Michael Kupperman
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Michael Kupperman (born April 26, 1966), also known by the pseudonym P. Revess,Spurgeon, Tom
"A Short Interview With Michael Kupperman,"
The Comics Reporter (August 7, 2005).
is an American
cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...
and
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
. He created the
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
s ''Up All Night'' and ''Found in the Street'', and has written scripts for
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
. His work often dwells in
surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
and
absurdity Absurdity is the state or condition of being unreasonable, meaningless, or so unsound as to be irrational. "Absurd" is the adjective used to describe absurdity, e.g., "Tyler and the boys laughed at the absurd situation." It derives from the Lat ...
"played as seriously as possible." His work has appeared in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', ''
LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...
'', ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', ''
Screw A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...
'', ''
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...
'', ''
The Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...
'', ''
Libération (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...
'', ''
Nickelodeon Magazine ''Nick Magazine'' is a defunct American children's magazine inspired by the children's television network Nickelodeon. Its first incarnation appeared in 1990 and was distributed at participating Pizza Hut restaurants; the version of the magazine ...
'', '' The Believer'', and '' Heavy Metal'', as well as in comics anthologies such as ''Hotwire'', ''Snake Eyes'', '' Zero Zero'', ''Hyena'', ''Hodags and Hodaddies'', ''Blood Orange'', ''Rosetta'', ''106U'', and ''
Legal Action Comics ''Legal Action Comics'' is a series of comics anthology, comics anthologies edited by illustrator Danny Hellman which features work from many alternative comics artists. The first volume in the series was published in 2001,Hellman, Danny, editor. ...
''. He has also worked on many books and projects for
McSweeney's McSweeney's Publishing is an American nonprofit publishing house founded by Dave Eggers in 1998 and headquartered in San Francisco. The executive director is Amanda Uhle. McSweeney's first publication was the literary journal'' Timothy McSw ...
.


Biography

Kupperman spent part of his childhood in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Later on, back in the United States, his parents became professors at the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
. His mother is Karen Ordahl Kupperman, noted historian of Early America. His father is Joel J. Kupperman, the most famous of the original 1940s
Quiz Kids ''Quiz Kids'' is a radio and TV series originally broadcast in the 1940s and 1950s. Created by Chicago public relations and advertising man Louis G. Cowan, and originally sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, the series was first broadcast on NBC from ...
. When Michael was young, between ages ten and twelve, he was fascinated with
editorial cartoon A political cartoon, also known as an editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically co ...
s, particularly the work of
Pat Oliphant Patrick Bruce "Pat" Oliphant (born 24 July 1935) is an Australian-born American artist whose career spanned more than sixty years. His body of work primarily focuses on American and global politics, culture, and corruption; he is particularly k ...
. As a young man, Kupperman did a political strip for the ''
Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since 1981. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial ...
''.
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
published Kupperman's book '' Snake 'n' Bacon's Cartoon Cabaret'' in 2000. Parts of his work were
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
later that year for the
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
show ''
TV Funhouse ''Saturday TV Funhouse'' is a segment on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' featuring cartoons created by ''SNL'' writer Robert Smigel. 101 "TV Funhouse" segments aired on ''SNL'' between 1996 and 2008, with one further segment airing in 2011. It al ...
'', produced by
Robert Smigel Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The pup ...
and
Dino Stamatopoulos Konstantinos Pollux Alexandros "Dino" Stamatopoulos (born December 14, 1964) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He has worked on TV programs such as '' Mr. Show'', '' TV Funhouse'', ''Mad TV'', '' The Dana Carvey Show'', ''Late Show wi ...
. In 2005, he started a
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
series called ''Tales Designed To Thrizzle'', published by
Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the Erotic comics, erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed sev ...
. As of 2009, Kupperman is writing sketches for a new comedy series starring Peter Serafinowicz, and he created a one-off pilot called '' Snake 'N' Bacon'' for the
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
network. In 2013, Kupperman won the
Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...
for "Moon 1969: The True Story of the 1969 Moon Launch", published in ''Tales Designed to Thrizzle'' Vol. 2, Issue 8. In 2013, Michael Kupperman started a biography of his father Joel, who was a child celebrity in the 1940s. Kupperman published the book, ''All the Answers'', in May 2018, getting a
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
Best Book of the Year award. Kupperman lives in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York, with his son, Ulysses Dougherty, and his wife, Muire Dougherty.


Recurring characters, comics, and themes

* Snake 'n' Bacon — A film duo composed of a snake and a strip of bacon. Snake only hisses and Bacon only makes comments about bacon, such as "Pat me with a paper towel to remove excess grease". Aired as a pilot on Cartoon Network May 10, 2009. *Underpants-On-His-Head Man — A costumed crimefighter who wears underpants on his head *
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
— "the public domain superhero" who often smashes things. *Wonder Book Junior, Boy Detective *The Mannister — A man who can transform himself into the shape of a banister *Cousin Grandpa *Mister Bossman *Pagus —
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
's half-brother, worshipped by Pagans *
Long John Silver Long John Silver is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1883 novel '' Treasure Island'' by Robert Louis Stevenson. The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular culture. His missing leg ...
, as the proprietor of a Sex Blimp *
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
and
Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
(as a duo) *Sex Blimps, and their logical inverse, Sex Holes * djectiveDistrict Attorney - A series of bizarre
District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
s tackling crime with quirks (e.g. Rabid District Attorney, Flying District Attorney, and The District Attorney of a 1000 Faces) *Remembering the Thirties *Citobor — An invisible and silent robot ("robotic" spelled backwards) *
Roger Daltrey Sir Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Who, known for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. His stage persona ear ...
, looking for "birds" to shag


Bibliography

* ''Snake 'n' Bacon's Cartoon Cabaret'' () (2000) * ''Who Moved My Soap?: The CEO's Guide to Surviving in Prison'' (illustrator) (2003) * ''Stepmother'' (illustrator) () (2004) * ''Giraffes? Giraffes!'' (cover) (2004) * ''Your Disgusting Head: The Darkest, Most Offensive and Moist Secrets of Your Ears, Mouth and Nose'' (cover) (2004) * ''The Future Dictionary of America'' (art, art direction, writing) () (2004) * ''McSweeneys'' #16, #19 (art & design) (2004, 2006) * ''Nick Mag Presents: Best of Comics'' (contributor) (2005) * ''A Child Again'' (illustrator) () (2005) * ''Tales Designed To Thrizzle'' #1-8 (2005–present) ** ''Tales Designed To Thrizzle Vol. 1'' (Collects issues 1-4) () (2009) ** ''Tales Designed To Thrizzle Vol. 2'' (Collects issues 5-8) () (2012) * ''Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid'' (cover) (2006) * ''All Select Comics #1'' Marvel (2009) * ''Strange Tales #1-3'' Marvel (2009) * ''Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910-2010'' Fantagraphics (2011) * ''All the Answers'' Simon & Schuster (2018)


References


External links

*
Fantagraphics author pageMichael Kupperman
on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
* Entry at This Might Be A Wiki


Interviews


''The Onion'' A.V. Club
* The Daily Cross Hatch
part 1part 2part 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kupperman, Michael 1966 births Living people 20th-century American Jews category:21st-century American Jews Alternative cartoonists American comics artists American comics writers American people of Jewish descent American people of Norwegian descent American people of Swedish descent DC Comics people Jewish American comics artists Jewish American comics writers Jewish illustrators Former Lutherans The New Yorker cartoonists American surrealist artists University of Connecticut alumni