Ethan Persoff's ep.tc
 Without Ethan Persoff, the Web would a slightly more subdued place—bereft of esoteric cartoons, historic comics, and the sounds of Nancy Reagan and a host of mid-'80s stars rapping against drugs. ("Stop the madness!") Never one to say no himself, Ethan creates his own graphic tales, records his own music, and, recently ventured into all-out animation with friend and cohort Scott Marshall.
We have known Ethan longest, though, for his jaw dropping collection of vintage comics. Ranging from the heroin warning "Hooked!" to the CIA propaganda "Grenada" to any number of "comics with problems," this stuff is sometimes bizarre, occasionally shocking, and always golden. We asked Ethan what has surprised him about running ep.tc all these years. Here's his answer: "I think the most surprising thing about the site is how it's responded to by different kinds of audiences, the Web over. Like "Johnny Surge" ended up on a forum for male lactators; that made my year. There are unintended surprises, like the Alcoholics Anonymous comic strips being absorbed into psychology sites and 12-step groups. There are lots of stories about things I post and the weird places they go. It seems if you're a troubled or perverted person I've got a piece of pop culture or comic book JUST for YOU." Never stop the madness, Ethan.
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