Bob Ingersoll
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Ingersoll (born October 13, 1952) is an American
lawyer
and writer
. Ingersoll's full time occupation was an appellate attorney with the Cuyahoga County Public Defender
Office in Cleveland, Ohio
, until he retired in 2009. He is more widely known for his writing, in particular his work in comic books.
, The Green Hornet
, House of Mystery
, Justice Machine
, Mickey Mouse
, Moon Knight
and Star Trek
: All of Me. He was also a frequent contributor for Innovation Comics where he contributed to the Lost in Space
and Quantum Leap comic books as well as being the regular writer on Hero Alliance
.
Since 1983 Ingersoll has written "The Law is a Ass" (sic; the title comes from Mr. Bumble's dialogue in Charles Dickens
' Oliver Twist
and preserves the character's grammatical error), a regular column in Comics Buyer's Guide
, which was also published online by World Famous Comics.com from 1999 to 2003. The column examines the depiction of the law in comics and other fiction and compares it humorously to the reality of legal practice.
He is also the writer of several prose
works. He wrote the horror story Making the Leap which was published in Hot Blood XI: Fatal Attractions (2003, ISBN 0-7582-0099-4). He is the co-author (with his fellow Comic Buyer's Guide columnist Tony Isabella
) of the short story
If Wishes Were Horses... (which was published in The Ultimate Super Villains, ISBN 1-57297-113-4, in 1996) and the novel
s Captain America
: Liberty's Torch (1998 ISBN 0-425-16619-8) and Star Trek
: The Case Of The Colonist's Corpse (A Sam Cogley Mystery) (2003, ISBN 0-7434-6497-4). He is co-author (with fellow comic-book creator Thomas F. Zahler) of the short story
Til Death (which was published in Star Trek: The Next Generation
: The Sky's the Limit, ISBN 0-7434-9255-2 and ISBN 978-0-7434-9255-3, in 2007)
In 1987 (in the pages of Secret Origins
#14) writer John Ostrander
named a piece of legislation in the fictional DC universe
the "Ingersoll Amendment". Ingersoll has frequently provided Ostrander and other comic book writers with advice on how to portray the law in their work.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. Ingersoll's full time occupation was an appellate attorney with the Cuyahoga County Public Defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
Office in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, until he retired in 2009. He is more widely known for his writing, in particular his work in comic books.
Career
Comic series he has written for include Donald DuckDonald Duck in comics
Donald Duck, a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company, is today the star of dozens of comic-book and comic-strip stories published each month around the world.-Early debut:...
, The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
, House of Mystery
House of Mystery
The House of Mystery is the name of several horror-mystery-suspense anthology comic book series. It had a companion series, House of Secrets.-Genesis:...
, Justice Machine
Justice Machine
The Justice Machine is a fictional team of superheroes originally created by Michael Gustovich and appearing in comic books from many small publishers in the 1980s and 1990s.-Publication history:...
, Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...
and Star Trek
Star Trek DC comics
From February 1984 through February 1996, DC Comics held the license to publish comic books based upon the Star Trek franchise, namely Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation ....
: All of Me. He was also a frequent contributor for Innovation Comics where he contributed to the Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
and Quantum Leap comic books as well as being the regular writer on Hero Alliance
Hero Alliance
The Hero Alliance is a fictional American team of comic book superheroes in an eponymous series published by different companies. It was created by writer Kevin Juaire.-Publication history:...
.
Since 1983 Ingersoll has written "The Law is a Ass" (sic; the title comes from Mr. Bumble's dialogue in Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
and preserves the character's grammatical error), a regular column in Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide , established in 1971, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry...
, which was also published online by World Famous Comics.com from 1999 to 2003. The column examines the depiction of the law in comics and other fiction and compares it humorously to the reality of legal practice.
He is also the writer of several prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
works. He wrote the horror story Making the Leap which was published in Hot Blood XI: Fatal Attractions (2003, ISBN 0-7582-0099-4). He is the co-author (with his fellow Comic Buyer's Guide columnist Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella
Tony Isabella is an American comic book writer, editor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath, DC Comics' first major African American superhero, Black Lightning, and as a columnist and critic for the Comics Buyer's Guide.-Marvel Comics:Before he joined...
) of the short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
If Wishes Were Horses... (which was published in The Ultimate Super Villains, ISBN 1-57297-113-4, in 1996) and the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
: Liberty's Torch (1998 ISBN 0-425-16619-8) and Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
: The Case Of The Colonist's Corpse (A Sam Cogley Mystery) (2003, ISBN 0-7434-6497-4). He is co-author (with fellow comic-book creator Thomas F. Zahler) of the short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
Til Death (which was published in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
: The Sky's the Limit, ISBN 0-7434-9255-2 and ISBN 978-0-7434-9255-3, in 2007)
In 1987 (in the pages of Secret Origins
Secret Origins
Secret Origins is the title of three American comic book series published by DC Comics.The title began in 1961 and for one issue, all reprints. The title Secret Origins of Super Heroes went onto a second series, also reprints, which ran for seven issues from 1973-1974...
#14) writer John Ostrander
John Ostrander
John Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.-Career:...
named a piece of legislation in the fictional DC universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
the "Ingersoll Amendment". Ingersoll has frequently provided Ostrander and other comic book writers with advice on how to portray the law in their work.