Ruben Bolling
| Ruben Bolling | |
|---|---|
 Ruben Bolling speaks at a Border's Books in Washington DC, July 7th 2007. |
|
| Born | c. 1963 (age 48–49) [1] New Jersey[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
| Pseudonym(s) | Ruben Bolling |
| Notable works | Tom the Dancing Bug |
| Awards | Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, Best Cartoon, 2002, 2003, 2006 |
Ruben Bolling (born c. 1963) is a pseudonym for Ken Fisher, a cartoonist, the author of Tom the Dancing Bug.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Bolling, who has no formal art training, read many comics when he was a child, and sometimes features their styles in his work. However, he didn't aspire to be a full-time cartoonist; instead he studied economics as an undergraduate at Tufts University and later attended Harvard Law School. It was at Harvard in the mid-'80s that Bolling came up with the idea for "Tom the Dancing Bug" and his pseudonym, Ruben Bolling (which is a melding of the names of two old-time baseball players, Ruben Amaro and Frank Bolling).[1]
After graduation Bolling practiced law for several years before resigning to pursue comic writing full-time. When that didn't work out, comic writing became a side interest and Bolling became a full time bank employee.[1] He is currently working on building a full-time writing career, driven in part by an ongoing project with New Line Cinema to produce a movie about his character Harvey Richards, Esq., a “Lawyer for Children."[2]
He currently lives and works in New York, and his sensibilities suggest liberal/left political inclinations. His pieces demonstrate concern about the power of large corporations and satirize the way government has been corrupted by money. Particularly since 9/11, Bolling's work often concerns war, arguing that the government manipulates the media to propagate false versions of the events surrounding the Iraq war.[1]
Many of his strips admit no political interpretation, instead featuring absurdist humor or parodying comic strip conventions. Bolling's lampoons of celebrity culture, such as in the parodic series of comic strips labeled "Funny, Funny, Celebs", can be scathing.
He is a member of Cartoonists With Attitude.
[edit] Bibliography
Three book-form collections have been published:
- 1992: Tom the Dancing Bug ISBN 0-06-096949-0
- 1997: All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned From My Golf-Playing Cats ISBN 1-56163-183-3
- 2004: Thrilling Tom the Dancing Bug Stories (over-sized treasury) ISBN 0-7407-4737-1
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Bolonik, Kera. "The World According to Ruben Bolling," Tufts Magazine (Spring 2006).
- ^ Bolling interview, Deconstructing Comics Podcast #228, (April 19, 2010).
[edit] External links
- The Comics Journal #247 (contains an interview)
- 20 Questions with Ruben Bolling on Quirkee.com
- Deconstructing Comics #228 (podcast interview)
 |
This profile of an American cartoonist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
