Tribute to Cartoonist Kayfabe: Favorite Episodes and Impact on Comics

[@brute_nm]

The Eastman & Laird interviews were so great, especially considering where their relationship had been in recent decades. Preserving these stories is vital for comic history ❤

[@andrewp_cc]

The fact that CK made so much insight and information available for FREE is astounding and so important. It will always by upsetting that it was brought to a grinding halt but I’m so grateful that it’s all still available to watch, listen and share.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Amen to all of this!

[@Vnclejed]

Great tribute bro. I’ve been rewatching a lot of episodes myself. It was such a routine for me to do in the AM. The later episodes are kind of sad hearing Ed plug his art show that inevitably was cancelled and contributed partly to his demise. Great insight brother, keep up the good work!

[@HobbyistFreePress]

I can sympathize. For a long time, they were the only thing that kept me returning to KZbin. I've never encountered a comics channel that could hold anything to the depth of their insights combined with their obvious passion for the medium. They were the reason I started making comics and zines. After Ed's passing, I started making KZbin videos partially to fill the void I felt was missing in my own life, as I knew that the daily uploads would eventually end. I still feel a loss when I think about the end, but I am so grateful for the channel, and I still revisit the archive almost daily. RIP ED. I haven't forgotten my marching orders.

[@SFish10]

I'd like to thank you for turning me onto Cartoonist Kayfabe. I have just began to pick out some of the ones that interest me, but I will watch them all eventually. Love it so much! So much incite into opinions, professional artist impressions, and just shear love for comics that I haven't seen before. Thanks Dave and RIP Ed

[@redbulletcomics9850]

Great episode, The Kayfabe channel was a daily experience for many of us, and a source of great knowledge and inspiration. Their enthusiasm rubbed off and was the perfect background to do your own work.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

It was the right time for me to just sit and listen and realize I shouldn't hide my passion for the medium, I should spread it around like they did to me.

[@rlewis5696]

This was a. Brilliant video…thank you!

[@atomicjess76]

Dude this video is amazing. Thank you!

[@damonlocks5246]

One of my favorite episodes is fairly recent and the last time Ed and I communicated, it was their interview with Paul Pope. Paul is super open and available to all question and there was more interviews with Paul to come that unfortunately we will never see now. C

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

I really enjoyed that one too!

[@descendo]

Bravo! I miss the Thursday rituals!

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

It was THE BEST!

[@razrentals8897]

I’m a big fan of the channel too. Everything you said is spot on. The Wizard coverage, the interviews, the many reviews of comics featuring every character you could think of, all of it was great! it was nice hearing them talk about comics and not only include the history of what they were taking about but also talk about the craft of making comics. As a fellow artist I could really get into them discussing composition, artist techniques and learn new things like spotting blacks. we were all spoiled. No other comic reviewers can touch them. I would love for Jim to continue making videos, but after what happened with Ed I wouldn’t blame him if he never got on social media again. Every Tmnt fan owes these guys a big thank you for finally bringing Eastman and Laird together. RIP Ed.

[@gabrieljimenez9762]

Thank you for this. It was a tough watch, not gonna lie. It's been a while since Ed's been gone and it still hurts. I was behind on watching the videos on the CK channel and it's been difficult going there an watching any of them; truth be told, I actually took a few weeks off from reading comics, it felt almost pointless. Still, I'm glad that Ed's legacy continues, that people still appreciate and love his work. RIP Ed.

[@ActualDracula237]

Excellent Kayfabe tribute Dave! I have so many favorite videos I wouldn't even know where to begin. There's also still tons of episodes I haven't watched, I'm parsing those out to have new episdodes (to me) for as long as possible. And when the day comes I've watched them all, I'll watch them all over again.

[@bamm86]

