"Whether you were there when it was happening or not, [Hip Hop Family Tree ] will unfold a rich universe of music history and all the knock-on effects of it too. With the warmth and immediacy only a true fan could impart, Piskor tells the ongoing history of Hip Hop in these lovingly crafted volumes."
Comic Book Resources - Sonia Harris
"Pittsburgh cartoonist Piskor continues his authoritative and highly entertaining graphic history of hip-hop, with tales of the early days of Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, and the Fat Boys."
The Inquirer (Philadelphia) - Dan DeLuca
"Piskor’s work doesn’t just capture the mood of old school hip hop. It taps into the feel of school comics as well. ... This is the kind of book that’s designed to be spread out on the floor while resting on your belly, the stereo turned up as loud as you can stand it. Piskor’s mastery of the comics page is like a DJ’s best breakbeat record — no matter where you drop the needle, you’re going to find something good."
Graphic Novel Reporter - Jeremy Estes
"Marvel at hip-hop greatness."
"Acclaimed comic book artist Ed Piskor’s Hip Hop Family Tree series is as fresh and electric as the music it salutes."
The Weeklings - Jamie Blaine
"Richly detailed and thoroughly researched."
"Retelling the history of hip hop in the style of '80s Marvel comics, wasn't necessarily a good idea… it was the best idea. ...HHFT [is] an incredible achievement, as well as one of comics' greatest nonfiction works."
"Ed Piskor's stylish, funny, assiduously researched history of hip-hop is hugely engaging and enlightening."
"Extraordinary effort. Even if you are not a hip-hop fan, you need to read this."
The Economic Times - Jatin Varma
"The third gathering of Piskor’s smash webcomic... affords as much amusement and well-researched history as its two predecessors. ... Piskor’s art style, somewhere between Jack Kirby and R. Crumb, looks as good as, maybe better than, ever."
"Hip Hop Family Tree … [is] …an exhaustive, lovingly-rendered portrayal of the movement's explosive early moments."
"The cartoonist’s encyclopedic love for his subject matter – and his energetic depiction of its beefs, battle-raps and gradual rags-to-riches rise to fame – makes Hip Hop Family Tree a rigorous, scholarly work of pop culture history, masquerading as great comics."
The Globe and Mail - Sean Rogers
"The amount of research he’s done sets a rather terrifying new standard for anyone else inclined to study the birth of hip-hop…. No less brilliant than Piskor’s journalism is his graphical skill."
NPR Books - Etelka Lehoczky
"These are dookie-gold-chain d-o-p-e."
CultMTL - Darcy MacDonald
"If you love hip-hop culture or comics, you have to get these books immediately. If you hate hip-hip culture or comics, then these books will convert you into a lover of both."
"Comic book writer and illustrator Ed Piskor is working to preserve a sense of hip-hop’s early history through the widely acclaimed Hip-Hop Family Tree comic series from Fantagraphics, an expansive look at the early ’80s formative hip-hop scene and the young pioneers that poured the foundation."
"He’s not just doin’ a comic book, he’s doin' a piece of history."
"When cartoonist Ed Piskor decided to unspool the labyrinth history of one of America’s greatest artistic accomplishments, he spared no effort to immerse his readers in the era of jump suits and scarred vinyl. Everything in Hip Hop Family Tree screams nostalgia: the Ben-Day dots, the sepia discoloration…even the print feels course and pulpy, like a priceless cultural artifact unearthed in a garage sale or your dad’s basement. Flipping through the oversized pages, you can almost hear the slap bass, horn swells, and ricocheting rhymes of hip-hop’s inaugural years."
