Minimum Wage, Vol. 2: So Many Bad Decisions

Recently divorced cartoonist Rob Hoffman sets forth in the terrifying world of single life in New York City in the second volume of Fingerman’s urban soap opera comedy. Starting over with the desire to do more personal comics, Rob gains a casual mentorship from comedian Marc Maron, hilariously dates a hostile, overly sensitive goth woman, and hooks up with his ex. When Fingerman portrays the events of Rob’s life the book is gripping, but the flow is too often disrupted by Rob’s constant anxious monologues about his situation. Fingerman remains very skilled in capturing the art of casual conversation, and his depiction of the social spaces of New York City is flawless, with a gallery of vivid urban bystanders who could all be going through their own crises of self-doubt. The book is drawn in b&w with a blue wash, but several dream sequences—all hammering home our hero’s cluelessness and worries—are rendered in full color. Self-absorption aside, there is plenty to enjoy. (May)