Thanks for this video man. This whole thing has been tragic for me personally as it has been for all us Kayfabers. I find myself going through a mix of emotions. The first feeling I felt was anger. I literally started punching the air when I heard because it was like yet another beautiful thing was stollen from me and it’s so tiny and so niche it just made me feel like I can’t have anything. The Cartoonist Kayfabe channel revitalized me as an artist. It gave me so much more spirit and life and taught me how to properly appreciate and dissect comics. I now know the names of some of the most influential artists of our time because of that channel. I know their art styles and a lot of their contributions to our society because of CK. After my initial anger, I just started crying. My eyes felt like they were burning for weeks and it was so hard to watch CK. Sometimes I find myself just being mad at Ed like he didn’t HAVE to do that. I really don’t think people who commit suicide are thinking straight (obviously) because if they were they’d THINK “I can’t do this because if I do, I’m going to hurt a lot of people who fcking love and care about me!” Instead they just think about their haters and what they have done to THEM. I’m mad at Ed but I’m also sad for him and his family and I also know that one mean comment can get to me pretty tough so I can’t imagine what it must feel like to have an entire community attacking you and accusing you of horrible sht. I do not know that feeling. I just miss the PURE happiness that permeated from CK. Their videos made me want to draw my ASS off and create my ASS off. All I hope is that they come back in some form and keep it going. But if I’m feeling all these emotions, I really can’t imagine how the CK team is feeling. I know that if they do come back, I’ll be there on episode one probably balling my eyes out of my sockets in pure joy and sadness for the loss of Ed.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Thank you for sharing all of that my friend

[@kuzyn_kitaszeski]

yeah, the fact the entire community turned their back on Ed was the most depressing thing. What a bunch of cowards they turned out to be. Starting to understand Moore a bit more with his 'love the medium, hate the industry' attitude.

[@bamm86]

@@kuzyn_kitaszeski Yeah that’s super sad. When I started getting whiff of some kind of scandal I immediately wrote it off as silly and ridiculous. I just assumed everybody else was doing the same. Figured I’d find out what was going on in better detail later. Then I just randomly went on my art IG and saw an RIP post and I started punching the air. I was so pissed. Lost and other very important thing to my life as an artist for no reason. Then I felt pissed for Ed. Smh

[@baginamonolog]

Fantastic video and great tribute. 🙌

[@futurocomics]

The shoot interviews are the best, specially the ones with Tim Vigil and the "Image Founding Fathers". I really miss Ed, but the inspiration he give me i'll try to keep creating comics to honor his legacy.

[@bobtrottier8178]

Yeah man...i was a big fan. Always liked the no bullshit way they presented stuff was awesome. The wizard rereviews were straight up rib busters. Turned me on to a lot of cool stuff.TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS is spot on..."The cock and bull express" in old school NWA speak. I miss it. There's really no replacing the humble,"this aint makin us rich,we just really dig this stuff" feeling of the show, such genuine banter... I learned how to bind books on kayfabe. I got to go down the rabbit hole on some stuff and completely tune out other stuff.. Ya just don't get this kind of...well, HONEST back and forth now. Great episode dude. Yeah, still in it, but the subject matter lends itself to an enjoyable listen.

[@MadPunky]

I truly believe that CK brought a lot of comic collectors back into the hobby AND most importantly Ed and Jim's approach to reviewing comics inspired thousands of people to look deeper into comics as an industry and how to make it as an artist. We have Comic content creators on every platform but I truly think they were the only ones that mattered. The rest regurgitates comic news and collections. The show can continue with Scioli, I'd watch for sure.

[@donndavis2920]

It made me kick up my buying from a few random things from artist I k ew who were still putting stuff out to a new generation of Indy guys I never would have found.

[@matismac4453]

Those rob liefeld interviews are some of the best especially when they went over superman Mohammed Ali!!! They truly were the greatest comics KZbin channel

[@jcandram]

Thank you for this, I was and am in the same boat. I listen/ watch to the daily episode every morning. I had interactions with them via comments and had the biggest respect for them. I’m on a rewatch of all the episodes and have been promoting Kayfabe Christmas in July. Put your extra comic into your local lending libraries and barber shops. To seed future readers. We have the third one happening this July 27 2024 . Hoping we can keep the tradition going for Jim and Ed.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Already have my comic book xmas in July stack ready to go for next weekend!

[@read.your.comics]

Keep Kayfabe Alive! 💯

[@Shrewsclues_75]

Wow, small world. I also found them during the pandemic and it was a life changing experience. So many channels focus on the money side of the hobby, not the history, art and creators. Also shoutout to the PNW collectors.

