Fingerman, Bob 1964–

PERSONAL: Born August 25, 1964, in New York, NY; son of Saul and Helene (Magnus) Fingerman; married September 17, 1995; wife's name Michele. Ethnicity: "White." Education: Attended School of Visual Arts, 1982–84. Politics: Democrat. Religion: "Atheist."

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—Christopher Schelling, Ralph Vincinanza Ltd., 303 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer and illustrator of comic books and graphic novels.

AWARDS, HONORS: Firecracker Alternative Book Award, 1998, for Minimum Wage, Book 2: The Tales of Hoffman; Silver Medal in sequential art category, Society of Illustrators, 2002, for Beg the Question.

WRITINGS:

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Minimum Wage, Book 1, Fantagraphics (Seattle, WA), 1995, revised and expanded edition published in Beg the Question, 2005.

Finger Filth, Eros Comix (Seattle, WA), 1997.

Minimum Wage, Book 2: The Tales of Hoffman, Fantagraphics (Seattle, WA), 1997, revised and expanded edition published in Beg the Question, 2005.

White like She, Fantagraphics (Seattle, WA), 1998.

Beg the Question, Fantagraphics (Seattle, WA), 2002.

You Deserved It, Dark Horse Books (Milwaukie, OR), 2005.

OTHER

Author of comic scripts, including for Zombie World and The Mask, both published by Dark Horse Comics. Work also represented in anthologies.

WORK IN PROGRESS: … And Then Things Got Messy, "a humorous novel about decent people peddling pornography and pot"; Tiffany Bukowski and the Wurst Monster Ever, a children's novel; Bottom Feeder, "a down-to-earth vampire novel"; Pariah, "a novel set during a global zombie pandemic, about a small enclave of survivors on Manhattan's Upper East Side and the mysterious stranger who is immune to the zombies' attacks"; and Recess Pieces, a graphic novel about children versus zombies, "sort of 'The Little Rascals' meets 'Dawn of the Dead,'" all for Dark Horse Comics.

SIDELIGHTS: Bob Fingerman told CA: "After having spent the better (?) part of the last twenty years working in the comic-book and illustration fields, I chose in 2000 to focus my energies on writing prose, rather than just writing comic-book scripts. I'd always intended to make the shift, but it took the success of an acquaintance to give me the necessary motivation to do it; call me competitive. Though I love comics, I have always been drawn to prose. I enjoy the process of writing. That said, I find myself back at work on a new graphic novel (Recess Pieces for Dark Horse Books), and after having completed four novels, it feels good to be doing that again. Ideally, it would be fun to alternate between doing the prose stuff and comic stuff. Keep myself in both camps.

"With regard to influences, while I don't flatter myself to be in their league, I'd number Terry Southern, Bruce Jay Friedman, Jules Feiffer, Philip K. Dick, Martin Amis, Will Self, Donald Westlake, Clive Barker, Tom De Haven, Jerry Stahl, and Chuck Palahniuk as guiding lights. But I don't just consider authors as influences. Popculture has had a profound impact on my psyche; television and music penetrate and inspire.

"Concerning my writing process, I feel a self-imposed quota is important. Since I am both labor and management, I impose a goal of 2,000 words a day, or 10,000 words a week. This may seem arbitrary, but it gets me to focus and produce. In a way it's like manufacturing. You need to fabricate a certain number of units on a regular basis. Produce first, and then do quality control (editing). When I feel blocked, I draw instead. I don't like to be idle.

"As for my subject matter, or at least the tonality of my writing, I find I am attracted to darker themes, but always with humor. I think the darker the theme, the more apt humor becomes. Horror is often best when it's periodically leavened. I like to find the quotidian in the fantastic, rather than the other way around. If I write about a monster, it's 'can that monster pay his bills?' I think it's fun to cock things up. There's nothing more boring than happiness."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 2002, Gordon Flagg, review of Beg the Question, p. 559.

Entertainment Weekly, April 24, 1998, Ken Tucker, review of Minimum Wage, Book 2: The Tales of Hoffman, p. 74; January 10, 2003, Ken Tucker, review of Beg the Question, p. 74.

Library Journal, March 1, 2003, Steve Raiteri, review of Beg the Question, p. 74.

Publishers Weekly, March 3, 2003, review of Beg the Question, p. 56; August 1, 2005, review of You Deserved It.

Time Out New York, November 21-28, 2002, Andrew Johnston, profile of Bob Fingerman, p. 95.