Move over, Marvel. Nike is the latest company to enlist the cartoon-drawing chops of Munhall native Ed Piskor.
Mr. Piskor, 34, has been tapped to illustrate boxes for Nike’s special Field Air Force 1 Mid “For Baltimore” sneaker, which pays homage to the city’s sneakerheads. In 1984, the iconic Air Force 1 shoe was at risk of being phased out, but because of its popularity in Baltimore it stayed in production. The tribute AF-1 is done with a custom-embroidered strap, ’84 hangtag and comic-inspired insoles. Mr. Piskor also created a comic book that tells the story of the key players who helped to popularize the shoe.
“If I do work for hire, I'm only going to work on dream projects or things that blow my mind,” he says.
In this case, the gig was a bit of both. Nike saw other work by Mr. Piskor, who has a knack for giving historical analyses a comic book twist, and reached out to him. He worked on the collaboration a bit last year and finished it up this summer.
“The Air Force 1, that's one of the few sneakers that I rock,” he says. “You were corny if you didn't have them in first grade.”
Nike will release it Saturday exclusively at Downtown Locker Room in Mondawmin Mall and on Monument Street in Baltimore. As part of the release, a mural by Mr. Piskor will be featured on the site of the former Cinderella Shoes store.
Beyond the collaboration with Nike, Mr. Piskor is at work on a limited-edition X-Men series for Marvel Entertainment that will debut at the end of the year.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: September 26, 2017, 5:14 p.m.
Updated: September 26, 2017, 6:10 p.m.
