Leave Pepe Alone: Fantagraphics Wants Its Frog Back from the White Nationalist Movement

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

This year, Fantagraphics, the underground comic-book publisher of great artists such as Peter Bagge, R. Crumb, Dan Clowes, Chris Ware, Carol Tyler, and many more, turns 40. The company is celebrating all weekend at Folio library, Fantagraphics Bookstore, and Georgetown Stables, and we asked Fantagraphics to create the cover image for this week's Stranger. You might not have noticed his little green face peering out at you from the center, but there he is, Pepe the Frog. He's just a frog, right? Not anymore.


Though he's been around since 2005, this year during the election, poor Pepe was co-opted by the alt-right—which is to say, the white nationalist movement, which is to say, neo-Nazis, which is to say, racists—in online memes. He was shared by people who modified his likeness in order to depict him as Donald Trump's running mate, and Donald Trump Jr. even shared an Instagram photo of Pepe as a cast member for The Deplorables.

Fantagraphics and Pepe's longtime fans would like very much to reclaim Pepe from hateful trolls using his image online.

Eric Reynolds, associate publisher of Fantagraphics Books, submitted a statement: "The true Pepe the Frog, as created by the human being and artist Matt Furie, is a peaceful cartoon amphibian who represents love, acceptance, and fun. (And getting stoned.) Both creator and creation reject the nihilism fueling Pepe's alt-right appropriators. Most media reports now routinely default to a narrow description of Pepe as a representation of white supremacy, ignoring the mellow, positive-vibed frog that he is in the hands of his creator, Matt Furie, within the pages of Furie's Boy's Club comics. The Anti-Defamation League joined forces with Furie in an effort to take back the popular internet meme from racists and use the frog's likeness as a force for good. It's time to reclaim Pepe as a symbol of positivity and togetherness, and to stand by Matt Furie. #savepepe"

http://www.thestranger.com/we-saw-you/2016/12/06/24733333/leave-pepe-alone-fantagraphics-wants-its-frog-back-from-the-white-nationalist-movement

[Maru Kitteh]

1. I wish them luck, but I fear they will have little of it.

[KittyWampus]

2. Well, it's up to Eric Reynolds and Matt Furie to get off their asses and start publishing comix

that skewer the 4chan mouth-breathers along with Trump and his NeoNazi-brain Steve Bannon.

[MADem]

3. Too late.

Though, if they re-invented him into a popular character that the Fascist/Nazis find objectionable, they might abandon him.

[pinboy3niner]

4. Adding a Tinky-Winky gizmo on his head might work

[MADem]

5. LOL--and didn't our friend TW carry a (gasp) PURSE?

Of course, the LGBTQ community always gets asked to do the heavy lifting and man the front lines in support of liberal causes, but if they'd see their way clear to taking on this effort, they'd get some major praise from me!

[Iggo]

6. Nazis ruin everything.

Fucking ruiners.

[KittyWampus]

7. Good call. Apparently we'll have to beat them down every 50 years or so.

[Iggo]

8. They deserve it. Let's get 'em.