 Spiegelman was born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev in Stockholm , Sweden , on February 15 , 1948 . He immigrated with his parents to the US in 1951 . Upon immigration his name was registered as Arthur Isadore , but he later had his given name changed to Art . Initially the family settled in Norristown , Pennsylvania , and then relocated to Rego Park in Queens , New York City , in 1957 . He began cartooning in 1960 and imitated the style of his favorite comic books , such as Mad . At Russell Sage Junior High School , where he was an honors student , he produced the Mad @-@ inspired fanzine <unk> . He was earning money from his drawing by the time he reached high school and sold artwork to the original Long Island Press and other outlets . His talent was such that he caught the eyes of United Features Syndicate , who offered him the chance to produce a syndicated comic strip . Dedicated to the idea of art as expression , he turned down this commercial opportunity . He attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan beginning in 1963 . He met Woody Gelman , the art director of Topps Chewing Gum Company , who encouraged Spiegelman to apply to Topps after graduating high school . At 15 Spiegelman received payment for his work from a Rego Park newspaper . 
