Ruben Bolling (born c. 1960) is a pseudonym for Ken Fisher, a cartoonist, the author of Tom the Dancing Bug.
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".
After graduation he 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.
He currently lives and works in New York, and his urbane sensibilities suggest progressive political inclinations. His pieces demonstrate concern about the power of large corporations and satirize the way government has been corrupted by money. [1] His work often concerns war, arguing that the government manipulates the media to propagate false versions of the events surrounding the Iraq war.
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. [2]
He is a member of Cartoonists With Attitude.
Books
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
External links
- Biography (PDF)
- The Comics Journal #247 (contains an interview)
- Interview at Salon; may be viewed via 'free pass'
- Metro interview (page 13)
- 20 Questions with Ruben Bolling on Quirkee.com
- The world according to Ruben Bolling, Tufts Magazine
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