2015–2016 comic book limited series by Ed Piskor
Hip Hop Family Tree is a series of educational and historical comic books by Ed Piskor that documents the early history of hip hop culture. Originating online with "Boing Boing", the series was published in print form by Fantagraphics. The first collection was a 2014 "New York Times" Graphic Books Best Seller (#7) and was listed in "The Washington Post" Top 10 graphic novels of 2013. The second collection won the Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work in 2015.
Piskor's artistic style in "Hip Hop Family Tree"—including his use of Ben-Day Dots—hearkens back to the comic book styles prevalent during the period being retold. Robert Crumb is openly referenced as an inspiration to Piskor, who cites Crumb's "Heroes of Blues, Jazz &amp; Country" trading cards as an influence. Crumb and Piskor are similar in their commemorations of key artists and musical figures, and the informative narration of their chosen genre's historical evolution.
Publication history.
"Hip Hop Family Tree" began on "Boing Boing" in January 2012 as a one-page "semi-regular ongoing feature", and ran, mostly weekly, until December 2015. Fantagraphics released the first "Treasury" collection, "Hip Hop Family Tree Vol. 1: 1970s–1981", in 2013, and the second collection, covering the years 1981–1983, in 2014; both of which collected material that had been previously published on "Boing Boing". That year the publisher also released a "Gift Box Set", collecting the first two treasury editions.
In August 2015, Fantagraphics released the third collection, covering the years 1983–1984, while also beginning a monthly magazine-format limited series. That series ran 12 issues, through July 2016. Fantagraphics published volume 4 of the Treasury collection in July 2016. That year the publisher also released a "Gift Box Set", collecting volumes 3 and 4 of the Treasury editions.
An omnibus release of the entire series was released on October 17, 2023, sold in a deluxe hardcover with 140 pages of extras.
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