Wizzywig [Hardcover]

Ed Piskor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 2012

They say "What You See Is What You Get"... but Kevin "Boingthump" Phenicle could always see more than most people. In the world of phone phreaks, hackers, and scammers, he's a legend. His exploits are hotly debated: could he really get free long-distance calls by whistling into a pay phone? Did his video-game piracy scheme accidentally trigger the first computer virus? And did he really dodge the FBI by using their own wiretapping software against them? Is he even a real person? And if he's ever caught, what would happen to a geek like him in federal prison? Inspired by the incredible stories of real-life hackers, Wizzygig is the thrilling tale of a master manipulator - his journey from precocious child scammer to federally-wanted fugitive, and beyond. In a world transformed by social networks and data leaks, Ed Piskor's debut graphic novel reminds us how much power can rest in the hands of an audacious kid with a keyboard.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Piskor’s saga of Kevin Boingthump Phenicle, an invented character gene-spliced from various real-life hackers, began as a series of self-published books, was serialized online, and is now a graphic novel handsomely packaged with a Mac Classic cover and Apple-fied Top Shelf logo. In fractured, single-page strips and longer, stretched-out scenes, Boingthump begins as a clever adolescent in the ’70s with a knack for tinkering just below the surface of legality and an insatiable curiosity for new technology (he’s more that lost breed of dissidence, the phone phreaker, than the sort of hacker we associate with the term today). Without much malicious intent, though, he winds up on the FBI’s hit list, goes into hiding when a hysterical Geraldo type whips the public into a fear frenzy, and inspires a backlash among underground figures waging a battle for digital freedom. Piskor’s accomplished, alt-comics-style art will be familiar from his collaborations with Harvey Pekar. Like Pekar’s work, this solo outing is a story of endearing subversiveness, exposing the forgotten marginalia of society. --Ian Chipman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Top Shelf Productions (July 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603090975
• ISBN-13: 978-1603090971
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best indie comic book of 2012! July 13, 2012

By Noel TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

If you're a fan of Harvey Pekar's work then you'll have encountered Ed Piskor's art within issues of "American Splendor" and the non-fiction graphic book "The Beats: A Graphic History", and while Piskor can draw with the best of them he proves with his debut graphic novel "Wizzywig" that he's an enormously gifted writer as well.

This is the story of the most famous hacker of all, Kevin J Phenicle aka Boingthump who is an amalgamation of various real life hackers like Robert Morris, in one character. We see him as a child in the 70s learning how to scam by getting free bus rides and then beginning his hacking career by figuring out how to get free phone calls from pay phones ("phone phreaking") and copying games for his schoolmates. It's fascinating to see how low-tech the early days of hacking was where it could be done via a phone line and that internet boards existed way back in the 70s/80s as Bulletin Board Systems (BBS).

The book employs a scattered narrative jumping from the present to the past and all points in between so we know from page 1 that Kevin is in jail but we don't know how he got there. The insertions of talking heads in between chapters from Kevin's life reminded me of Seth's "Wimbledon Green" approach to telling the story of a man, and Piskor uses it as well to superb effect.

The story is excellent, Piskor drawing you in from page one as you see this genius child develop into a person able to navigate the modern world with ease whose extensive skills and curiosity for knowledge leading him to become a wanted fugitive after breaking in to telephone companies databanks. The fugitive section is a thrilling read as we see Kevin survive on the fringes of society eluding the FBI at every turn, we also see the down side to hacking/scamming as he clings on in dingy bedsits working menial jobs for barely any money.

While the book is a look at hackers, it's also an examination of media hype and fear-mongering and the use of sensationalist news to misinform people and manipulate them into believing almost anything. This culminates with the imprisonment without trial of Kevin in the United States, "the land of the free".

There are lots of little asides that are very entertaining like a short story featuring a young Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and there's also a cameo featuring Harvey Pekar as a pizza store owner.

I loved this book. It's thoughtful and clever, Ed Piskor's style merges great art with a natural storytelling prowess to tell the fantastic story of a sub-culture which continues to be a source of interest today (Anonymous, Wikileaks). "Wizzywig" is a tremendous debut from this talented artist and is recommended not just to all comics fans but for any reader who's looking for a fun and utterly absorbing read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Free Kevin! August 13, 2012

By Alt

Format:Hardcover

When he isn't being beaten by bullies, Kevin "Boingthump" Phenicle Jr. spends his nerdish childhood inventing scams that lead to free pizzas and bus rides. In an era when personal computers are just starting to become popular, Kevin graduates from phone phreaking to computer hacking. He's one of the first creators of a (harmless) computer virus and goes on to have an occasionally lucrative, often lonely underground career, followed by a half-decade of pretrial detention. The number of ways Kevin finds to game the system is fascinating, while his experience behind bars is terrifying.

We're told that Boingthump is a composite of various phone phreaks and hackers. To that extent, his story is familiar, but it's nonetheless compelling drama. I'm impressed by the creative way the story is told. Sometimes Kevin is seen through the eyes of neighbors and friends, family members, and hackers who are apparently being interviewed, as if for a documentary. Part of the story is told by the host of a radio show looking back on Kevin's (pre-arrest) life. Sometimes we see slices of the lives surrounding or observing Kevin's. The attention to detail is remarkable.

Intelligence is an attribute too often missing from graphic novels. Ed Piskor offers a smart take on self-appointed television vigilantes who sensationalize stories to boost their ratings, and on federal law enforcement officers who give more attention to crimes against corporations than to crimes committed by corporations. Apart from its intelligence, the story is emotionally resonant. It's rare to read a graphic novel that's both moving and thought-provoking. I don't often write rave reviews, but Wizzywig blew me away. It's one of the best graphic novels I've read.

5.0 out of 5 stars I want more January 14, 2013

By C. Brock

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved seeing the various hacks and scams that Kevin (the protagonist) did during his days of freedom. I almost didn't care if there was a story involved. I want more hacks and scams. Mr. Piskor, if you read these reviews, can you please create an appendix graphic novel of various hacks and scams because your drawings and explanations made it both fun and comprehensible to read about them. I was absorbed in the first 2/3 of the book and then realized that indeed there was a higher story holding this book together, and it will not disappoint. What makes it even better is that this is not some vacuous novel of scams and brutality with no meaning involved. It might be too much to ask that Kevin be more like a populist Robin Hood fighting corporate greed, but what we have is a hero that defies a simple explanation. It is difficult to relate to Kevin, but that isn't the point. The shift from Kevin to our legal system seems to be the point. Thoroughly good book, and seemingly well researched.