[@kingakira13]

I was behind you in line for Jim and Jim (mahfood) funny how the algorithm works.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

I zapped it into your feed😎✌🏼

[@paulrozek9960]

I also found the show during the pandemic. It drew me back into collecting comics, they introduced us all to so many amazing artist. I’ve wandered toward the selling of comics but still buy and stockpile (hoard 😂) more than anything. I literally went from owning 2 comics to owning WAY too many. Great video. This show will be sorely missed. I’ll still watch or listen to all of them over again probably for years. Thanks for making the videos and keep making awesome content.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

It's like gremlins, kayfabe spilled comic water on us and we multiplied! (That sounded better in my head😂)

[@paulrozek9960]

@@WestCoastDAVEngers 😂

[@dionturner4279]

Thanks for doing this video, it’s great to have people that knew Ed talk about him and the channel and offer up a celebration of the work. This is in stark contrast to the comicsgate types that want to use his loss to further stoke a culture war. I’ve been watching the King Kayfaber videos that Jim has been putting up. It seems that was one of Ed’s last requests, he wanted us to see him as a bloke who was just wanting to talk comics. The least I can do is bear witness to this and grieve that we’re not going to see more from him. Such a loss.

[@mattr136]

Love this! Thanks Dave! Favorite part: “It’s so bad,.. you probably should read it”.😂

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Hahaha you have to experience the awfulness!

[@MAURICIOFARFANREZA]

We need a show like that again ,with experts like them

[@russellsmith1605]

That episode about Todd vs Rob was absolutely fantastic and motivated me to subscribe to the TCJ archive so I could read it myself.

[@bobtrottier8178]

Oh hell ..im going back to the Tim Vigil interview....STILL kills me some little bastard stole my faust books. I can't find em HERE period and even mid grade people are asking an arm and a leg.

[@ConSarolas]

Thank you. I miss Ed too. I found Cartoonist Kayfabe early on watching their quarter bin hauls.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Those videos are such joy, the long boxes they would bring back from the sales full of the weirdest stuff

[@artmonkey22]

hey its so cool to get your takes on the Cartoonist Kayfabe issues. It reminds me of those tv sitcom episodes when they play highlights of moments in that season. Love it!😀😃😀

[@danielslingsby2869]

Great tribute to Cartoonist Kayfabe. It was a great channel. Like you, it became part of my working day, some light relief when I wanted to goof off and watch two guys talking about comics. I hope, I really really hope, that Jim decides to continue with the channel in some shape or form. Obviously, it'll never be the same, with Ed providing the colour to Jim's steady hand, but the thought of the channel just disappearing is too hard to contemplate.

[@drawrobot]

I was looking for that fix I would get reading Tom Spurgeon’s Comics Reporter. I got to know Spurgeon a little bit when he moved to town to head up CXC. Was heartbroken when he died. 2020 came around and my wife’s brain cancer was coming to an end (she passed in November 2020) it’s when I found Kayfabe. That show (because Ed, Jim and Tom would all come to SPACE) became a channel that kept me sane during the worst time in my life. That’s something I’ll always be grateful for. The show easily became the successor of Spurgeon’s site. I can’t think of anything that’s come close to that in spirit and execution.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Thanks for sharing Tom. This world is unforgiving but if we can at least enjoy the people that bring us joy for the time we're given, we can hold onto that.

[@deadlanguage_store]

Great tribute, Dave!

[@andresrienzi8518]

Thanks for the video! Let’s get CK to 100k

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Let's do it!!!

[@kuzyn_kitaszeski]

@@WestCoastDAVEngers doesn't look like it's going to happened.

[@tony-mora]

Beautiful video.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Thank you my friend🤙🏼

[@fogcitysam]

Hella nice tribute, Dave.

[@rebeccapeters295]

I was the same every day it was looking forward too new kayfab they also showcased a book I sent them and Jim sent me some books no charge. Will always miss them . I feel they are my friends even though I’ve never met them . Kayfab for life.

[@andybrining]

I had Ben Marra's O.M.W.O.T. delivered to me while watching this, so I can personally attest to CK's immeasurable intrinsic historical value.

[@nicklindsey3099]

Funny how you mention the post office in Seattle. For my day job, i deliver to one everyday. The one on mlk and juneau

[@WarriorsforInfoTV]

Man they touched so many people.

[@johnsonbenjamin887]

Yessss.

[@McGeeCollects]

I think my fav episodes were when they got mailed comics or bought .25 comics

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

Those episodes are absolutely timeless!

[@canadanionerdo5434]

Did they shut down ?

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

The channel isn't shut down, no.

[@razrentals8897]

You got sucked in to the post office after Covid too huh? I’m still there did you stay? Edit - nevermind all I had to do was wait a couple minutes to find out.

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

😂😂😂

[@WestCoastDAVEngers]

I hope the job is treating you better than it did me, still have much respect for my fellow carriers !