REVIEW: Wizzywig

Story and Art: Ed Piskor
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Review: Art Bee

While I was at Appleseed Comic Convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana, earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Ed Piskor, and he thought I would really appreciate his graphic novel, Wizzywig. He was not wrong. I have loved every page of this fantastic story. This graphic novel is a captivating portrayal of the life of a hacker and is packed with interesting bits of knowledge from their world.

Wizzywig tells the story of Kevin “Boingthump” Phenicle, from his days as a child learning ways to get free bus rides to scamming the phone company and much more. This novel is fascinating for a couple of reasons. First, this story is not driven by suspense, drama, or any other mode I am used to finding in comics or novels. Instead Ed Piskor uses pure curiosity to pull the reader through the pages of the book. The second is there is no way to provide spoilers to this book. From the very beginning of the story we are told that Kevin is a hacker and gets incarcerated.

Piskor uses a few useful tools to drive the story. One of the key tools is “Off the Rocker” radio show that is hosted by Winston Smith, Boingthump’s best friend. This radio show is used to educate the public on the status of Kevin’s incarceration and to rally support for him. This show appears in each chapter and keeps the end of the story in focus. The second tool Piskor uses is the periodic public panel groups that provide insight on how different people view Kevin. These opinions are funny, entertaining, and really sculpt the rest of the story. The third method Piskor uses to keep the reader into the story is providing hacker tricks and cons that work. The rest of the book is a series of adventures that build the story of Kevin Phenicle’s life.

Ed Piskor’s art is excellent, utilizing colorless ink drawings that are truly effective. Each panel builds with the story and communicates the scene well. Piskor’s talent for creating such clear expressions on the characters faces is fantastic. There is not a lot of action scenes in this book, but the action that is depicted is very clear and concise.

If you are looking to read something different, go get a copy of Wizzywig. This graphic novel is entertaining, educational, and captivating. Though Kevin “Boingthump” Phenicle is a fictional character, his personality has been developed so well by the writer that it feels as if he is real. This novel is available from Top Shelf Productions for $19.95 for the hard back book, and digital copies are available for $7.99.