Beg the Question S/C

Man...sometimes there are books that are so near-and-dear to you that they are extremely difficult to try to review and put into words. Minimum Wage was a book I first read years ago when it was initially released in single issues. The book was simply a semi-autobiographical yarn about an artist struggling through his days while living with his girlfriend. I was living with someone in Los Angeles when I first read it. The book hooked me immediately (but not just because of the domestic similarities). Fast forward many years ahead, where Fantagraphics has now collected it all under the new title of Beg The Question. It's a collection of every single scattered Minimum Wage issue to have come out, plus some original material. The book weighs in at a hefty 230 pages of graphic novel work, plus a few pages of prose (including an introduction by Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller fame). In addition to all of that, Bob Fingerman has gone back to touch up every page (and nearly every panel). He had gotten feedback about how the star of the book, Rob Hoffman, had an inconsistent look regarding his age. So he went back to touch it up for this collection and it shows. I remembered Rob Hoffman fluctuating in looks pretty often and not looking to be in his 20s many times. It's nice to see a collection of the work that really seems, at this point, to have defined Fingerman's career wind up getting this sort of treatment. As mentioned, this book is semi-autobiographical. Both Bob and "Rob" worked doing strips for porn and satire magazines. This is evident through the story itself and the artwork. Bob's evokes memories of some of the best style of art you've seen in Cracked (where he worked) and MAD magazines. There is a gritty-yet-cartoony feel to his artwork that I've always enjoyed. Thinking about it made me remember how Fingerman doesn't draw a lot of "pretty" people...he draws real people. Don't get me wrong: Rob's lady in the book, Sylvia, looks extremely hot (for a cartoon chick) many times. But I'm trying to emphasize that he draws real people, warts and all. He writes them that way, as well. Every character has their flaws and weaknesses. The star of the book, like many of us, seems to see more of the bad in him than the good. In fact, I think that much of the best qualities in him are communicated just by the suffering that he has the strength to get through and the quality people that obviously appreciate having him in their lives. Since he's basically writing himself here, that seems pretty brave. There are many things about this book that make it difficult to review. The 230 pages worth of material doesn't really help. But I think what makes it the most difficult is that it really has a bit of that Seinfeld "it's a show about nothing" syndrome. While it is true that the story really walks us through the relationship of Rob and Sylvia (through dating, living together, engagement, and eventual marriage), you can't say that the book is about that.

The art and story are just fantastic. It makes me want to move back to N.Y. I would recommend this to anyone who loves great art wrapped and great story telling.

Bob Fingerman links blazingly funny New York moments to the powerful narrative of a boy in love. It reads beautifully and is gorgeously drawn, casually showing the errata of a young artist's life: the ridiculous pathos of selling illustrations to smalltime porn magazines; Coney Island weekends; Astoria before manhattanites moved there. He moves easily from mundane moments like moving into a new apartment, calmly drawing laughter from the classic lazy friend to scenes so specific to his life - a friend getting into a fight at a comics convention with a competitor for rare Godzilla figurines over his stripper girlfriend's bizarre attire; or attending his grandmother's tiny funeral with a distant father and his puzzled lover. All of the characters in the book are disturbingly, hilariously real. The book is a delight - I'm sure that because it is a graphic novel, it won't get the attention it deserves - so you have the rare opportunity to know something wonderful that is not widely disseminated.

Having lived in NYC and having seen the reality of it all, BTQ's real life portrayal amusingly illuminates what really goes on. Fingerman's witty dialogue and prosaic settings should tell everybody who wants to move to NYC what they are really getting into. And everyone should have a sex life like Rob and Sylvia.Life's lessons are well written. It's a great book!

A great read! You don't have to be a comics fan to love this book. New York City comes alive and is very much a main character!