I first met Joe when we were art students together in Philadelphia. Our mutual love of comics and music soon sparked a relationship that lasted over decades.  Eventually, Joe even worked as a colorist on several of my early comics, including the classic BATMAN/GRENDEL crossover.  Anyone who knew Joe knew that, yes, he was often as frustratingly stubborn and neurotic as he portrayed himself in the pages of his indelible autobiographical comic, PEEPSHOW...but he was also charming, funny, insightful and loyal to the few friends he deemed worth the effort.  Even though I hadn't seen him in person for many years, Joe and I still stayed in close touch every couple of weeks with lengthy gab sessions via FB Messenger.  I'll dearly miss my old buddy and his unique outlook on the world...and how we began every phone call babbling in Donald Duck talk at each other. So long, broheim...the world's just a bit more boring without you.

joe matt was such a wonderful friend. We will never forget him. R.I.P JOE MATT

I'm a fan from Paris, France .

We use to chat on Facebook sometimes (dispate my poor english.)

But I meet him during his trip in Paris for the SoBd festival in december 2018.

Joe did this for me just a few weeks ago. ❤️

On one of our many nights at House of Pies, Joe brought along his family photo album.

I snapped this photo of Joe after one of our visits to Peter’s studio in Echo Park.

Three Poor Bastards Writing a Pilot for HBO — with Donick Cary, David X. Cohen and Joe Matt

Joe as the priest in the confessional — with Joe Matt, Robert Crumb and dan mcclintock

Thank you for all the inspiration, you will be forever missed. 

The time we were headed to lunch & Joe insisted on stopping at his favorite gas station trash can to hunt for discarded/possibly still good lottery tickets. 😁

Joe was—and will always be—one of the most interesting and unusual people I’ve ever known. He’d call me up on Tuesdays when my husband was busy playing cards (or, as Joe put it, “Tuesday Weld plays poker!”) and we’d spend 2 hours chatting about whatever came to mind (usually his mind). And what a mind it was—filled with cultural references from long before I was born, anecdotes about whatever celebrity he happened to bump into on his walks, his culinary habits/quirks, and an abounding love for animals (especially Seymour the cat). And so, so much more. We occasionally butted heads on certain topics, but he always kept me on the line with another thought, another observation…or another cat video sent immediately afterwards  

I wish there had been more time. More calls. More everything involving him. 

To Joe’s family—please accept my most heartfelt condolences. He truly was one of a kind.

Pic of Joe at Art School

I am so deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Joe Matt. His work was maddeningly frank, and he leaned so far into portraying all his worst traits in forensic detail, to the point I wondered what kind of person he was in real life. Decades ago I was on a panel with him at the San Diego Comic Con, and I confess I was a jerk to him. I scored some cheap laughs at his expense. And I felt bad about it for all those years. A few years ago, after having moved to Los Angeles to restart/reboot, I saw him from time to time in Los Feliz, mostly at House of Pies. And I wanted to say “hi” but felt ashamed of my previous encounter with him. So, I steered clear. Finally, via social media, a year ago I reached out and apologized and he didn’t even remember the encounter. I did this portrait as a further olive branch, and finally, in June of this year we met up for coffee. And that coffee hand turned into a dinner hang, and walk and bookstore visit. And I got to see the side of him that he didn’t portray in his work. The sweetness. The almost childlike inquisitiveness. He also seemed lonely. I was planning to take him out for a belated birthday meal this month, then learned of his passing and I still can’t believe it’s true. But it is. It doesn’t feel real. It shouldn’t be real. He was clearly embarrassed by his lack of productivity. He brought with him a box of pages he’d been working on, but confessed he had a very poor work ethic. And he also expressed regret for leaving his two true brothers, Chester Brown and Seth, to live in LA. I think those guys were way more than friends. They were kindred spirits that kept him vital. Productive. He mentioned he spoke to them, particularly Seth, often. I felt very bad for him that they were so far away. He was a lot. I could feel that. But he was definitely a person I wanted to have a friendship with. I want his next book. He should still be here. To his close friends and family I can only express true condolences and grief. Sorry I didn’t get to know you better, Joe. 

Joe and Seymour

Dear Judy, Monica, Chris, Peter and all of Joe's family,

So sorry for your loss. My wife and I knew Joe in Toronto in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was such a sweetheart, always funny and alive. It's hard to even process the news. He was so unchanging I thought he'd always be there. You can take comfort in the fact he was widely loved and his work will always have fans. Jeet Heer

To hear the news has been terrible, hard to believe. I loved Joe for his art. I've been reading comics for 40 years and he has always been one of my 4-5 favourites. A true genius. So real, so natural, so transparent, so lovely. I am from Spain, have read him in Spanish editions. Among the community of Spanish readers and comic artists it's been a big shock, everybody loved his books. Goodbye, Joe! We will all miss you too much.