Robin Bougie on comics artist Drew Ford (RIP), COVID, and the GoFundMe for Ford's widow

I did not know Drew Ford, but I know and admire the work of Robin Bougie, a hell of a comics artist, creator of Cinema Sewer, and a unique chronicler of the history of pornographic and sleaze cinema, treating its performers as performers, tracking down people who no one else has been interviewing, and advocating for hard-to-see or obscure films (it's a toss-up as to whether it was Bougie or Stephen Thrower whose writings directed me to the films of Zebedy Colt, but I'm grateful to both - you don't find Zebedy Colt fans every day). Robin also gave me a very well timed Charles Bronson movie once, and was always a very friendly and helpful fella during trips to Videomatica (he even turned me on to Elia Kazan's terrific pandemic-themed Panic in the Streets, which I think was the last film I rented from the Videomatica rental store back in the day...). 

Anyhow, after I made a glib comment about COVID on Facebook the other day - and walked it back a bit when a friend chided me - Robin commented about how Drew Ford, a comics artist whom he admired and considered a friend, had just died of COVID-related pneumonia, observing that Drew was "around the same age as we are, and was probably healthier than we are." He also mentioned he was really worried about Drew's widow, Kiki. 

I am on disability due to cancer, and facing various unexpected financial hits (like the death of my computer - I'm currently writing this at the VPL). But if I can't afford to contribute much to Kiki's Gofundme, I can certainly help spread the word about it.

COVID *was*, as I had quipped, basically a "bad cold," for me, and for several people that I know, but we should still remember that it is out there, and that for some of us, it's far worse. The remainder of this piece will be Robin Bougie writing about Drew Ford. If you feel inclined to help someone out, Kiki's Gofundme is here. 

Drew Ford's final days

Robin Bougie: 

Drew Ford was all about comics. He was so encouraging to me about my zine about comics, Gutter Hunter, after the first issue came out. He loved it, and took it upon himself without being asked to contact Gary Groth at Fantagraphics, asking him to consider publishing it. Gary then offered to. Drew Ford was a true bro who lived and breathed sequential art.

Drew was a small publisher himself, just like me. He'd been at it for awhile, some of you might remember him from a promising comic back from Caliber press in the '90s called Rib. He was having quite a challenge in recent years, thanks to overextending himself, the pandemic, and then continuing to start new comic publishing projects to try to pay for the bills of previous ones that didn't pan out. Then if those didn't work, he'd even be in bigger trouble. But still he never gave up, because the man fucking loved comics. Not enough capital or the help needed to execute those plans, and they'd often blow up in his face, but I admired that he never said 'fuck it' and went and did something else, even when it would have been so goddamn easy to.

A couple of failed crowd-sourced comics didn't go well, and a bunch of people got nothing for their money. He was really into reprinting older 1980s comics, and was also getting ready to do a perhaps ill advised 'Fish Police' comeback, an 80s comic few even buy out of dollar bins, but Andrew believed in it as a viable comeback title. Some plans did work though... he also poured a lot of money and time into really cool vintage comic collections, like collected books of the work of legends like Sam Glanzman.

Sure, he wasn't a great business man (most of us creative types aren't) and died owing money and comics to plenty of people (me included), but goddamn if if Drew wasn't one of the most purely passionate people about comics and comics history. He fucking worked his ass off, using his limited means to try to get people's work published that he loved, and felt should be seen by more people. He was an important part of the community.

On September 26th 2022, Drew Ford took some boxes of his latest published comic to his storage unit in Brooklyn. He was having trouble breathing properly, but he likely assumed it was a cold or maybe a flu, and soldiered on. His wife, Kiki, waited at home for him. He texted her that he'd bring home lunch on the way back. He never arrived.

Andrew had collapsed in his car on the street. Bystanders found him and tried to get his heart started, and called 911, but by the time help came, his heart had been stopped for over 20 minutes. It turns out it wasn't a cold, it was COVID, and his lungs had filled up with liquid, making it impossible for him to breathe properly. His lungs couldn't produce enough oxygen to his brain, and then his heart stopped.

They took him to the Emergency room in Sunset park in Brooklyn, and then moved him to the ICU on September 28. Kiki was told by the Doctor that her husband was entirely brain dead and would never again wake up to and see her again. According to NY state law, he was now dead.

Kiki has reached out to us in the comics community. On the gofundme, she wrote the following heartbreaking plea for help, which I've edited for clarity:

“Hi. This is Kiki. I’m sorry my English is so bad and I’m also so emotional. I’m Andrew (Drew) Ford's wife. We were together for 12 years. I met him when I was 23 and now I’m 35. I came from Japan to attend SVA in NYC. We connected together because of Art and beauty. My entire adulthood is all about him. I didn’t know anything about love until I met him. I will never see him, talk to him, tell him that I love you again. His brain has so much damage because it was no oxygen for really long time. He was healthy and he is so young. He didn’t drink, smoke or any drugs. Unfortunately, his life insurance can't pay. It was cancelled due to missed payments.”

"Drew Ford is the small independent publisher of the comic company, 'IT’S ALIVE'. He loved comic books. He edited and published the books by himself, and worked from our very rundown apartment that we live in together with our cat Lolo. He worked so hard every day and dedicated his life to his company and comics. He packed and shipped each book by hand, and I helped him sometimes. He wanted to save the beautiful history of comic books, and publish the work that was significant for comic books lovers around the world. He wanted to preserve the history of comic books for future generations."

"He was so young. He's not supposed to die like this. I wanted to have his baby and I’m so devastated. I suffered so much with Clinical depression and PTSD, and I just was not capable to work or to be healthy enough to have a baby for all of these years. It's impossible now."

She goes on, at length about her situation at the gofundme, and I urge you to read it to get a better sense of what she's going through, because it's really moving. Because it might prompt you to help financially if you can. Because it might make you go get your booster shot and mask up more often when you're in close quarters indoors, with other people. At the very least, it might make you a little more patient and courteous with people who are doing what they can to be safe and keep their loved ones safe from the virus.

It hits too close to home for me. I see too many parallels between my existence and Drew's. I was in tears for his widow Kiki. I guess the thing that made me weep was not death so much, but being coldly reminded that the people we leave behind, the ones who love us -- when we go, they are the ones who suffer. I couldn't stop thinking of Kiki and their cat Lolo in the days after his passing.

Andrew was taken off life support today, October 2nd, 2022. He was 48 years old. One of the last things he ever wrote to me was this:

“It’s 3:23am here in NYC. I gotta get up early, so I’m gonna pass out soon. Thank you so much for showing me Gutter Hunter. It’s fantastic, and really important to the history of comics.”

***************

Thanks, Robin. Again, people can contribute to the fundraiser for Drew Ford's widow here.