Steven Weissman

Updated on Aug 31, 2024

Edit

Comment

Nationality American Role Cartoonist Name Steven Weissman		Pseudonym(s) Ribs Area(s) Cartoonist

Born Steven Knight Weissman June 4, 1968 (age 56) California ( 1968-06-04 ) Notable works Chewing Gum In Church, Don't Call Me Stupid, Barack Hussein Obama, Yikes Awards Harvey Award, 1998 (Best New Talent) Books Chocolate Cheeks, Chewing Gum in Church, "Don't Call Me Stupid!", Barack Hussein Obama, Mean

Barack hussein obama by steven weissman video preview

Steven Weissman (b. June 4, 1968, in California) is an award-winning alternative cartoonist best known for his offbeat and bizarre explorations of childhood friendships. His work has been published by Alternative Comics, Fantagraphics, Retrofit and Vice.

Cartoon Master Study

Yikes

Steven Weissman BUTTER AND BLOOD by Steven Weissman Spit and a Half

Weissman made his name with the Harvey and Ignatz award-nominated 1997 series Yikes (volume II), published by Alternative Comics. It features the light-hearted adventures of a gang of kids, very much in the Little Rascals mold, who just happen to be "monsters" — vampires, zombies, and the like. Yikes ran for two issues, and has since been collected, with previous self-published Yikes comics, in Don't Call Me Stupid and Mean, both put out by Fantagraphics.

The Yikes gang

Li'l Bloody — a "deformation" of a Baron Blood knock-off Weissman drew in sketchbooks shared with his teenaged friends.

Pullapart Boy — L'il Bloody's "Frankenstein's Monster" best friend

Dead Boy — Pullapart Boy's "zombie" sidekick/brother

Kid Medusa — inspired by Chrysaor, brother of Pegasus and son of Poseidon and Medusa

X-Ray Spence — inspired by iconic comic book ads for X-ray glasses.

"Sweet Chubby" Cheeks — a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde character, modeled after Joe Cobb.

Li'l Tin-Stars — inspired by Western heroes like the Lone Ranger

Elzie Crisler — the kids' mascot, a reanimated dead dog named after Popeye creator Elzie Crisler Segar.

Barack Hussein Obama

Steven Weissman The Writing Disorder More Nonfiction

In 2009, Weissman began a webcomic called Barack Hussein Obama featuring the president, his cabinet and family. All the characters have the same names and faces but live in an alternate dimension, living their lives and US government roles in different ways. Fantagraphics published the strips as a graphic novel in September 2012. A second volume is due in 2016.

Awards

Steven Weissman Kanye Gets Chicken for Kim in Todays Comic by Steven Weissman VICE

1998 Harvey Award for Best New Talent.

Personal life

Steven Weissman Retrofit Comics Store Butter and Blood by Steven Weissman Online

Weissman lived in San Francisco in the late 1990s, where he associated with fellow cartoonists/illustrators Ed Brubaker, Brian Biggs, Josh Neufeld, and Mats!? (with whom he shared a studio space). He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Charissa Chu, and their son Charles.