Bob Fingerman brings back Minimum Wage, which was news to me. I never read the first series, so I thought I would give this a try. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had only heard minimal things about the comic. When starting to read it the first thing that sticks out is the art. Rightfully so, it reminds me of an Archie comic. It was typical Fingerman, so everything just fell in place from the get go. I love when comics do this especially with familiar writers. Like I said, I was new to the story but actually enjoyed how real the story was. Sometimes comics try to amplify every little detail. Whether it is with magical realism or trying to make every line a quirky masterpiece. For Minimum Wage everything just flows like it would in real life. We meet up with Rob, now 25, about to hit da clubs in New York City. He is way out of his element since his recent divorce. Matt, and his other friends, try to get Rob to be more outgoing. The guy is a real dork. He draws porno comics, lives with his mother, and can’t seem to get over Sylvia, his ex-wife. I dig how Rob is on that verge of going off the deep end but somehow keeps his hopes up. It is endearing. I really find Rob to be so relatable. Being around the same age and engaged, I couldn’t imagine getting back into the dating scene. Meeting people at clubs seems very dirty to us old people. Rob doesn’t exactly know how to go about it either. His first drink order is a White Russian, so yeah he is off to a bad start, and I love that about his character.
I am not sure if the whole comic will revolve around his struggles with dating, but it was a strong opener. Having the comic seem like everyday life has benefits too. I don’t think I could dedicate all my comic time to these sorts of comics, but going from zero reality filled reading to one reality reading is a good start.
Rob finally gives up on clubs in order to pursue online dating. It was quite odd having the comic shift from so much dialogue between friends to Rob’s thoughts. It was probably my favorite part though. Rob thinks like all the rest of us, and his inside comments about all the girls he has these one-time dates with brings in that right touch of humor. I will definitely keep my options open with Minimum Wage while I wasn’t blown away; it was hard to stop reading it once I started.
Score: 3/5
Writer/Artist/Creator: Bob Fingerman Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 1/8/14