whistle/phone exploit in the early 70s?

  Credit where it’s due and all.