Fred Hembeck
| Fred Hembeck | |
|---|---|
Fred Hembeck at the November 2008
Big Apple Con in Manhattan |
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| Born | Frederick George Hembeck January 30, 1953 Yaphank, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist, Writer, Penciller |
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Notable works
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"Dateline:@#$%", Dial H for Hembeck, Fantastic Four Roast, Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe |
| Awards | Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards "Favorite Fan Artist," 1982–1984 |
Fred Hembeck (born January 30, 1953) is an American cartoonist best known for his parodies of characters from major American comic book publishers. His work has frequently been published by the firms whose characters he spoofs. His characters are always drawn with curlicues at the elbows and knees. He often portrays himself as a character in his own work, in the role of "interviewer" of various comic book characters. Interviewer Daniel Best has said of his work, "If you take your comic books seriously, and think that those characters are real then you're probably not a fan of Hembeck."
Hembeck was born January 30, 1953. He grew up in Yaphank, New York.
Fresh out of college, and failing to get work as a traditional comic book artist, Hembeck hit upon a "bigfoot" style based on the version of himself he used to write illustrated letters to his college friends. Hembeck used this character to conduct comedic "interviews" with Spider-Man and the Flash, and sent them off to the leading fan publication of the day, The Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom (later known as the Comics Buyer's Guide). Much to his surprise, the submissions were published, and Hembeck's strip, called "Dateline: @!!?#" became a popular feature. The "best" of these strips were published in Hembeck: The Best of Dateline: @!!?#, put out by Eclipse Comics in 1979, and reprinted by FantaCo Enterprises in 1980.
From 1979–1981, Hembeck wrote and drew a 3-panel comic strip that appeared in the Daily Planet page of DC comic books. (The Daily Planet featured news on current and upcoming DC comics and answers to reader questions.)
From 1980 to 1983, FantaCo produced a series of black-and-white magazine-format books featuring Hembeck's stories and strips. Hembeck also contributed humor pieces to other FantaCo titles, including Smilin’ Ed, the Chronicles series, Gates of Eden, and Alien Encounters. Hembeck wrote and laid out the artwork for Fantastic Four Roast #1 (May 1982), a one-shot which commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Fantastic Four series.
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