Bob Fingerman (born August 25, 1964) is an American comic book writer/artist born in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
’s
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
, he produced work for
Harvey Kurtzman
Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...
's short-lived young readers anthology ''Nuts!'' and signed a contract to produce a series of comical parodies of the Italian comic series '' RanXerox'' exclusively for the European market, including France’s ''
L'Écho des savanes
''L’Écho des Savanes'' is a Franco-Belgian comics magazine founded in May 1972 by Claire Bretécher, Marcel Gotlib and Nikita Mandryka. It featured the work of French and international authors and graphic artists in mature-oriented comics ov ...
'' and ''Comics USA'' and Spain’s ''El Vibora''. After he made friends with guys working at Forbidden Planet who were forming a ska band,
The Toasters
The Toasters are one of the original American second wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records.
History
Englishman Robert "Bucket" Hingley relocated to New ...
, he drew the front and back cover for their first LP in 1985.
Fingerman worked in the disparate fields of children's satire, pornography and illustration, producing work regularly for ''
Cracked
Cracked may refer to: Television
* ''Cracked'' (British TV series), a 2008 British comedy-drama television series that aired on STV
* ''Cracked'' (Canadian TV series), a 2013 Canadian crime drama series that aired on CBC
* "Cracked", a Season 8 ( ...
'' magazine, ''
Screw
A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to f ...
'', ''
Penthouse
Penthouse most often refers to:
*Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building
*Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine
*Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...
High Times
''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade.Danko, Danny"Norml Founder Retires – Exha ...
'', the ''
Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...
'' and other periodicals.
In 1990, he decided to focus on comics. He did a year-long stint on the ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...
'', as well as several titles for the
Eros Comix
Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint.
History
Founding
Fantagraphics was founde ...
line of adult comics, including ''Skinheads in Love'' (which drew praise from ''The Village Voice Literary Supplement'') and ''Bloodsucker'', a collaboration with punk icon
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...
. He also created covers and short stories for
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
and
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
’
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...
imprint.
In 1993, Fingerman wrote and drew his first
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
, ''White Like She'', a science fiction social satire about a middle-aged black man whose brain is transplanted into a white teenage girl's head.
Upon completion of this purely fictional work, Fingerman decided to turn his attention inward. The result was the semi-autobiographical series, '' Minimum Wage'' ( Fantagraphics Books), which in 2002 was collected and extensively reworked as the Fantagraphics graphic novel, ''
Beg the Question
In classical rhetoric and logic, begging the question or assuming the conclusion (Latin: ') is an informal fallacy that occurs when an argument's premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it.
For example:
* "Green is ...
'' (and which was nominated for both an
Ignatz Award
The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997, only skipping ...
as well as two Eisner Awards).
Fingerman has broadened his palette, turning to prose, and continuing to work in comics. His books include the humor collection ''You Deserved It''; ''Zombie World: Winter’s Dregs & Other Stories'', the zombie graphic novel; ''Recess Pieces'' (described on Fangoria's
website
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wi ...
as "''
The Little Rascals
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' meets '' Dawn of the Dead''"); and his debut prose novel, ''Bottomfeeder''.SuicideGirls interview /ref> In 2009, his releases included the trippy illustrated novella ''Connective Tissue.''
In March 2010, his satirical post-apocalyptic "speculative memoir" ''From the Ashes'' was released as a
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
. In August 2010, ''Pariah'', a dark comedic look at people surviving a zombie onslaught, was published by
Tor Books
Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...
.''Pariah'' release information. ''Pariah'' is the second of Fingerman's prose novels. In April of 2013, the definitive "Maximum Minimum Wage" was released from Image Comics. Work on that collection reignited Fingerman's desire to continue that story. In 2014, after a fifteen year hiatus, two new arcs of Minimum Wage were published by Image Comics, "Focus on the Strange" and "So Many Bad Decisions". Both were collected in trade paperbacks. 2014 also saw the release of the 20th anniversary edition of Fingerman's first graphic novel, ''White Like She''.
In 2018 Fingerman started working for MAD magazine, creating two character-driven strips for their new Potrzebie Comics section. The first was "Boonies Burbs and Burgs," which featured three cousins' adventures. The second, MAD's first serial strip, was "Lukey and Mukey," about a dimwitted child and his errant mucus-based clone. In 2020, Heavy Metal released Dotty's Inferno, through their new Virus imprint.
In January 2022, a heavily revised edition of the novel Pariah was released as Pariah: Redux, also through Heavy Metal.
Bibliography
Comics and graphic novels
* ''Skinheads in Love'' (
Fantagraphics
Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint.
History
Founding
Fantagraphics was founde ...
, Feb. 1992)
* ''Bloodsucker'' (with
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...
, Fantagraphics, August 1992)
* ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures'' (''April O'Neil: The May East Saga'' #1-3, ''TMNT Adventures Special'' #6-7; Archie Comics, 1993)
* ''2099 Unlimited'' #2, #10 (
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
, Oct. 1993, 1996)
* ''White Like She'' #1-4 (Fantagraphics, 1994)
* '' Rock & Roll High School'' #1–2 (with
Shane Oakley
Shane Oakley is a British illustrator and comic book artist from Stoke-on-Trent, England.
Biography
Oakley began his career contributing to the alternative comics review '' Deadline Magazine'' in the 1980s, where he created '' Fatal Charm'' with ...
and
Jason Lutes
Jason Lutes (born December 7, 1967) at Comic Creator is an American
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
, 1998), included in ''ZombieWorld: Winter's Dregs & Other Stories'' (TPB, Dark Horse, 2005)
* ''Monkey Jank'' #1 (Fantagraphics, 2000)
* ''
Beg The Question
In classical rhetoric and logic, begging the question or assuming the conclusion (Latin: ') is an informal fallacy that occurs when an argument's premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it.
For example:
* "Green is ...
'' (hardcover, Fantagraphics, 2002), reworked version of ''Minimum Wage'' volume 2.
* ''You Deserved It'' (TPB, Dark Horse, 2005), collects material from ''Big Blown Baby'' #3 and ''Otis Goes Hollywood'' #1 & #2.
* ''Recess Pieces'' graphic novel (Dark Horse, 2006)
* ''From the Ashes'' #1-6 ( IDW Publishing, 2009); collected as ''From the Ashes'' TPB (IDW, 2010)
* ''Maximum Minimum Wage'' graphic novel ( Image Comics, 2013)
Novels
* ''Bottomfeeder'' (M Press, 2006)
* ''Pariah'' (
Tor Books
Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...