Robert Armstrong (musician)

Robert Armstrong
Born	1950 (age 66–67) Pasadena, California
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Cartoonist
Pseudonym(s)	Aldo Bobbo Bobbo Armstrong Lucky Bob Rob Armstrong L. B. Armstrong
Notable works	Mickey Rat
http://www.armstrongartandnoveltyhut.com

Robert Armstrong (b. 1950 in Pasadena, California) is a cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and musician. He is known for his underground comix character Mickey Rat, for popularizing the term "couch potato," and for being a member of Robert Crumb's band the Cheap Suit Serenaders.

Armstrong attended Pasadena High School, graduating in 1968, and Pasadena City College from 1969-1971. He did course work at the Chouinard Art Institute from 1967-1969.

In the early 1970s Armstrong moved to San Francisco and began dating Phoebe Gloeckner's mother.

Armstrong's paintings and illustrations have been exhibited in galleries since the late 1980s.

Mickey Rat (an obvious parody of Mickey Mouse) was created by Armstrong in 1971 as a character on a T-shirt. The popularity of the character led to him appearing in comics, which were initially scripted by Chester C. Crill. Mickey's first appearance was L.A. Comics #1 (published by the Los Angeles Comic Book Company in December 1971). Mickey was "sleazy, opportunistic, capable of just about any foul deed, but also shallow, one-dimensional, and incapable of growth or subtlety. He seems to have had little in the way of motivation, beyond his creators' desire to make him the opposite of the other Mickey in every possible way."

Mickey Rat #1 came out in 1972, also scripted by Crill and illustrated by Amstrong, and published by the Los Angeles Comic Book Company. Issue #2 was done entirely by Armstrong, and was published by Kitchen Sink Press later in 1972.

Mickey Rat issues #3 and #4 were published in 1980 and 1982, respectively, by Last Gasp.

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