Bob Fingerman sure does like holding on to a joke. The opening joke in Minimum Wage has one of the protagonist’s friends making joking advances on him. One of his male friends. Fingerman beats the joke with a stick, not just killing the funny in it–there isn’t any to start–but also looking desperate.
Except once that opening sequence–the lead, Rob, going out to a night club after breaking up with his wife and moving back home with his mom–once it’s over, Wage gets a lot better. Fingerman does go so much for actual jokes as he does for mood and tone.
The art’s fully realized, even if it’s just Rob sitting around on dating websites. The opening missteps seem like someone trying too hard. The rest is someone being very assured and chill.
Wage works out. It might even go somewhere interesting… if Fingerman lets it.
CREDITS
Writer and artist, Bob Fingerman; publisher, Image Comics.
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