Hip Hop Family Tree Demand Sends Book to a Third Printing

MARCH 18, 2014—SEATTLE, WA—An exciting announcement from Fantagraphics Books: after only twelve weeks, Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree Book One is going back to press for a third printing. The historical account—in graphic novel form—of hip-hop music and culture hit shelves December 11, 2013, and the first printing sold out within a month. A second printing sold out even more quickly after hitting stores in early March.

The book is beloved by critics as much as fans. The Washington Post: “Piskor’s book feels just as real and authentic as the retro rap it celebrates.” NPR calls the series “a real fusion of both art forms”; it continues, “Piskor tells the gripping origin story of hip-hop in storyboard form with original artwork. Illuminating for kids and grown-ups alike.”

“I’m literally making a comic that I want to read,” says cartoonist Ed Piskor. “I feel like Hip Hop Family Tree is a comic I was born to draw and it’s an absolute pleasure that people seem to dig it too. Truthfully, though, I’d be lying if I said I was surprised about the reaction from readers.”

While fans await the third printing of Book One and the forthcoming Book Two, Free Comic Book Day on April 5 will afford an opportunity to introduce new readers to the series, as Fantagraphics will distribute—for FREE—Hip Hop Family Tree Two-in-One comic book, which features all-new pin-ups and other exclusive content not in the books, as well as selections from Book One and the as yet unreleased Book Two.

With the release of Hip Hop Family Tree Book Two set for August, both cartoonist and publisher alike are gearing up for a full schedule of book signings and special events tied in with the book. Piskor will be in appearance at comics festivals around the world from PIX in Pittsburgh, to Comic Salon in Erlangen Germany, then SPX in Bethesda, to APE in San Francisco, and many more. Along with signings at The Beguiling in Toronto for Free Comic Book Day and book launch celebrations at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle, Bridge City Comics in Portland, and City Lights in San Francisco.

Lastly, it’s never too early to start thinking about the gift-giving season: this November will see the release of a collector’s edition boxed set, collecting Books One and Two in a custom hardcover slipcase designed and illustrated by Piskor. This set will feature all-new cover art on each book, as well as another exclusive item unavailable anywhere else: Hip Hop Family Tree #300, an all-new 24-page comic book that celebrates a historic confluence of hip-hop and comic book culture, when Spike Lee directed Image Comics co-founder Rob Liefeld in a Levi’s Jeans commercial, which Piskor tells in a pitch- perfect visual parody / pastiche / homage to the Image house style of the 1990s as defined by Liefeld, McFarlane, etc.