Rick Altergott (born 1961)"Artists,"
''Raw, Boiled, and Cooked: Comics on the Verge'', edited by Paul Candler (Last Gasp, 2004), p. 86. is an American

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...

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. Altergott is best known for '' Doofus'', a long-running low-brow,

scatological In medicine and biology, scatology or coprology is the study of faeces. Scatological studies allow one to determine a wide range of biological information about a creature, including its diet (nutrition), diet (and thus habitat (ecology), where ...

series of strips which chronicle the misadventures of two small-town weirdos, Doofus and Henry Hotchkiss.

Life and career

Altergott got his BFA in film from the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...

, 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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He met and befriended fellow cartoonist and Pratt student

Daniel Clowes Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in ''Eightball (comic book), Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''E ...

during his college years. During this period, Altergott and Clowes formed the small press comics publisher Look Mom Comics (inspired by Look Mom Carrots). Altergott's first published work was in the early 1980s, but he didn't really settle into the comics world until late in the decade, when he contributed regularly to the humor magazine '' Cracked''. Throughout the 1990s Altergott published the small-press comic ''Douche Bag Dougan'' (the titular hero of which later made an appearance in

Fantagraphics Books 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 ...

' '' Zero Zero'' anthology.) Altergott's work has also appeared in Fantagraphics' '' Duplex Planet Illustrated'' and ''

Hate Hatred or hate is an intense negative emotional response towards certain people, things or ideas, usually related to opposition or revulsion toward something. Hatred is often associated with intense feelings of anger, contempt, and disgust. Ha ...

'', where '' Doofus'' was a long-running backup feature repeatedly promoted by

Peter Bagge Peter Bagge (pronounced , as in ''bag''; born December 11, 1957) is an American cartoonist whose best-known work includes the comics ''Neat Stuff'' and ''Hate (comics), Hate''. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to drama ...

. Altergott resides in

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...

,Altergott page on Fantagraphics website.
Accessed Nov. 26, 2008. with his wife, fellow cartoonist Ariel Bordeaux. Their collaborative comic book '' Raisin Pie'' was published by

from 2002 to 2007. In September 2006, Altergott released a serious

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

minicomic A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...

based on the life of

Saint Matthias Matthias (; Koine Greek: , , from Hebrew ; ; died ) was, according to the Acts of the Apostles, chosen by God through the apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following the latter's betrayal of Jesus and his subsequent death. His calling as ...

. In 2008, Altergott and Bordeaux contributed to the anthology '' Kramers Ergot'' 7. In April 2014, Altergott began work on a weekly comic for ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'' named " Flowertown USA." (the home town of Doofus). The series lasted through the year. Altergott lived in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

for a period when Daniel Clowes also lived there. Due to the similarities in their drawing styles, some observers have suggested that Altergott is a pseudonym for Clowes, allowing Clowes to draw in a different,

Wally Wood Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as ''Weird Science (comic), Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', an ...

-inspired style. This is untrue. Altergott is also friends with

Jaime Hernandez Jaime (sometimes spelled Xaime) Hernandez (born 1959) is the co-creator of the alternative comic book '' Love and Rockets'' with his brothers Gilbert and Mario. Early life Jaime Hernandez grew up in Oxnard, California.Aldama, p. 119. He is the ...

."Sex Advice From Cartoonists"
Accessed Dec. 24, 2011 .

Quotes

Gilbert Hernandez Gilberto Hernández (born February 1, 1957), usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also by the nickname Beto (), is an American cartoonist. He is best known for his ''Palomar''/''Heartbreak Soup'' stories in ''Love and Rockets (comics), Love ...

Bibliography

* '' Doofus'' (2 issues, Fantagraphics, December 1994–Spring 1997) * ''The Doofus Omnibus'' (Fantagraphics, 2002) * (with Ariel Bordeaux) '' Raisin Pie'' (5 issues, Fantagraphics, October 2002–July 2007)

Notes

External links

*
Lambiek.net's Comiclopledia entry

Comic Art Collective page

Comics for Vice magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altergott, Rick 1961 births Living people American comics artists American comics writers Underground cartoonists