Ed Subitzky contributed comics, cartoons, or humor writing to almost every issue of National Lampoon magazine. Poor Helpless Comics! The Cartoons (and More) of Ed Subitzky is the first dedicated collection of his work. The 176-page paperback book will be released on October 10, 2023, from New York Review Comics (see "NYRB Launches Comic Imprint") with a cover price of $29.95.

Subitzky’s work as National Lampoon contributing editor included roughly 100 comic strips, some multi-page, and approximately the same number of articles. Poor Helpless Comics! will include a selection of Subitzky’s comics, cartoons, humor writing, and information about his work on TV and in advertising. Subitzky also appeared in the documentary Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon.

The book’s contents are put in context with an interview with Subitzky conducted by Mark Newgarden (underground cartoonist and co-author of How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels, a 2018 Eisner winner for Best Comics-Related Book).

A 1972 comic by Subitzky appeared in The Someday Funnies (see “The Someday Funnies”), the time capsule collection released in 2011 of comics compiled by Michel Choquette during the 1970s. Choquette first discovered Subitzky when Choquette visited a School of Visual Arts cartooning class Subitzky was attending.