Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Fantagraphics | Tagged: Bob Fingerman, Minimum Wage, patton oswalt

Bob Fingerman, Forty Years Of Living In Comics, In One Hardcover

Bob Fingerman is the creator of the slice-of-cartoonist-life comic book Minimum Wage, which ran from 1995-1999, published by Fantagraphics.

Published Fri, 02 Feb 2024 07:57:09 -0600

by Rich Johnston

Last updated Fri, 02 Feb 2024 09:48:05 -0600

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Article Summary

Bob Fingerman's career retrospective hardcover spans 40 years in comics.
'Minimum Wage' cartoonist Fingerman crowdfunds on Zoop, surpassing goals.
From MAD Magazine to graphic novels, Fingerman's eclectic work is showcased.
Patton Oswalt and Bill Sienkiewicz contribute to the career memoir's praise.

Bob Fingerman is the creator of the slice-of-cartoonist-life comic book Minimum Wage, which ran from 1995 until 1999, published by Fantagraphics. The series came to a conclusion in an open-ended way, and so in 2013, when Image Comics collected the 10 issues of the comic in remastered form, he also brought back the comic for another six issues.

His comics career started in 1984, working for Harvey Kurtzman on the anthology Nuts before working for Mad Magazine and Cracked. Moving into full-blown comics like Minimum Wage has seen him work on the likes of Heavy Metal, Zombie World, From the Ashes, White Like She, The Mask, Heavy Metal, Otois Goes To Hollywood, Dirty Stories, Penthouse Comix and bizarrely, Scooby Doo for DC and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures for Archie Comics. There's even a 2009 Unlimited, Star Wars Tales and Looney Tunes in there somewhere. And a couple of novels, screenplays and the like.

In total, it has taken up 40 years of his life. This is why, in 2024, Bob Fingerman launched a massive career retrospective/monograph called That's Some Business You're In, taken from what his father used to say whenever Bob would talk to him about his work. I mean, I've read a lot of Bob's work and.. yeah, his dad probably had a point. He's crowdfunding on the do-everything-but-draw-the-book service Zoop, and will be "brimming with art, a career memoir, and all kids of anecdotal content from my four decades, thus far! From Cracked to MAD, from men's mags to meaningful graphic novels, and everything in between!" And has funded of the first day, now with $12,542 raised against a $5,000 goal from 143 supporters with 27 days to go.

"Essential for any fan of Bob Fingerman's work, this career memoir details his 40 years of toiling in comics, and boasts a huge amount of art, much of which is presented for the first time and scanned from the originals. Take a trip through the beloved cartoonist's artistic journey — and buy some of his rarely offered original art or signed comics while you're at it!"

He's even got Patton Oswalt in it, a longtime fan of Fingerman's work. Hey, Oswalt is in everything else, why not this? Oswalt says "The highs, the lows, the what-the-hell-is-happenings —Bob Fingerman chronicled life with hilarious, sometimes cringe-y honesty. Here's to 40 more. NEVER STOP WORKING BOB." Oh and it has a forward by Bill Sienkiewicz because, well, wouldn't you if you could get it?

"Starting with a detailed career memoir, and followed by individual sections highlighting and elaborating on specific topics and phases, from student years, to his time as "one of the usual gang of idiots" in MAD magazine, to his signature works like Minimum Wage, Recess Pieces and the more recent Dotty's Inferno. Boasting a huge amount of art, much of which is presented for the first time scanned from the originals, warts and all, "Artist's Edition" style, as well as archival materials and tear sheets, That's Some Business You're In is essential for any fan of Fingerman's work, and also for those unacquainted, as a deep dive to whet their appetites for more!"