Strip Search, Episode 35 — Ruben Bolling

Ruben Bolling, a.k.a. Ken Fisher.

Ruben Bolling — the nom de plume of “Tom the Dancing Bug” cartoonist Ken Fisher — seems to be doing pretty well for himself. The Tufts and Harvard Law grad’s strip is nationally syndicated via Andrews McMeel; Clover Press is in the midst of publishing a beautiful set of full-color paperbacks collecting his complete works; and he was just given a coveted Reuben Award by the National Cartoonists Society. Oh, and he was a 2021 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning.

But one gets the sense he might give it all up to live in a world without Trump.

“I don't take Trump lightly. I don't I don't think he's necessarily funny or a clown,” Bolling told us about the former president. “I think he's unbelievably dangerous, and the movement behind him is an existential threat. So my job is to make fun of that — sort of whistling in the dark.”

Bolling sat down with two of his fellow Tufts grads — yes, that would be us — to talk about our shared Boston history, Trump, Bolling’s cartooning methods, his approach to satire, the origin of the pen name “Ruben Bolling,” and whether Red Sox and Mets fans ever truly made up after 1986. Listen or watch, and check out some of his work, below, and for more on Ruben Bolling check out tomthedancingbug.com. (Or if you’re interested in that aforementioned book series, visit Clover Press!)

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Introducing Strip Search, the cartooning podcast

Hello all! Welcome to Strip Search, a new podcast where we'll be interviewing cartooning professionals and talk comic strips: their history, classic comics, the current state of the industry, and comics to watch out for. If you're a cartoonist or humorous illustrator and want to appear on the podcast with Dave and Pete, email us at petpeevescomic@gmail.com .

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